Tane District located in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, is roughly the geographic center of Japan. To get the idea of the location; 180 minutes traveling by train from Tokyo, 65 minutes from Kyoto, 72 minutes from Nagoya, and 90 minutes from Fukui.
The district is mostly rice fields surrounded by the cedar forest on the northern side. A typical rural scene of Japan to enjoy without the bustling of tourist buses and tons of people.
Autumn is one of the best seasons to visit this area for its beautifully colored leaves in red and yellow hues. Ohmi Kohoan is one such temple which is related to Kobori Enshu (1579-1647), one of the three renowned tea masters of Japan.
Just thirty-minutes minutes by car will get you to the Japan’s biggest lake, Lake Biwa, about 670 km2. It is one of the world’s twenty oldest lakes, dating back to almost 4 million years.
Passage leading to Ohmi Kohoan
Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture
