Northern Biwako Sunset

Cycling the Oku-Biwako Parkway from Makino to Ranten

By Cathy Cawood

Community writer

A rustic building in a rice field tucked between cedar-clad slopes and the lake

Grass at the end of the jetty catches the late afternoon sun

The sakura leaves have been eaten away until they look like lace

Black rocks break the water surface at the edge of the lake

The Oku-Biwako Parkway follows the edge of the lake

Somebody has been preparing for a cold winter!

A small peninsula appears as a black silhouette

A few years ago I cycled from Makino in Northern Shiga along the lakeside beyond Kaizu Osaki to Nishi-Azai, and reveled in the exquisite light of 'golden hour'. The road curves in and out, winding around the small bays. The scenery is very rural, and absolutely stunning.

At a place called Ranten the road leaves the lake and climbs steeply into the mountains. The sun had set by then, so I turned and retraced my path.

If you want to duplicate this trip, I strongly recommend you wear goggles or glasses, and keep your mouth tightly closed, because the air was thick with flying bugs!

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Find out more about Lake Biwa.

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By Cathy Cawood

Community writer

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Geraldine Buergel 4 years ago

Beautiful pictures! I hope I get to go there some time.

Kim Bergström 6 years ago

This looks like an incredible route to cycle along!

Cathy Cawood Photographer 6 years ago

It really is! The only problem is that unless you want to go through the mountains at the end (which is not a good idea on a bicycle at night) you have to come back the same way.