Otsu Sightseeing Guide That Naruse Won't Tell You About

Otsu City is probably the most underrated tourist destination in Japan.

With the two bestsellers, Mina Miyajima's "Naruse Seeks to Conquer the World", and "Naruse Follows the Path She Believes In", attention is gathering on the Shiga Prefecture city of Otsu where the protagonist, Akari Naruse, lives.

The author, Mina Miyajima, has lived in Otsu City since before her debut as a novelist, and has been sharing the charms of Otsu on her blog and other platforms.

However, it seems Miyajima values the local perspective, and I get the feeling that her stance is not to introduce Otsu's abundant tourism resources exhaustively. For those who have decided to go on a pilgrimage to the sacred sites after reading the Naruse series, you will likely have an even better trip by incorporating Otsu's famous spots alongside the locations that appear in the work. It is no exaggeration to say that Otsu City is

the most underrated tourist destination in Japan. In the past, there was even an NHK television program titled "Love Japa! ~Foreigners' Favorite Places!~ 'Shiga/Otsu Edition'" that sought to uncover the unknown charms of Otsu, which has its tourists stolen by Kyoto, by interviewing foreign residents. The participants spoke with sparkling eyes about the reasons they choose to live in Otsu. Although it was titled the "Shiga/Otsu Edition," no other series programs with the same title were ever made. Since there are by no means few people who love Otsu dearly like this, the cause of it being underrated boils down to the fact that it is "generally almost
unknown."

The address of the World Cultural Heritage site 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto: Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei' is in Otsu City.

Mount Hiei straddles the border between Kyoto Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture, so many people think Enryaku-ji is in Kyoto. In reality, Enryaku-ji's monzen-machi (temple town) and main temple buildings are on the Shiga Prefecture side. I'm telling you, the Kyoto Prefecture side only has a few small monk's quarters.

The number of nationally designated cultural properties by municipality is the third highest in the country, following Kyoto City and Nara City.

This is written on the Wikipedia page for Otsu City. Moreover, it is an ancient capital with a history of over 1350 years, which is longer than Kyoto. Many people have surely thoroughly toured Kyoto and Nara, but how many have stayed in Otsu for many days and visited its various famous spots? Even though Otsu City possesses abundant tourism resources capable of attracting inbound tourism on its own, it is rarely surrounded by tourists visiting Japan.

Scenic beauty.

When people think of the Eight Views of Japan, the first thing that comes to mind is the Eight Views of Omi, but most of these eight views are located in Otsu City. During the Edo period, Otsu flourished as a post town on the Tokaido, and its superb scenery became famous among travelers heading to Kyoto.

Otsu is the trump card for resolving Kyoto's overtourism.

Unlike the overcrowded Kyoto, the tourist attractions in Otsu are uncrowded. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Kyoto and take a breather, why not make your next travel destination Otsu, right next to Kyoto? I recommend enjoying the daily life of Otsu on the Keihan Otsu Line (Keishin Line / Ishiyama Sakamoto Line).

For those in a hurry, if you take the Special Rapid Service on the JR Biwako Line (Tokaido Main Line), you can get from Kyoto Station to Otsu Station in just 9 minutes.

As the "Biwako Otsu Tourism Ambassador," Naruse has yet to show her true potential.

There are many pilgrimage articles for the Naruse series on note. Among them, this article is well-organized, so I hope you will use it as a reference.

If you read the article posted above and want to visit Otsu, I guarantee that as you research Otsu, you will want to add this and that to your itinerary. A Naruse pilgrimage alone seems like it would take a whole day, but Otsu has so much charm that it would be a waste to leave in just one day. Although Naruse was appointed as the "
Biwako Otsu Tourism Ambassador" in the story, it seems she has not yet shown her true potential in tourism guidance. Before Naruse gets serious, shall I guide you through the Otsu tourist spots that Naruse didn't tell you about in the story?

It's a bad habit of mine, but I often realize after posting that I should have written about that too, and I often add to it later, so please check back on each article when you remember.

List of published articles

※ Click to jump.

1. Excitement Begins in Zeze
2. Walking the Streets of Zeze
3. Ride the Keihan Otsu Line to the Fullest
4. If You're in a Hurry, Fly Across Seta no Karahashi Bridge
5. To the Shining Ishiyama-dera Temple
6. A Temple on a Mountain of Stone, Just as the Name Suggests
7. Genuine Recommendations for Outside the Gates of Ishiyama-dera
8. Sunagose? I Can't Read That
9. A Town That Tempts Adults
10. Satoyama Evangelist: Mitsuhiko Imamori
11. The Lake Biwa Canal is a Cherry Blossom Road

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