Shiga in the Snow

Saturday, February 16
Having returned from our adventures in Hokkaido, Chris and I were anxious to fit in another trip. We chose to road trip east to Shiga Prefecture for Michi no Eki stamps.

(Wikipedia)

We drove north along the western shore of Lake Biwa, which lies at the heart of Shiga, before driving toward the southeastern side to stay the night in Kusatsu.

What we didn't count on was the snow. And plenty of it.

The sign directs drivers to Obama.

We stopped for lunch at a small station up a snowy mountain. Hot barley tea is offered to any visitor to the station.

Chris wasn't feeling well. And he hates driving in snow.

I filled up on juicy karaage chicken.

The snow fell heavily, and all that surrounded us was white.

Passing through wooded roads such as this one, we occasionally had to pause to allow the snowplows through.

Beside this post box, a girl and her father were building an enormous snowman. For them, the snowfall was a source of joy.

"Adoberry" soft cream in Adogawa. Yummy, like a blend of a blueberry and a raspberry.

This stone mentions Murasaki Shikibu and poetry from the Tale of Genji.

Torii in the water.

In the evening, we checked into our hotel, located nearby Kusatsu Station. Chris passed out in bed and I watched CNN for several hours before picking up dinner for us at the mall across the street.

Sunday, February 17
Chris woke feeling much better, and we set out for another day of driving. Our first major stop was at the Lake Biwa Museum.

We spent hours at the museum, learning about the largest lake in Japan and its history. The exhibits were beautifully designed to engage young visitors in learning about the environment and the effects humans have on it.

In this elephant diorama, the light changes every four minutes to simulate actual time. When the region was a sub-tropical zone, elephants roamed. A farmer who discovered an elephant skull believed that he had unearthed the skeleton of a dragon. He and his descendants were granted the surname Ryo (meaning dragon) by the local lord.

I love museums that encourage visitors to TOUCH.

Bone replicas in an exhibit on how paleontologists work to piece together skeletal finds.

The museum stands beside the water, with the lake as the focal point of the atrium.

I'm not sure what the milk display was here for, but I liked it.

The aquarium here is the largest freshwater one of its kind in Japan. Though Lake Biwa is famous for its catfish, I loved the enormous sturgeons, which had the small children scared.

Chris is excited for lunch.

I ate the croquette burger, made with local Omi beef.

I had no money and couldn't buy many Hello Kitty charms.

Our final stop was at a mountaintop station, where despite the cold, I convinced Chris to climb a small hill for picture-taking.

We spent the rest of the evening in Otsu, eating at a local mall before heading home to Hyogo.