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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Nagahama
長浜
Give Nagahama one night: castle, Kurokabe glass quarter and Daitsūji sit within 15 walk minutes of the station; two nights only if you add Chikubu island or the Bonbai show.
Nagahama is a small castle town on the north-east shore of Lake Biwa, 10 minutes by train from the Maibara Shinkansen stop. Almost everything a visitor wants — the rebuilt castle, the Kurokabe glass quarter, Daitsūji temple and the Hikiyama float museum — sits inside a 15-minute walk of the station, so it works as a single night between Kyoto and Kanazawa or as a day trip from Kyoto. The town is best known for its April float festival and for glass.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 長浜
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), mid-Aug for the fireworks crowd
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–17,000 excl. bed · High ¥17,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Noodle soup or a set lunch | ¥800–1,300 |
| Beer at Nagahama Roman Beer / can at a konbini | ¥380–2,600 / ¥250–350 |
| Castle, Hikiyama museum or Kaiyōdō entry | ¥300–800 |
| Daitsūji temple entry | ¥500 |
| JR local Nagahama → Maibara | ¥200 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NGO · Chubu Centrair (Nagoya)
- Train to Maibara via Nagoya, then a local train to Nagahama; about 2 h 30 min
- KIX · Kansai International
- Haruka limited express to Maibara (two morning trains), then local to Nagahama; about 2 h 30 min
- ITM · Osaka Itami
- Bus to Shin-Osaka or Kyoto, then train; about 2 h 30 min
Typical fares
- JR Special Rapid Nagahama → Kyoto
- about ¥1,320, 1 h 10 min
- JR local Nagahama → Maibara
- about ¥200, 10 min
- Shinkansen Maibara → Kyoto
- about ¥3,570, 40 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk. The station, castle, Kurokabe Square and Daitsūji are all inside a 15-minute radius. Buses serve the outskirts and are mostly for locals; taxis wait outside the station. Bikes can be rented near the west exit but the paperwork is in Japanese. Ferries run from the harbour to Chikubu island on Lake Biwa; sailings are seasonal and weather-dependent, so confirm the day's timetable at the harbour before you plan around it.
See and do
Known for
- Nagahama Castle and Hokoen Park
- Kurokabe glass quarter
- Hikiyama float festival (April)
- Lake Biwa waterfront and Chikubu island ferry
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hikone | JR Special Rapid to Maibara, then the Biwako line one stop, or a direct local | About 40–50 min |
| Ōmihachiman | JR Special Rapid towards Kyoto | About 40 min |
| Maibara | JR local or Special Rapid | About 10 min |
| Chikubu island (Lake Biwa) | Ferry from Nagahama harbour | About 30 min crossing each way |
| Kyoto | JR Special Rapid | About 1 h 10 min |
| Kanazawa | Shirasagi limited express | About 1 h 40 min |
Sleep
- Station east side (Ekimae, Motohama-chō)
- Walk to Kurokabe Square and Daitsūji; business hotels and the Green Hotel Yes Ekimae-kan.
- Hokoen / Minato-chō (west side, by the lake)
- Castle, park and waterfront hotels; 5–12 min walk from the west exit.
- Outskirts (Route 8, Yawata-nakayama-chō)
- Chain hotels and yakiniku; a car or taxi is needed.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Special Rapid trains from Kyoto and Osaka split at Maibara: only the front 4 (sometimes 8) cars continue to Nagahama, so board at the front.
- Shinkansen trains that stop at Maibara usually do not run west of Shin-Osaka; change there.
- The castle keep is a 1983 concrete reconstruction and the museum inside is in Japanese only.
- The Bonbai plum exhibition runs only 20 Jan – 10 Mar; outside that window Keiun-kan is not the reason to come.
- Some hotels sit a 10-minute drive from the station with no useful bus: check before booking.
A quiet, low-crime town; the real risks are summer heat, the 15 Apr festival crush and ferry days cancelled by wind on Lake Biwa. Carry cash: small shops and temples may not take cards.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Nagahama yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Nagahama Castle and Hokoen Park
- Kurokabe glass quarter
- Hikiyama float festival (April)
- Lake Biwa waterfront and Chikubu island ferry
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Nagahama official travel guide (Kita-Biwako): kitabiwako.jp/en/travel_guide
- Nagahama City: www.city.nagahama.lg.jp/
- Wikivoyage: Nagahama, revision 5263859 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5263859
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/nagahama). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.