Lake Biwa, Kinki, Japan
4.0 (273 reviews) Spent Ranking #6 in Shiga Prefecture Bodies of Water
Omimaiko Beach
During the sometimes excruciatingly hot days of the post-rainy season Kyoto summer, a trip out of town to one of the beaches along Lake Biwa is an option to consider. By train, the easiest beach to reach is Omimaiko (43 mins by Japan Rail Kosei Line from Kyoto Station platform 3). Exiting the station, just follow the main road towards the lake, and within a few minutes you'll be there. The beach is pretty long, bordered by pine trees the intirety of its length. Both ends tend to be pretty crowded, with many people having BBQs. If you like it more quiet / secluded, go past the area where the beach makes a bend. Normally, you'll have most of the next 3-400 meters more or less to yourselves there. Near the northern and southern end of the beach, it's possible to hire water scooters and other fun on water equipment. Food stalls and small eateries can be found along parts of the beach, as well as the ubiquitous vending machines.
Address
, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 5:38
User Ratings
4.0 based on (273 reviews)
Reviews
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4Shlomi T 5:00 PM May 22, 2021
Beautiful from far above. When you stand nearby, not too impressive.
Beautiful from far above. When you stand nearby, not too impressive. It is huge. The largest in Japan. Mostly urban feel around, not too much wild areas and parks. Did not see any beaches, maybe there are, but I am sure not too many.
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3Emily L 5:00 PM Jan 28, 2015
Ehhh
I live right on Lake Biwa, like, tip my apartment over and I'm drowning... So I'm on the beach a lot. In the summer for about six weeks there's a buoyed area for swimmers with several beach attendants who keep it clean. They have bathrooms for use sporadically placed along the shore and near the main beach attendant station they attach faucets for those six weeks so you can wash sand off your feet. Outside of that time the beach is very littered- the storms bring everything from the other side of the lake up to Hikone's beach area. I've also seen people leave their trash on several occasions. You'll always find dead fish in the water and the seaweed from the other side washes up. It's hit or miss- but most days I would NOT go into the water. There's little sand to play in - mostly picky weeds. There is a windsurfing school on the beach and there are a few events over the course of the summer that make it a fun, festive area (and this is just about the only time it's clean). And in the fall/winter you can see straight across it and are surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains. Also, you get to see the sun set nightly over the water, better sunsets in the summer for sure. If you want to swim this lake is terrible or extremely poor, average on its best days. If you want to do water recreation like wind surfing or jet skiing, it's average or good. If you want to go sit on a bench and watch the sun set it's above average.
