The 9 Best Ryokan in Ogoto Onsen for Looking Out over Shiga’s Lake Biwa

Every day is too busy, and I want to spend it in an open scenery once in a while! In such a tired mode, we recommend "Ogoto onsen" where Lake Biwa spreads out in front of you. If you take a bath in a natural onsen overlooking the magnificent Lake Biwa, you will feel very refreshed.

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From Tokyo Station, you can reach Ogoto onsen in less than 3 hours if you use the Shinkansen. Moreover, if you go to Kyoto Station by Shinkansen, you only need to transfer once to a conventional line. It takes about 20 minutes from Kyoto Station to Ogoto onsen Station. One of the charms of Ogoto onsen is that it is surprisingly easy to access, and that you can feel comfortable while traveling.

"Ogoto onsen" is a "water for beautiful skin" with a pH value of 9.0. It is said that your skin will become smooth after soaking in it. This time, we will introduce a onsen inn that boasts views and baths. How about a trip that will improve your healing and beautiful skin?

Biwako Ryokusuitei is ryokan with a great view of Lake Biwa from all rooms. From the rooms with open-air baths, you can enjoy a superb view overlooking Lake Biwa. The scenery is good from anywhere in the hall, so the mood will be sunny.

This inn prides itself on meal. Luxurious kaiseki cuisine where you can enjoy shabu-shabu and steak with Omi beef of A4 class or higher. In addition, breakfast is buffet style, and it is popular that you can choose dried fish to be grilled at the table. In the morning and at night, you can fill your stomach with the delicious food of Shiga.

Right next to the hotel, there is a pier that leads to Lake Biwa. A popular tour is to go on a pleasure boat trip to Lake Biwa from here. The course from Ogoto onsen Port to Biwako Ohashi Bridge takes about 40 minutes, and you can enjoy a slightly richer Lake Biwa excursion.

“Ogotoso” is a onsen ryokan with 10 rooms. This cozy inn is located right next to Ogoto Port, so you can feel close to Lake Biwa. It is a popular inn with many repeaters because of its cozy atmosphere and delicious meal.

At this inn, the owner himself prepares kaiseki cuisine using plenty of fresh produce from Lake Biwa, seafood, and Omi beef. The thorough attention to ingredients is due to the owner's knives. In particular, the duck dish in the winter season is a menu that has many fans.

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About 15 minutes by car from the inn is Hiyoshi Taisha. It is the head shrine of more than 3,800 "Sanno-san" in Japan. It is especially famous for its autumn leaves, and tourists come to see the green maple leaves in summer and the colored leaves in autumn. It is a recommended shooting spot with a quiet atmosphere and beautiful scenery.

Satoyu Mukashibanashi Yuzanso is ryokan with the theme of satoyama and folklore. About 50 of the guest rooms have their own open-air bath, but the large open-air bath made of cypress is a bath you should try at least once. Let's enjoy the scenery of Lake Biwa through the green trees.

Here you can enjoy the cuisine of the head chef who won the "Master Craftsman of Omi" award. Ingredients include vegetables grown in the 320 tsubo private garden on the inn's grounds, local vegetables grown by local contracted farmers, a type of turnip called 'Hinona', and plump, super spicy 'Yahei'. Use red pepper etc. It is a product that tastes the deliciousness of Lake Biwa.

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Hieizan Enryakuji Temple, which is about 30 minutes by car from the inn, is an ancient temple that has been around for 1,200 years. There are many halls such as the East Pagoda and the West Pagoda in the precincts, and there are 10 national treasures and 50 temples such as the national treasure "Konpon Chudo" and the important cultural property "Great Auditorium". There are more important cultural properties. Experience a different world from the foothills.

“Biwako Hanakaido” is ryokan located on a hill in the Ogoto onsen area. If you enter the spacious public bath, you can feel the skin beautifying effect in the thick hot water. This ryokan is recommended for relaxing with other girls.

The view here is very good, and all rooms have a lake view. You can see the majestic Lake Biwa up close. It's a beautiful view that makes you want to stay in your room without going out.

The cuisine is seasonal Kaiseki prepared by the head chef who is a ``master craftsman''. All of our locally sourced dishes use ingredients from around Lake Biwa Shiga. In addition to Omi beef, we also use nutritious and healthy ingredients such as Biwamasu and Moroko fish caught in Lake Biwa, and clam clams.

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Shirahige Shrine is about 30 minutes by car from the inn. It is the head office of more than 150 Shirahige shrines nationwide, and is also called "Omi's Itsukushima" because of the torii gate floating in Lake Biwa. Known as the god of marriage, the shrine attracts many female visitors.

"Kotoyu" is an accommodation facility at the spa resort "Agaryanse" with a panoramic view of Lake Biwa. The inn also has a large public bath, but the advantage is that you can use the facilities of "Agaryanse" for free during your stay, whichever day you choose. The inn and "Agaryanse" are connected by a corridor, so you can move around in your yukata.

There are two types of guest rooms: mountain-view "mountain-side" and lake-view "lake-side" rooms. There are both Japanese-style rooms and Western-style rooms, so you can choose the one you like.

Here, you can spend a whole day relaxing and enjoying onsen. You can use open-air baths, saunas, bedrock baths, large public baths, sleeping baths, etc. Why don't you take your time in the hot onsen and thoroughly relax your stiff body?

“Biwako Grand Hotel Kyo-Ohmi” is a hotel located right next to Lake Biwa. Only Kyo-Omi has an open-onsen spring bath, and the guest rooms are spacious and comfortable. Let's spend a leisurely time while looking at Lake Biwa from the observatory large communal bath.

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Biwako Grand Hotel Kyo-Ohmi consists of three buildings: Kyo-Omi, the East Building, and the West Building. All rooms at Kyo-Omi have an open-air bath and a panoramic view of Lake Biwa, and are over 20 tatami mats in size, so you can relax in them. All the baths in the guest rooms are natural hot springs. There are also rooms with saunas and party rooms. The East Building and West Building feature Japanese-style rooms that exude a Japanese atmosphere. Here too, you can relax by lounging around on the tatami mats.

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You can rent a bicycle at Ogoto onsen Park, which is about a 7-minute walk from the inn, and we recommend the course that goes around Lake Biwa. If you are a beginner, you can travel about 13 kilometers and take about an hour and a half. Perfect for relieving lack of exercise!

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Ukimido, a famous sightseeing spot on Lake Biwa, is located in the middle of the cycling course. In addition, you can enjoy the scenery of Lake Biwa that is different from driving on the course that goes around the SNS shooting spot "Dejima Lighthouse" and the roadside station "Biwako Ohashi Kome Plaza".

Dantokan Kikunoya is ryokan in a great location overlooking Lake Biwa. There is a private open-air bath "Koyuden" on the roof of the inn, and you can overlook Lake Biwa. There is an additional charge for this bath, but the exhilarating scenery is worth a visit!

O meal is a kaiseki course featuring ingredients carefully selected by the chef. The menu is full of dishes that reflect the four seasons, such as bamboo shoots in spring, ayu in summer, and mushroom dishes in fall. Vegetables and rice are from contracted farmers, and the rice is especially sweet and fluffy. The more you eat, the more you will smile.

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About 30 minutes by car from the hotel, the "Sagawa Art Museum" is an art museum created as a commemorative project by the courier service Sagawa Express. The museum exhibits the works of Ikuo Hirayama, a painter representing Japan, and Churyo Sato, a sculptor. The building is built over the water garden, and the beauty is in harmony with Shiga's nature.

“Yumotokan” is ryokan on the hill of Ogoto onsen. From the large communal bath "Gesshin-no-Yu" on the top floor, you can see Lake Biwa under your eyes, and the night view as well as the daytime is spectacular. There are seven baths in the hotel, including an open-air bath, so you can enjoy a leisurely tour of the baths.

Be sure to try Omi beef here! Omi beef is characterized by its fine texture and high-quality fat. The fat has a unique sheen, and it is said that even if you eat it, you won't feel heavy on your stomach. We recommend the Omi beef and local vegetable shabu-shabu. This is a great value course where you can enjoy both the umami of meat and the deliciousness of vegetables.

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The Shiga Lake Biwa Museum, about 30 minutes by car from the hotel, is a museum where you can get close to nature. You can have fun learning about Lake Biwa through the tunnel aquarium and interactive exhibits. Furthermore, the hall that appears in front of you when you enter is a great photo spot. You can see a panoramic view of Lake Biwa and the mountains to the west of the lake.

`` Yunoyado Komolebi'' is a sister hotel to ``Yumotokan'' that we introduced earlier. The inn also has a large public bath, but we recommend paying a little extra to take a bath in one of the seven baths in the Yumotokan next door. It is connected to the Yumotokan by a breezeway, making it easy to use. Moreover, ``Kimorebi'' has reasonable pricing, so you can stay at a great value. (The image is of the open-air bath at Yumotokan)

The recommended meal is the inn's specialty "Seasonal Kamameshi" course. Kamameshi, which is cooked for 30 minutes at each table, is filled with seasonal ingredients such as mushrooms and is full of nutrition. It is a highly satisfying course that comes with small bowls and hot pots.

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If you go by car from the hotel for about 5 minutes, there is also a spot where you can enjoy kayaking on Lake Biwa. Even if you are new to kayaking or canoeing, you can rest assured that we will teach you properly. The one-hour course for beginners is popular, and Lake Biwa's waves are relatively calm, so even beginners to kayaking can enjoy it.

A trip to a place with beautiful scenery will brighten your heart. In addition, if there is onsen, your body and mind will be warm ♪ Let's completely unwind from the accumulated fatigue on a trip to "Ogoto onsen" where you can enjoy relaxing and beautiful skin, and a superb view.