Day Tours
Private Day Trip from Kyoto: Hikone Castle, Mt. Hiei & Lake Biwa
1
DAY(S)
4
DESTINATION(S)
6
GUESTS (MAX)
Day Tours
Private Day Trip from Kyoto: Hikone Castle, Mt. Hiei & Lake Biwa
1
DAY(S)
4
DESTINATION(S)
6
GUESTS (MAX)
Day Tours
Private Day Trip from Kyoto: Hikone Castle, Mt. Hiei & Lake Biwa
1
DAY(S)
4
DESTINATION(S)
6
GUESTS (MAX)
From US$280 per person
From US$280 per person
Overwiew
What You’ll Discover
Overwiew
What You’ll Discover
We designed this one-day journey to pair one of Japan's few original castles with the mountaintop monastery long associated with the monks who shaped Japanese Buddhism, both within easy reach of Kyoto. With a private van and an English-speaking guide for up to 8 hours, we take you to Hikone Castle, a National Treasure keep overlooking Lake Biwa, then to the canal town of Omi-hachiman for lunch, and up Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho and a major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries. It's a day for travelers who want castles, lakes, and mountain temples without the crowds of central Kyoto.
We designed this one-day journey to pair one of Japan's few original castles with the mountaintop monastery long associated with the monks who shaped Japanese Buddhism, both within easy reach of Kyoto. With a private van and an English-speaking guide for up to 8 hours, we take you to Hikone Castle, a National Treasure keep overlooking Lake Biwa, then to the canal town of Omi-hachiman for lunch, and up Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho and a major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries. It's a day for travelers who want castles, lakes, and mountain temples without the crowds of central Kyoto.
A private vehicle covers what public transit can't — three scattered Shiga destinations in a single day.
One of Japan's last original castles, a National Treasure almost no one from abroad has heard of — overlooking Japan's largest lake.
Lunch in Omi-hachiman, a historic merchant town where Edo-era storehouses line the tranquil waters of Hachiman-bori, much as they have for centuries.
A mountaintop monastery where Japanese Buddhism itself took shape, with views across Lake Biwa that go on forever.
Highlights
Explore the Highlights of Your Journey
Highlights
Explore the Highlights of Your Journey
Lake Biwa — Japan's largest freshwater lake, ringed by mountains and dotted with lakeside towns.
Hachiman-bori Canal — A canal town of willow-lined waterways and old merchant storehouses from the Edo era.
Enryaku-ji Temple, Mount Hiei — A vast mountaintop monastery founded more than 1,200 years ago, once home to armies of warrior monks.
Hikone Castle — One of Japan's few surviving original castles and a National Treasure, looking out over Lake Biwa.
Information
Where This Journey Takes You
Information
Where This Journey Takes You
This itinerary connects some of Japan’s most distinctive regions, combining iconic highlights with lesser-known destinations to create a seamless travel experience from start to finish.
This itinerary connects some of Japan’s most distinctive regions, combining iconic highlights with lesser-known destinations to create a seamless travel experience from start to finish.
Area
Kansai
Kansai
•
City
Shiga / Kyoto
Duration
1 Day(s)
Group Size (Max)
6 Guest(s)
Destinations
4 Destination(s)
Transport
Chartered Vehicles
Pick-up
At hotel in Kyoto City or Kyoto Station
Drop-off
Kyoto-kawaramachi Station
Guide Language
Japanese, English
Itinerary
Explore Every Moment Along the Way
Itinerary
Explore Every Moment Along the Way
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Kyoto Hotel Pick-Up
Meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel and settle into the private van for the drive east toward Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — so vast it looks more like an inland sea, ringed by mountains on every side.
Meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel and settle into the private van for the drive east toward Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — so vast it looks more like an inland sea, ringed by mountains on every side.
Kyoto Hotel Pick-Up
Meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel and settle into the private van for the drive east toward Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — so vast it looks more like an inland sea, ringed by mountains on every side.
Meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel and settle into the private van for the drive east toward Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — so vast it looks more like an inland sea, ringed by mountains on every side.
Kyoto Hotel Pick-Up
Meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel and settle into the private van for the drive east toward Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — so vast it looks more like an inland sea, ringed by mountains on every side.
Meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel and settle into the private van for the drive east toward Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — so vast it looks more like an inland sea, ringed by mountains on every side.
Hikone Castle
Climb the steep wooden stairs inside Hikone Castle, one of only five original castle keeps left standing in Japan — unlike Osaka Castle's 1931 concrete reconstruction, this is the real thing, completed in the early 17th century and still standing nearly 400 years later, its keep looking out over the wide blue sweep of Lake Biwa from a hilltop where samurai lords once lived.
Climb the steep wooden stairs inside Hikone Castle, one of only five original castle keeps left standing in Japan — unlike Osaka Castle's 1931 concrete reconstruction, this is the real thing, completed in the early 17th century and still standing nearly 400 years later, its keep looking out over the wide blue sweep of Lake Biwa from a hilltop where samurai lords once lived.
Hikone Castle
Climb the steep wooden stairs inside Hikone Castle, one of only five original castle keeps left standing in Japan — unlike Osaka Castle's 1931 concrete reconstruction, this is the real thing, completed in the early 17th century and still standing nearly 400 years later, its keep looking out over the wide blue sweep of Lake Biwa from a hilltop where samurai lords once lived.
Climb the steep wooden stairs inside Hikone Castle, one of only five original castle keeps left standing in Japan — unlike Osaka Castle's 1931 concrete reconstruction, this is the real thing, completed in the early 17th century and still standing nearly 400 years later, its keep looking out over the wide blue sweep of Lake Biwa from a hilltop where samurai lords once lived.
Hikone Castle
Climb the steep wooden stairs inside Hikone Castle, one of only five original castle keeps left standing in Japan — unlike Osaka Castle's 1931 concrete reconstruction, this is the real thing, completed in the early 17th century and still standing nearly 400 years later, its keep looking out over the wide blue sweep of Lake Biwa from a hilltop where samurai lords once lived.
Climb the steep wooden stairs inside Hikone Castle, one of only five original castle keeps left standing in Japan — unlike Osaka Castle's 1931 concrete reconstruction, this is the real thing, completed in the early 17th century and still standing nearly 400 years later, its keep looking out over the wide blue sweep of Lake Biwa from a hilltop where samurai lords once lived.
Omi-hachiman Lunch
Enjoy lunch in Omi-hachiman, surrounded by an Edo-era canal townscape — close enough to sample Omi-gyu, a wagyu variety older and rarer than Kobe beef.
Enjoy lunch in Omi-hachiman, surrounded by an Edo-era canal townscape — close enough to sample Omi-gyu, a wagyu variety older and rarer than Kobe beef.
Lunch
Omi-hachiman Lunch
Enjoy lunch in Omi-hachiman, surrounded by an Edo-era canal townscape — close enough to sample Omi-gyu, a wagyu variety older and rarer than Kobe beef.
Enjoy lunch in Omi-hachiman, surrounded by an Edo-era canal townscape — close enough to sample Omi-gyu, a wagyu variety older and rarer than Kobe beef.
Lunch
Omi-hachiman Lunch
Enjoy lunch in Omi-hachiman, surrounded by an Edo-era canal townscape — close enough to sample Omi-gyu, a wagyu variety older and rarer than Kobe beef.
Enjoy lunch in Omi-hachiman, surrounded by an Edo-era canal townscape — close enough to sample Omi-gyu, a wagyu variety older and rarer than Kobe beef.
Lunch
Hachiman-bori Canal
Wander along the willow-lined Hachiman-bori Canal, its Edo-era merchant storehouses reflected in still water, much as they have for centuries — photogenic without trying to be, quiet without being empty.
Wander along the willow-lined Hachiman-bori Canal, its Edo-era merchant storehouses reflected in still water, much as they have for centuries — photogenic without trying to be, quiet without being empty.
Hachiman-bori Canal
Wander along the willow-lined Hachiman-bori Canal, its Edo-era merchant storehouses reflected in still water, much as they have for centuries — photogenic without trying to be, quiet without being empty.
Wander along the willow-lined Hachiman-bori Canal, its Edo-era merchant storehouses reflected in still water, much as they have for centuries — photogenic without trying to be, quiet without being empty.
Hachiman-bori Canal
Wander along the willow-lined Hachiman-bori Canal, its Edo-era merchant storehouses reflected in still water, much as they have for centuries — photogenic without trying to be, quiet without being empty.
Wander along the willow-lined Hachiman-bori Canal, its Edo-era merchant storehouses reflected in still water, much as they have for centuries — photogenic without trying to be, quiet without being empty.
Enryaku-ji Temple, Mount Hiei
Ascend Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho. A major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries, it was closely associated with influential monks who later shaped several of Japan's major Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism. Surrounded by forest, the temple complex also offers views toward Lake Biwa.
Ascend Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho. A major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries, it was closely associated with influential monks who later shaped several of Japan's major Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism. Surrounded by forest, the temple complex also offers views toward Lake Biwa.
Enryaku-ji Temple, Mount Hiei
Ascend Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho. A major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries, it was closely associated with influential monks who later shaped several of Japan's major Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism. Surrounded by forest, the temple complex also offers views toward Lake Biwa.
Ascend Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho. A major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries, it was closely associated with influential monks who later shaped several of Japan's major Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism. Surrounded by forest, the temple complex also offers views toward Lake Biwa.
Enryaku-ji Temple, Mount Hiei
Ascend Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho. A major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries, it was closely associated with influential monks who later shaped several of Japan's major Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism. Surrounded by forest, the temple complex also offers views toward Lake Biwa.
Ascend Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji, founded in 788 AD by the monk Saicho. A major center of Japanese Buddhism for centuries, it was closely associated with influential monks who later shaped several of Japan's major Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism. Surrounded by forest, the temple complex also offers views toward Lake Biwa.
Return to Kyoto
Drive back from Mt. Hiei into central Kyoto as the afternoon draws on.
Drive back from Mt. Hiei into central Kyoto as the afternoon draws on.
Return to Kyoto
Drive back from Mt. Hiei into central Kyoto as the afternoon draws on.
Drive back from Mt. Hiei into central Kyoto as the afternoon draws on.
Return to Kyoto
Drive back from Mt. Hiei into central Kyoto as the afternoon draws on.
Drive back from Mt. Hiei into central Kyoto as the afternoon draws on.
Kawaramachi Drop-Off
The tour ends here around Kawaramachi, central Kyoto's shops and streets just beginning to come alive for the evening.
The tour ends here around Kawaramachi, central Kyoto's shops and streets just beginning to come alive for the evening.
Kawaramachi Drop-Off
The tour ends here around Kawaramachi, central Kyoto's shops and streets just beginning to come alive for the evening.
The tour ends here around Kawaramachi, central Kyoto's shops and streets just beginning to come alive for the evening.
Kawaramachi Drop-Off
The tour ends here around Kawaramachi, central Kyoto's shops and streets just beginning to come alive for the evening.
The tour ends here around Kawaramachi, central Kyoto's shops and streets just beginning to come alive for the evening.
Policies
Important Travel Information
Policies
Important Travel Information
Talk to Our Team
Every journey is different. Our Japan Travel Specialists are here to answer your questions, refine every detail, and help you choose the itinerary that best matches your interests, travel style, and pace.
Inclusions
- Charter Vehicles - Tour guide - Meal (Lunch) - Entrance tickets and activities to the following: ・Hikone Castle ・Enryaku-ji Temple - Inbound Travel Insurance
Exclusions
Cancellation
Additional Info
FAQ
Everything You Should Know Before Booking
FAQ
Everything You Should Know Before Booking
Find quick answers about planning, booking, payments, and traveling with My Japan Tour. If you don't see what you're looking for, simply get in touch with our team.
Find quick answers about planning, booking, payments, and traveling with My Japan Tour. If you don't see what you're looking for, simply get in touch with our team.
- Prices are based on a private group of 6 travelers. The final price may vary depending on group size. Groups larger than 6 travelers will be quoted separately. - Itinerary order may be adjusted due to weather, closures, or local conditions."
History lovers and repeat visitors who want to go beyond central Kyoto — one of Japan's few original castles, a canal town, and a mountaintop monastery.
- Prices are based on a private group of 6 travelers. The final price may vary depending on group size. Groups larger than 6 travelers will be quoted separately. - Itinerary order may be adjusted due to weather, closures, or local conditions."
Anything I should know before booking?
Can this tour be customized?
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