Ride the north shore of Lake Biwa from Nagahama to Kinomoto
Half day186.5 km · 396 m up
This half day suits riders who want the easy northern stretch of Biwaichi on a cheap e-assist bike, ending in a hot bath and a short train ride, and its catch is a north shore where snow settles in winter, so ride it in spring or autumn.
Photo Alpsdake · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
KonbiniDrinking waterToiletsBike shopsTop of chart 200 m
Hour by hour
The day一日
- 08:45StayCheck out of Grazie and leave the bags at the deskShiga's cyclist-friendly certification has every listed stay hold luggage after checkout and lend a pump and tools.
- 09:00RideRent an e-assist bike at the Nagahama tour centreThe tourism association's desks rent e-assist bikes for ¥1,000 a day, and every bike goes back the same day at one of its station desks.
- 09:15RideFollow the lake path north out of NagahamaShiga signs the lap counterclockwise, which keeps you on the lake side of the road. Give walkers priority on the shared paths.
- 10:15CoffeeRest at Kohoku Mizudori Station on the shoreThe roadside station opens 9:00 to 18:00 and sells tubes as well as snacks.
- 11:30LunchBuy salad pan at Tsuruya Pan in KinomotoThe bakery opens from 8:00 Monday to Saturday and 9:00 on Sundays. Kinomoto sits a little inland of the lake road, and the hills toward Shiotsu start beyond it, so turn back here.
- 12:30BathSoak at Kitaomi no YuWeekday entry costs ¥900 in 2026 and rises at weekends. The bath turns away anyone with tattoos.
- 14:15TrainReturn the bike at JR Takatsuki and take the train to NagahamaThe rental desk sits at the station's east exit. Each desk keeps its own hours and some close over lunch, so check the association's leaflet first. With your own bike, JR West wants it taken apart and carried in a dedicated bag, so reach the station early enough to pack it outside the gates.
- 15:00SightBrowse the glass shops of Kurokabe SquareMost shops close at 17:00, and the quarter is a short walk from Nagahama Station.
- 18:00DinnerDrink beer brewed on site at Nagahama Roman BeerIt closes on Tuesdays.
Starts and ends at Kita Biwako Hotel Grazie.
Hard
The routeルート
Kita Biwako Hotel Grazie stands by Nagahama Port and holds Shiga's certification for cyclist-friendly stays, so your bags wait at the desk while you ride. The tourism association's tour centre in Nagahama opens at 9:00. From there the east-shore path runs north beside the water most of the way to Kinomoto, which keeps the morning flat.
Tsuruya Pan's salad pan made Kinomoto's name, and it travels well in a jersey pocket. Kitaomi no Yu sits a short ride south of town and opens from 6:00 until midnight, so the bath never rushes you. Shiga asks riders to be off the road by 17:00 from October to April, and this plan has you back in Nagahama well before then.
Worth knowing
- Omi-Shiotsu and Nagahara take no returns from other stations from 25 March to 11 May and over New Year, which matters only if you ride on past Kinomoto.
- The desks close from 29 December to 3 January.
Quick answers about Ride the north shore of Lake Biwa from Nagahama to Kinomotoよくある質問
How much riding is the Ride the north shore of Lake Biwa from Nagahama to Kinomoto day?
The day rides the Biwaichi, 186.5 km with 396 m of climbing by our route data, and stops 7 times between 08:45 and the end of the day.
Where do you eat lunch on the Ride the north shore of Lake Biwa from Nagahama to Kinomoto day?
Lunch at 11:30 is this: buy salad pan at Tsuruya Pan in Kinomoto. The bakery opens from 8:00 Monday to Saturday and 9:00 on Sundays. Kinomoto sits a little inland of the lake road, and the hills toward Shiotsu start beyond it, so turn back here.