Overview
LOCAL CULTURE WALK
Walk with a local guide through
Otsu-Hyakucho, a Tokaido post town.
Otsu-juku flourished as a post town on the Tokaido road, where travelers and goods passed through. The downtown area once known as “Otsu-Hyakucho” still preserves traces of the old Tokaido, traditional townhouses, long-established shops, and festival culture.
On this tour, you’ll walk the old Tokaido and shopping streets with a local guide who knows Otsu well. Visiting long-established shops along the way, you’ll experience the history of Otsu as a thriving post town and the town life and culture that continue today.
LOCAL STORY
Trace the memory of the post town still alive in the streets.
Alleys, buildings, and storefronts you might pass without a second thought hold the history of Otsu-Hyakucho. Walking and listening to your local guide’s stories, you’ll see how the old post town and today’s streets connect.
WALK HIGHLIGHTS
Walk with a Local Guide | Discover Otsu’s history, daily life, and the small stories hidden in the town
Otsu-juku / Otsu-Hyakucho | Walk the old downtown that prospered as a Tokaido post town and trace its legacy
Long-Established Shops & Merchant Culture | Visit shops still in business today and experience the town’s history and human endeavor
Town of the Otsu Festival | Visit the Float Exhibition Hall and learn about the festival culture sustained by the townspeople
Enjoy Otsu Flavors | Savor Miidera Chikara-mochi and enjoy the walk with souvenirs from long-established shops
WALKING MAP
Route through Otsu-Hyakucho
Basic Information
- Tour Dates
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Every Monday–Saturday *Excluding Sundays, year-end/New Year holidays, and special event days
- Time
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9:30 AM–12:00 PM
1:30 PM–4:00 PM
[Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours] - Meeting Point
- Capacity
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Max 10 participants (Min 2 participants)
- Price
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¥5,800 (2 or more participants) / ¥8,800 (solo traveler rate)
Includes: Souvenirs, food & drink, guide expenses
*Minimum 2 participants required. Solo travelers may book at the single-participant rate. If other participants join to reach the minimum (2+), the price difference will be refunded.
Itinerary
Otsu Station Tourist Information Center / Meet your local guide and depart
→
Otsu Church
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Otsu Uochu
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Otsu Incident Monument
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Otsu Festival Float Exhibition Hall / Learn about Otsu Festival and townspeople culture
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Hirai Shoten / Souvenir
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Miidera Chikara-mochi Honke / Chikara-mochi and tea, 2nd floor Otsu-e gallery visit
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Yaoyo / Souvenir
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Ganso Sakamotoya / Souvenir
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Tsururi-do / Souvenir
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JR Otsu Station / Tour ends
Additional Details
DISCOVER OTSU-JUKU
Trace the story of Otsu-Hyakucho with a local guide
LOCAL GUIDE EXPERIENCE
Explore the town with a guide who knows it best.
The traces of the old Tokaido, the origins of neighborhood names, the history of long-established shops, and the townspeople culture that has sustained the Otsu Festival. Your local guide will share stories you won’t find on maps or signs as you walk through the streets. By noticing the alleys and buildings around you, the shape of “Otsu-Hyakucho” emerges within today’s townscape.
Festival culture passed down through Otsu-Hyakucho
Visit the Float Exhibition Hall, which introduces the Otsu Festival—one of the three great festivals of the Lake Country. While viewing life-size float replicas and videos, your guide will explain not only the ornate decorations, mechanical puppets, and festival music, but also the bonds between the townspeople and each neighborhood that have kept the festival alive.
Hirai Shoten: Over 360 years of history
A long-established sake brewery where the owner serves as toji (master brewer), cherishing traditional handcrafted methods. With your guide’s commentary, experience the history of sake-making and commerce rooted in the town of Otsu-juku.
Souvenir Included
Savor the famous Miidera Chikara-mochi and encounter Otsu-e
The Otsu specialty “Miidera Chikara-mochi,” passed down since the Meiji era. Enjoy this famous treat—soft mochi generously coated in roasted soybean flour—with tea at the main shop.
Also visit the 2nd-floor Otsu-e gallery. Learn about Otsu-e folk paintings, once popular souvenirs for Tokaido travelers, through your local guide’s stories and experience a culture unique to Otsu-juku.
Tea and Chikara-mochi included / 2nd floor Otsu-e gallery visit
Yaoyo: Preserving Otsu’s pickle culture
A long-established pickle shop founded in 1850. From the famous “Nagara-zuke” to seasonal pickles made with Shiga-grown vegetables, the shop carries on flavors passed down through generations of local life. Your guide will share the shop’s history and Otsu’s food culture during the walk.
Souvenir Included
Ganso Sakamotoya: Preserving Lake Biwa’s food culture
A specialty shop making funa-zushi (fermented crucian carp sushi) using traditional methods, Lake Biwa nigorobuna, and Omi rice. With your guide’s explanations, discover Otsu’s unique fermentation culture and lake fish cuisine, born from life alongside the lake.
Souvenir Included
Tsururi-do: Carrying on the legacy of Otsu confections
A traditional Japanese sweets shop continuing the lineage of “Otsu confections,” once renowned alongside Kyoto sweets. Visit this long-established shop along the old Tokaido and, with your guide’s commentary, trace the confectionery culture nurtured in Otsu and the commerce that continues today.
Souvenir Included
LOCAL TASTE
Take home the flavors of Otsu-Hyakucho
At Hirai Shoten, Yaoyo, Ganso Sakamotoya, and Tsururi-do, you’ll receive souvenirs from each shop. Sake, pickles, lake fish, Japanese sweets—enjoy the flavors of Otsu you encountered on your walk even after you return home.
INFORMATION
Please review before joining
About the Guide
A local guide with deep knowledge of Otsu’s history and culture will accompany you from start to finish.
About Walking
This walking tour covers approximately 2.7 km. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes.
Free Luggage Storage Available
Tour participants may store luggage free of charge at Otsu Station Tourist Information Center. Please ask at the counter before departure if you wish to use this service.
About Mondays
On Mondays, when the Otsu Festival Float Exhibition Hall is closed, we will visit Tenson Shrine instead.
About Souvenirs
You will receive multiple souvenirs, so bringing an eco-bag is recommended.
About the Itinerary
Stops and itinerary may be partially modified due to shop or facility closures.
In Case of Rain
The tour will proceed in the rain. Please bring your own rain gear. However, the tour may be canceled if it is determined that safe operation is difficult due to severe weather.
Information for the day
We do not mail travel documents or the final itinerary for this tour. Please check the day-of information (final itinerary) under “Reservation Details” in your booking confirmation email.
Tour Operator
Registered Travel Agency with the Governor of Shiga Prefecture: No. 2-243
Full Member of All Nippon Travel Agents Association (ANTA)
Biwako Otsu Tourism Association
Civic Cultural Center 2F, 2-3 Goryo-cho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
