Lake Biwa Museum

The Lake Biwa Aquarium (as part of the Lake Biwa Museum) is a museum themed around “the lake and humans,” where you can experience and learn—using all five senses—about the creatures living in Lake Biwa and the people who live alongside them. The nearest station is JR Kusatsu Station. From there, take an Omi Railway bus bound for “Biwako Hakubutsukan” for about 25 minutes, and get off at “Biwako Hakubutsukan” (right nearby). Because Lake Biwa has existed for about four million years, many fossils have been discovered over time. The Lake Biwa Museum presents these fossils and the historical changes in human life around the lake in an accessible way. One major highlight is the aquarium exhibition hall, one of the largest freshwater life displays in Japan. In the tunnel-style tank, you can see endemic species such as the Biwa trout (biwamasu) swimming gracefully. You can also closely observe the Biwa giant catfish (biwako-oonamazu), sometimes called the “master of Lake Biwa.” At the attached restaurant “Nihonoumi,” you can try unique dishes such as meals made with black bass, available only here.