Lake Biwa and the original Hikone Castle: walking Shiga’s lakeside and castle town

About Shiga

Shiga is an inland Kinki prefecture with Otsu as its capital. Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest freshwater lake, lies at its centre.

Main walking areas in Shiga

Here are some of the prefecture’s most popular places to walk, where public smoking spots and facilities with smoking rooms tend to be available nearby.

• Otsu (Lake Biwa lakeside, Hama-Otsu)
• Hikone (Hikone Castle, Yume-Kyobashi Castle Road)
• Omihachiman (Hachiman moat district)

Shiga trivia

Hikone Castle retains its Edo-era keep, ranking among Japan’s twelve original castles and designated a National Treasure.

Tips for finding smoking areas in Shiga

• Use designated smoking spots in areas with no-smoking-on-the-street ordinances
• Stations, large commercial complexes and tourist information centres are good starting points
• Heated-tobacco-only rooms are growing — switch the tobacco-type filter to match your device
• Use a portable ashtray or the ashtray in the smoking area — good etiquette helps keep these spots open for everyone

Find efficiently with Mottosuitai

Allow location access on the Mottosuitai map to see smoking areas within 2 km of you. To browse by region, visit /search/?prefecture=shiga for the Shiga list.