Nagahama

城市概覽

Tourist information site The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site, jointly with adjacent Maibara City.

如何抵達

By plane Nagahama (or Shiga Prefecture more generally) is not well served by airports. While the nearest airport is Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka's two airports (Itami and Kansai) are at least as convenient, if not more. Travelling from Centrair or Kansai Airports to Nagahama is basically a case of taking a train towards Nagoya or Osaka respectively and then continuing on as described below. Two morning Haruka trains run direct to Kansai Airport from Maibara, returning in the evening. From Itami, the best option is to take a bus to either Shin-Osaka or Kyoto station, and continue from there on the train.

By train Nagahama is served by two trains per hour to Maibara (10 minutes, ¥200), the nearest Shinkansen station. These are in fact Special Rapid services, which offer a fast direct service to many places in Kansai.

Ōmihachiman: 36 minutes, ¥670 Ōtsu: 1 hour, ¥1140 Kyoto: 1 hour 10 minutes, ¥1320 Osaka: 1 hour 40 minutes, ¥1940 Kobe: 2 hours 10 minutes, ¥2590 Himeji: 2 hours 40 minutes, ¥3670 Note that these trains usually run as 12-car trains to Maibara, but only the front 4 (or sometimes 8) cars continue to Nagahama, so make sure you travel in the front part of the train. Taking the Shinkansen to Maibara, times and prices are as follows:

Tokyo (using Hikari): 2 hours 40 minutes and ¥12,400 Nagoya: 1 hour, ¥3740 Kyoto: 40 minutes, ¥3570 Shin-Osaka: 1 hour, ¥4940 Note that Shinkansen trains which stop at Maibara usually do not go west of Shin-Osaka. Nagahama is also served by six Shirasagi Limited Expresses a day between Maibara and Kanazawa, of which three continue beyond Maibara to Nagoya. Taking these, times and prices are as follows:

Kanazawa: 1 hour 40 minutes, ¥5700 Fukui: 1 hour, ¥3360 Tsuruga: 27 minutes, ¥1940 Gifu: 50 minutes, ¥2670 Nagoya: 1 hour 15 minutes, ¥3190 Additional trains pass through without stopping, which require you to change at Maibara or Tsuruga. If avoiding Limited Expresses, allow 1 hour 5 minutes and ¥670 to reach Tsuruga. During the d

當地交通

Most of Nagahama's tourist destinations and hotels are within easy walking distance of the station.

By bus There are buses available, but they are mostly used by locals to commute to places on the outskirts of the city proper.

By taxi There are veritable hordes of taxis just waiting for your patronage outside the station, should you need to get somewhere a bit farther away.

By bike Bikes can also be rented, but you would need to speak Japanese to do this. The bike rental place is located near the west exit of the station.

By ferry Ferries connect Nagahama to the island of Chikubu in Lake Biwa.

必看景點

1 Nagahama Castle (長浜城), 10-10 Kōen-chō (7 minutes walk from the West Exit of Nagahama Station (towards the lake). It should be visible!), ☏ +81 749-63-4611. 09:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30). Nagahama Castle was built in 1575-1576 by Hashiba Hideyoshi (later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi) in the village then called Kunitomo, renaming the area Nagahama. In 1615, the castle was demolished, though parts of it were utilized in the construction of Hikone Castle. The castle as it was rebuilt in 1983 and houses a museum (in Japanese only) about the history of Nagahama. Nagahama Castle is in the middle of Hokoen Park, which is the only place you'll find nature in Nagahama, and has a stunning view of Lake Biwa. In Spring, it is a favorite place to picnic under the cherry trees. ¥400 adults, ¥200 children. (updated May 2018) 2 Hikiyama Museum (長浜市曳山博物館 nagahama-shi hikiyama hakubutsukan), 14-8 Motohama-chō (8 minutes from Nagahama Station East Exit, in Kurokabe Square), ☏ +81 749-65-3300. 09:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30). Nagahama Hikiyama (Float) Matsuri (festival) having more than 400 years of history is known as one of the three great float festivals of Japan. In this museum, the gorgeous and splendid floats that are paraded around the city during the Hikiyama Festival are exhibited. A movie showing highlights of the festival, such as kabuki played by boys aging from 5 to 12 just like the old days, are screened. ¥600 adults, ¥300 children. (updated May 2018) 3 Kaiyoudou Figurine Museum Kurokabe (海洋堂フィギュアミュージアム黒壁 kaiyōdō figyuā myūjiamu kurokabe), 13-31 Motohama-cho (in Kurokabe Square: it's a very obvious building, with a huge anime character statue in front), ☏ +81 749-68-1680. 10:00-17:00. An otaku's paradise! Figurines of all shapes and sizes inhabit this museum, depicting dinosaurs, anime characters, etc., are exhibited in a diorama style. Those figures are sold in the shop on the first floor of the museum. There are some seriously heavy-duty collector's items in her

體驗活動

Hikiyama Festival (曳山祭り). Every April 15th. Begins at Hachimangu Shrine and snakes its way towards Kurokabe Square. Young boys perform traditional kabuki plays on floats. Nagahama and Kita-Biwako Fireworks Festival (長浜と北琵琶湖花火大会). Every August 5th, a massive fireworks festival launched in the harbor area of Lake Biwa. Green Hotel Yes Nagahama Minato-kan offers the best view, but generally any rooftop will do nicely. Remember to wear your yukata! (updated Jul 2015) Nagahama Shusse Festival. This festival started in 1983 commemorating the reconstruction of Nagahama Castle. It's now a major October event in Nagahama. The festival includes various events, most notably the “Great Kimono Garden Party” where thousands of young women from near and far dress up in extraordinarily ornate kimono and parade about town. Art in Nagahama. Artists from various fields gather from all over Japan to exhibit, demonstrate, and sell their works in various spots in Kurokabe Square. In other words, this event is an open air market for artists. Usually takes place during the Shusse Festival. 1 Nagahama Bonbai Exhibition (長浜盆梅展 nagahama bonbaiten), Keiun-kan, 2-5 Minato-chō (at the Keiunkan (慶雲館)). January 20 - March 10: 09:00-17:00. Bonbai is a Japanese apricot tree in bonsai style. This annual exhibition began in 1952 when the late Shichizo Takayama donated his bonbai to Nagahama City. A 400-year-old tree is among the exhibits. The Nagahama Bonbai Exhibition has been referred to as the No. 1 bonbai exhibition, both historically and scale-wise. Adults ¥500, children 15 and under: ¥200. (updated Jul 2015)

購物

Nagahama is famous for its glass art. There are many places in Kurokabe Square to see, buy, and even learn to make glass art! The following are two of the more well-known ones.

1 Kurokabe Glass Shop (黒壁ガラス館), 12-38 Motohama-cho, 1 Kurokabe (go east on Ekimaedori, lefthand sidewalk; follow the little signposts), ☏ +81 749-65-2330. 10:00-18:00. The namesake of Kurokabe Square, which was built in 1890 as Daihyaku Sanju Bank Nagahama Branch. Two storeys of glass art, jewelry, stemware, etc. The first floor is a shop for glass accessories and sundries, while the second floor displays glassworks from all over the world which are also available for pu