Chikubu Island - Shiga Prefecture
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December 23, 2019 - Chikubu Island - Shiga Prefecture
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For my fourth day in Japan, I decided to visit Chikubu Island which is found in the North of Lake Biwa - Shiga Prefecture. This small island is only 2 kilometers in circumference but has a history of over 1300 years.
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To reach Chikubu Island you need to catch a boat which leaves from different ports. For today, I left from Nagahama which has three round trips a day during winter with roughly 80 minutes to stay on the island. It costs 3130 yen for the boat and it's roughly a 30-35 minute trip one way.
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As mentioned previously, Chikubu Island has a history of over 1300 years. It was first mentioned that Emperor Shomu received a premonition from Amaterasu. He was told that deity Benzaiten had descended from heaven from this island, thus a temple needed to be built.
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Once you are dropped off by the boat, it costs another 500 yen to enter a temple and shrine which are on top of a small but rather steep hill. For those who wish to be lazy - the ascent via the shrine is much easier as I found out by accident.
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My first stop was Hongon-ji temple which can be seen above. The temple itself does not look that spectacular but there has been a place of worship on this island since the 7th century. There are even some buildings left over from the time of Hideyoshi. Due to this - some of the buildings are national treasures.
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Up another 30 or so stairs allows you to get to the highest point of the island which has a three storied pagoda and a treasure house. I missed the treasure house as there are only so many statues you can look at.
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My second stop was Tsukubusuma-Jinja which is currently going through the final touches of a major restoration where you can see the work and can still enter. It's finish will make it look similar to some of the shrines in Nikko in quality.
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Something which is very popular on the island is to try and get a plate with a wish to hit a small piece of land with a Tori gate. As you can see - it's been hit just a couple of times....
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For people who move at a brisk pace - the 80 minutes on the island will seem a bit too long. Thankfully for me a cafe was open today so I could get my caffeine fix. It does not look as though full meals are sold on the island - or they did not appear so when I visited which was during a Monday morning in winter.
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Overall I really enjoyed Chikubu island which was suggested to me by a couple of forum members of Japan Guide. It's a good half day out but would be even more spectacular if the weather was warmer and the sun was out. In the afternoon I made my way back to see Nagahama which has a lot to see and do.
Further information:
Hongon-ji Temple (https://www.chikubushima.jp/english/)
Tsukubusuma-Jinja Shrine (http://www.chikubusima.or.jp/)
Biwa Cruises (https://www.biwakokisen.co.jp/en/)
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