Getting around Shiga

Getting inHow you arrive in Shiga

No airport — Maibara Station (shinkansen), or 10 min from Kyoto by local train

Confirmed journey times

Fastest services, checked on the date shown.

Treat this as a day out from Kyoto: Shiga sits directly east of Kyoto. You do not need to move hotels — the lake and the castle are close enough to see and come back the same day.
Checked 2026-08-16
Kyoto to Otsu, and Kyoto to Hikone: Otsu, on the lake shore, is about 10 minutes from Kyoto. Hikone, for the castle, is about 46 to 50 minutes on the Special Rapid (shin-kaisoku) — there is no surcharge and no reservation, it is an ordinary train that happens to be fast.
Checked 2026-08-16
About rail passes: This is the JR Biwako line, so a Japan Rail Pass is valid and the Special Rapid costs nothing extra with it. Shiga is one of the cheapest prefectures to reach if you hold a pass.
Checked 2026-08-16
Take the Special Rapid, not the shinkansen: Trains do stop at Maibara, but changing to the the Special Rapid is the better ride, and the lake is on the left. Take the Special Rapid and sit by the window on the left for the lake.
Checked 2026-08-16

A Japan Rail Pass does not cover Nozomi or Mizuho. What a rail pass covers

In this prefecture you will probably use Keihan — a private railway, not JR. A Japan Rail Pass does not cover it.

An IC card works on most of them. Signs and station names are in English.

Worth it the moment you leave the main city. What you need to drive here

Permit neededDrive left

Clean, safe and metered. Show the address on your phone rather than saying it. Doors are often opened for you.

Show the address

City: Usually around midnight
Country: Far earlier — sometimes mid-afternoon. Ask at the stop when you arrive, not when you want to leave
If you miss it: Ask your inn to call a taxi before the last bus goes, not after

ATMs: Use 7-Eleven or Japan Post for a foreign card. Bank ATMs are hit and miss
Carry: ¥10,000–20,000 on a day out of the city. Rural areas have very little
Small places: Cash only is common. Ask “Card OK?” before you order

Lockers: At the main station, paid by IC card. They fill by mid-morning
Send it: Any convenience store will deliver it to your next hotel, usually next day. Cheaper than carrying it up stairs
At your inn: They will hold it before check-in and after check-out