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A cruise of Lake Biwa with on-board entertainment and food. They offer 60 minute, 80 minute and night cruises, each with their own prices. Boat leaves from Otsu Port. The ship's name comes from the American state of Michigan because Otsu has a sister-city relationship with the state's capital, Lansing.
延暦寺
The head temple of Tendai Buddhism and a World Heritage Site located atop Mount Hiei.
義仲寺
The burial place of famed haiku poet Matsuo Bashō, of Narrow Road to the Deep North fame. The temple is 300 m away from JR Zeze Station (膳所駅), one stop from Otsu on the JR Tokaido Line.
石山寺
This temple was founded in 749 and the hondō (main hall) is the oldest building in Shiga Prefecture built 850 years ago. Inside the hondo, in the room on the right, is the "Genji Room" where it is believed Murasaki Shikibu wrote her famous book "Tale of Genji", considered to be the world's first novel. The temple precincts are quite large, with a 750 year old pagoda and Muyū-en Garden (無憂園) among other things. The pathway leading to the temple is lined with cherry trees, making it especially beautiful in the spring and autumn. For those traveling on the Saigoku 33 Kannon Temple Pilgrimage, Ishiyama-dera is number 13.
三井寺
日吉大社
建部大社
This was once the head shrine of Omi Province.