Lake Biwa is Japan?s largest lake, named after the biwa or Japanese lute whose shape it is said to resemble. The lake?s surrounds were hotly contested by warlords such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and they left numerous reminders of their presence scattered across its shores.
The ride itself is not too strenuous, a mostly flat 180 kilometres with only one large hill at the northern end of the lake, and offers excellent views of the water all the way round. In addition, navigation is reasonably straightforward; keep the lake on your right! Eighty percent of the route is on cycle paths or quiet country roads, making it one of the most pleasant and easiest multi-day cycles in Japan.
This route describes a 3-day trip, which allows you do plenty of sightseeing and get back on the third day in time to return your bike before the rental shop shuts and move on to your next destination. Both hotels and campsites are available around the lake, though youth hostels aren?t available.
Day 1: Azuchi (??) ? Takashima (??)
Azuchi doesn?t seem like the obvious place to start this route on a map because it?s not on the lake?s shore, and it?s not the closest station on the lake to Kyoto, where you?ll most likely be coming from. However, by starting here you can avoid the southern section of the lake which is busy, polluted and on major roads. Also, the bike rental shops here are much cheaper than those in Otsu at the southern tip of the lake. Getting off the trai...