Omihachiman

Ōmihachiman is on the JR Main Line, also called the JR Biwako Line between Kyoto and Maibara, which are the closest Shinkansen stops. JR Ōmihachiman is about 30 min from Kyoto and 20 min from Maibara. From the Meishin Expressway, Ōmihachiman is about 20 min north of the Ryuo (竜王) Interchange, 20 min west of the Yokaichi (八日市) Interchange, and about 40 min southwest of the Hikone (彦根) Interchange. Parking is available at the Obata-cho Visitor Center: ¥500 for cars and ¥2000 for buses. Take the north exit from the JR station, where there is a small tourist information office and a city bus terminal. All the major tourist attractions are some distance away in the older part of town near Lake Biwa. The tourist office will provide a guide map (in Japanese) outlining a walking tour of the main sites, each clearly identified on the map by image and number key. Many of the signs by the main attractions are bilingual in Japanese and English....