Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote Poem No. 57 ("Meeting on the path, / But was it you I saw? / Before I could tell, / The midnight moon was hidden / Behind a layer of clouds"), is said to have conceived and begun writing "The Tale of Genji" here at Ishiyama-dera. The temple's main deity is Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu, a Buddha believed to grant wishes for happiness in this world. During the Heian period, the "Ishiyama-mode" pilgrimage was incredibly popular among the nobility of the capital.

Semimaru is famous for the poem: "This is the place / Where people come and people go, / Meeting and parting, / Friends and strangers alike, / At the meeting barrier of Osaka." A figure shrouded in mystery, he was said to be the fourth prince of Emperor Daigo, but because he was blind, he was abandoned on Mount Osaka and built a hermitage near the Osaka Barrier. During the Edo period, Semimaru was widely worshipped as the patron deity of the performing arts. Sekisemimaru Jinja Shrine enshrines him as the ancestral god of music and performance.

The "Osaka Barrier" was immortalized in Sei Shonagon's poem: "Though you may try / To fool me with a rooster's crow / In the dead of night, / The gatekeeper at Osaka Barrier / Will never let you through." Located on the way from the capital of Kyoto to Omi (Shiga), it has been a vital transportation hub since ancient times. It has appeared in many poems and in the "Sekiya" chapter of "The Tale of Genji," depicted as a place of fateful encounters and partings.

If you visit the ruins of the Osaka Barrier, be sure to have lunch at Osakayama Kaneyo. They have preserved their traditional flavors since their founding in 1872, serving fragrant kabayaki eel grilled with great care. Please enjoy the rich flavor of the eel, grilled to be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Visit Omi Jingu Shrine, which enshrines Emperor Tenji, the author of the first poem: "Coarse the rush-mat roof / Of the temporary hut / In the autumn rice field; / And my sleeves are growing wet / With the moisture of the dew."
This poem is said to describe a farmer watching over the ripened rice stalks in autumn from a crude hut, getting wet from the night dew while protecting the crop from birds and animals.
From the grounds of Omi Jingu Shrine, you can look out over the majestic Lake Biwa as a refreshing autumn breeze blows through.

The Omi Kangakukan is known as the "Hall of Karuta," where the Master and Queen title matches for competitive karuta are held. It offers a variety of karuta-related goods, including items featuring the manga "Chihayafuru" and the mascot Otsu Hikaru-kun. There are exclusive items available only here, such as "Karuta Omikuji" (fortunes) made from actual cards used in official matches and limited-edition "Chihayafuru" clear files. As it was a filming location for the live-action movie, autographs from the cast are also on display.