Shiga Day Trip Tour: MIHO MUSEUM, Chikurin-In, and Shirahige Shrine From Osaka

Highlights

  • Explore Shiga's art museums and scenic gardens
  • Capture enchanting reflection photos at the historic Chikurin-in
  • Marvel at the stunning vermilion torii gate floating on Lake Biwa!
  • A guide fluent in Chinese, English, and Japanese will accompany the tour

What to expect

Join a day trip bus tour to Shiga's breathtaking spots. Visit a museum designed with a "paradise" theme, explore a scenic garden famous for enchanting reflection photography, and see the iconic torii gate floating on Lake Biwa.

About this experience

Starting at
08:40

Schedule

  1. Meet at Nihombashi Station, Exit 2.
  2. Departure
    *All sightseeing spots are free to explore on your own. The guide will provide information only.
  3. MIHO MUSEUM *In winter, visit "Hachiman-bori" instead
    MIHO MUSEUM was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei with a "paradise" theme.

    *Admission fee is excluded (around 1100-1300JPY), if its closed, go to another spot, Hachiman-bori Canal.
    *Restaurant and café available, paid on-site.
    *Check the website for dates: https://www.miho.jp/en/calendar/
  4. (Alternative: Hachiman-bori Canal)
    A picturesque area with canals and traditional Japanese architecture. You can enjoy a boat ride along the canal and take in the beautiful scenery.
  5. Former Chikurin-in Temple
    A nationally designated scenic garden offering beautiful views throughout the seasons. Once a retreat for monks from Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, you can capture reflection photos that make the garden appear mirrored from inside the main building.
  6. Shirahige Shrine
    Famous for its vermilion torii gate floating on Lake Biwa, standing about 12 meters high with an 8-meter span between the pillars. Often called the "Itsukushima of Omi," the torii's reflection on the water is stunning, especially at sunrise and sunset.
  7. Tour Ends at Nihombashi Station

Location and Directions

  • Check-in / Check-out

    Nihombashi Station, Exit 2

    1-3-6 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka, Japan

    Nihombashi Station, Exit 2 — 1-3-6 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka, Japan

Reviews

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2 reviews
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A tour with only foreigners on the bus is crazy.
Posted Date: 2025/10/19
The guide was not at the meeting time, and the bus number that was originally listed was different, so we had to walk around quite a bit at the meeting place to find it. The bus was also in very poor condition. It was not a large tour bus, but a small microbus, giving more of a feeling of being transported rather than riding. The ride was very bumpy, lacked cleanliness, and even had an unpleasant smell. If I had brought my grandparents, I think I would have canceled.

The guide could not speak Jap…
The guide was not at the meeting time, and the bus number that was originally listed was different, so we had to walk around quite a bit at the meeting place to find it. The bus was also in very poor condition. It was not a large tour bus, but a small microbus, giving more of a feeling of being transported rather than riding. The ride was very bumpy, lacked cleanliness, and even had an unpleasant smell. If I had brought my grandparents, I think I would have canceled.

The guide could not speak Japanese. Since we could speak both English and Chinese, we managed, but I felt that at least someone who could speak simple Japanese would be necessary in case of an emergency.

Although it was stated that we would go directly from Nipponbashi in Osaka to Shiga, we ended up going to Kyoto because we had to go to another boarding point, resulting in a loss of about 50 to 60 minutes overall. The time we had at the main attraction, the art museum, was significantly shortened, which was quite disappointing. We could hardly see the exhibits, and since we also had to have lunch, it was very busy.

Additionally, despite the tour fee being quite high, all entrance fees and meal costs were out of pocket. I think it's usually included, so that was disappointing.

The only good thing was that we were able to go to places we normally wouldn't visit. The price and quality are not balanced at all.
集合時間にガイドがおらず、元々記載されていたバスのナンバーも異なっており、集合場所でかなり歩き回ってさがしました。
そしてバスがあまりにもボロい。
大きな観光バスではなく、小型のマイクロバスで、乗車というよりかは輸送されている(運ばれている)感覚。揺れも大きく、清潔感もなく、臭いまでありました。仮に祖父母などを連れていっていたとしたらキャンセルしていたと思います。
ガイドは日本語が話せませんでした。
我々が英語も中国語もできたからまだ大丈夫でしたが、せめて簡単な日本語を話せる人じゃないと緊急時は頼りになら…
集合時間にガイドがおらず、元々記載されていたバスのナンバーも異なっており、集合場所でかなり歩き回ってさがしました。
そしてバスがあまりにもボロい。
大きな観光バスではなく、小型のマイクロバスで、乗車というよりかは輸送されている(運ばれている)感覚。揺れも大きく、清潔感もなく、臭いまでありました。仮に祖父母などを連れていっていたとしたらキャンセルしていたと思います。
ガイドは日本語が話せませんでした。
我々が英語も中国語もできたからまだ大丈夫でしたが、せめて簡単な日本語を話せる人じゃないと緊急時は頼りにならないなと思いました。
大阪日本橋からそのまま滋賀に向かうと書かれていたのに、もうひとつの乗り場までいくからとのことで京都まで行き、全体で見ると50~60分のロス。
最初に行ったツアーのメインである美術館での時間は大変短くなってしまい、かなり残念でした。展示品はほぼ見ることが出来ず、昼食も取らなければならなかったのでかなり忙しかったです。

またツアー代はしっかりかかっているにも関わらず、入場代や食事代は全て実費。
普通は含まれていることが多いと思うので、残念でした。

良かったところは普段行けないところに行けたという一点のみ。
値段と質があまりにも釣り合っておりません。
Machine translated from Japanese
It might be a tour for Chinese people...
Posted Date: 2025/06/02
af001
I participated in a tour on the weekend after Golden Week. Since I went to the Expo, I decided to join a tour of Shiga, a place I don't often have the opportunity to visit. Although it was the weekend, there were only about 10 people in total.

We joined as a pair, but everyone else was Chinese... The driver mentioned that he couldn't provide guidance in Japanese, so we were given a printed sheet with explanations of the tourist spots.

【Disappointing Points】
- Not at the meeting time
→ The meeting …
I participated in a tour on the weekend after Golden Week. Since I went to the Expo, I decided to join a tour of Shiga, a place I don't often have the opportunity to visit. Although it was the weekend, there were only about 10 people in total.

We joined as a pair, but everyone else was Chinese... The driver mentioned that he couldn't provide guidance in Japanese, so we were given a printed sheet with explanations of the tourist spots.

【Disappointing Points】
- Not at the meeting time
→ The meeting place was used for various tours, and I asked around but couldn't find anyone. Since time had passed, I finally managed to connect by calling on my mobile. It would be helpful to have something like a card to make it clearer.

- If it's for foreigners, I wish that was clearly stated
→ The driver was fluent in Japanese, but he said he was called in at the last minute because there were Japanese participants. Since all the sightseeing spots were free to explore, it wasn't a problem, but it was a bit intimidating.

- All entrance fees were out of pocket
→ It's often included in the tour price, so that was disappointing.

【Positive Points】
- The places we visited were ones I couldn't easily reach on my own, so it was great to be able to see them efficiently.

- All the tourist spots were wonderful. I enjoyed the art, the scenery, and the food. There were also many photogenic locations.

- The tour ended an hour earlier than planned, which gave us some extra time afterward.

As long as it operates safely, that's what matters, but I feel like there's a big variance in the quality of tours, so I think I'll be more careful when applying in the future.
GW明けの週末に参加。万博に行ったので、ついでにあまり行く機会のない滋賀のツアーにしました。週末でしたが、10名くらいの少人数でした。
2名で参加しましたが、私たち以外は全員中国人でした…運転手さんも日本人向けの案内は出来ないとのことで、観光場所の説明が書かれた紙を印刷して渡されました。
【残念な点】
・集合時間にいない
→色んなツアーの集合場所になっていて、片っ端から声かけましたが見つからず。時間すぎたので、携帯に電話してやっと合流できました。カードを持つとか、分かりやすくしてほしい。

・外国人用なら、その旨…
GW明けの週末に参加。万博に行ったので、ついでにあまり行く機会のない滋賀のツアーにしました。週末でしたが、10名くらいの少人数でした。
2名で参加しましたが、私たち以外は全員中国人でした…運転手さんも日本人向けの案内は出来ないとのことで、観光場所の説明が書かれた紙を印刷して渡されました。
【残念な点】
・集合時間にいない
→色んなツアーの集合場所になっていて、片っ端から声かけましたが見つからず。時間すぎたので、携帯に電話してやっと合流できました。カードを持つとか、分かりやすくしてほしい。

・外国人用なら、その旨明記してほしい
→運転手さんは日本語堪能でしたが、日本人がいるので急遽呼ばれたと言っていました。
観光場所は全て自由行動だったので問題はありませんでしたが、気後れしました。。

・入場料が全て実費
→ツアー代に含まれている事が多いので残念でした。

【良かった点】
・なかなか自力で行けない場所ばかりだったので、効率よく回れて良かった。

・観光した場所は、全て良かった。美術品に景色やごはん等満喫した。フォトジェニックな場所も多い。

・予定より1時間早く終了したので、そのあとの時間に余裕ができた。

安全に催行されればそれでいいのですが、ツアーによって当たり外れが大きい気がしているので、今後は申し込む際に注意しようと思います。。
Machine translated from Japanese

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