Shiga Access Guide

Shiga Prefecture is great in that it is incredibly close to Kyoto and other tourist destinations in the Kansai Area. Not only is it close to other prefectures, it is also very easy to get around the prefecture and enjoy a wide variety of activities, from viewing castles, to relaxing on a lake, to resting in a hot spring, all while using the trains.

 

If you’re planning on taking the plane to Shiga, you will have to take a plane to the Kansai International Airport, the Kansai region’s main airplane hub. From there, it will take about an hour and a half to get to Otsu station, Shiga’s main station you can get there by taking the JR Airport Express train, named Haruka. All in all, from Tokyo to Shiga, it should take about 2 hours to get to Shiga, and cost around 15,000 yen.

 

Train 

Trains should be your main mode of transportation, especially if you are heading to Shiga after visiting Kyoto and Osaka. In fact, it only takes about 9 minutes to get from Kyoto to Shiga, on the JR Tokaido Main Line! From Osaka, it takes about 30 minutes, making Shiga the perfect one-day travel destination. Inside Shiga, it only take about an hour and a half to get from the southern point of Lake Biwa to the northern point, allowing easy enjoyment of the whole prefecture.