Biwako Valley (1547-1 Kido, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture) will open its summit terrace and ropeway overlooking Lake Biwa until November 19, just in time for the fall foliage season, which begins in late October.
Biwako Valley, one of the best places in Kansai for autumn foliage, is located at the top of the Hira mountain range and has many trees with yellow and red leaves, such as beech, oak, and quercus crispula, etc. The best time to see the autumn leaves is from late October in the summit area and from early to mid November, from the top to the bottom of the mountain.
From mid-November onward, visitors can sometimes see “three-tiered colored leaves,” which is rare in Japan, consisting of white snow falling on the summit, colored leaves spreading from the “Biwako Terrace” area at 1100 meters above sea level to the middle of the ropeway, and green leaves in the foot area of the mountain.
The ropeway takes about 5 minutes from the foot of the mountain to the top station. The round-trip fare is 3,500 yen for adults, 1,500 yen for elementary school students, and 1,000 yen for infants, and “Web advance tickets” are also available for up to 1,500 yen less than at the ticket counter.
Biwako Valley also has a store, “Kokoku no Tamamono,” which features a collection of excellent products made by Shiga Prefecture craftsmen using materials from Lake Biwa’s natural environment. The shop will also sell souvenirs from “Palette,” a confectionery store in Otsu City, “Confectionery Rokubei,” a Japanese confectionery store in Nagahama City, and “Tomoei,” a Japanese confectionery store in Takashima City, as well as from “Uzangama,” a pottery in Koka City that makes Shigaraki ware.
© Source travel watch