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Hikone is a small city at the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The city’s most famous site is the Hikone Castle, one of only 12 Japanese castles with the original keep, i.e. it survived the post feudal era without undergoing destruction and reconstruction.

Besides the castle's main keep, most of the inner moats, walls, guard houses and gates also remain intact.

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Hikone Castle has been designated a national treasure, the highest designation for cultural properties in Japan, held by only four other castle keeps, namely the ones of Himejijo, Matsumotojo, Inuyamajo and Matsuejo. 

Hikone City

Hikone Castle Museum is an excellent museum of samurai artifacts and artwork. It is the replica of the main palace of the Hikone Clan’s office in the Edo Era. 


Hikone makes a pleasant 3-6 hour stop-over on a trip between Tokyo and Kyoto or a side trip from Kyoto. 

Genkyu-en Garden is a Japanese landscape garden with a central pond and a circular walking trail, at the foot of the Hikone Castle. 

Hikone Castle

There are four small islands scattered across the pond, connected by bridges. 

The garden contains a sprawling villa built in the Chinese Tang Dynasty style in 1677 for Naooki Ii, the fourth lord of Hikone. 
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The best thing to do here is to pause at the teahouse for a cup of matcha "ceremonial green tea", a Japanese sweet and some quiet contemplation. 

​Hikone Castle and Genkyu-en Garden are a 15-20 minutes' walk along the main road from Hikone Station.

Genkyu-en Garden

Access

By train - Hikone Station is on the JR Tokaido Main Line "locally referred to as Biwako Line", just one station "4 minutes" southwest of Maibara Station, a Shinkansen Station served by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen, which connects Tokyo with Kyoto and Osaka. 

​Maibara Station can be reached from Tokyo by direct Hikari Trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen in a little over two hours.

Hikone Castle

It is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

From Kyoto  and Osaka - JR "special rapid" trains to Hikone "50 minutes" from Kyoto and "80 minutes" from Osaka.

Maibara is one station east of Kyoto "20 minutes" and two stations east of Shin-Osaka "40 minutes" on the Tokaido Shinkansen.

A Spiral Approach To The Castle

Hikone Caslte - Hikone-shi, Shiga Prefecture