Hikone
彦根市35°16′ N 136°16′ ECityPop. 111,198Shiga and Lake Biwa
Hikone suits riders who want a castle town with fast trains on the east shore, and its lakeshore hotels sit a short ride from the castle and the station.
Photo by Brian Covert on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Hikone for its original castle keep and a station on the main JR line.
The name
Hikone
彦根Named for the deity Ikutsuhikone, worshipped on Hikone-yama, the hill the castle now stands on.
japanese
Hikone City gives this as the accepted origin and frames it as tradition. We read the city's account through the citation in Japanese Wikipedia.
Things to do in Hikone
Hikone Castle彦根城Castle
An original Edo-period keep above the town and the lake.
Yume-Kyobashi Castle Road夢京橋キャッスルロードOld town
The rebuilt castle-town street below the walls, with shops and places to eat.
Hikone Castle's keep is one of the few in Japan that survives from before the Meiji era, and the town still feels laid out around it. Yume-Kyobashi Castle Road below the walls has Sennaritei's Omi beef shop, which doubles as a Biwaichi support station. Omi chanpon started in 1963 at a noodle shop in the Ginza arcade here, and the Chanpon-tei chain that spread it keeps its head office in town.
The lake shore at Matsubara is a short ride north of the castle, with Kamenoi Hotel's lake-view rooms and Hikone Port, which stamps the Biwaichi certificate. Hikone Castle Resort & Spa sits right below the keep.
Quick answers about Hikoneよくある質問
What does the name Hikone mean?
Hikone comes from the local name Hikone, meaning named for the deity Ikutsuhikone, worshipped on Hikone-yama, the hill the castle now stands on. Hikone City gives this as the accepted origin and frames it as tradition. We read the city's account through the citation in Japanese Wikipedia.
Is Hikone a good place to stay?
Stay in Hikone for its original castle keep and a station on the main JR line.
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby食
Within 12 km
