Otsu

After booking our flights to Japan this time, we realized it happened to be during the Silver Week long weekend. Because accommodation prices were a bit high during the holiday, we only stayed here for 3 nights. Every room here offers a lake view, and taking a walk along the riverbank in the early morning or evening is very relaxing. The room space is quite spacious and doesn't feel cramped. There are three breakfast options, but actually, the dishes at Top of Otsu and Biona are almost identical. What was a bit disappointing is that the bread selection is small and quite average, remaining the same every day. There are quite a few local Japanese tour groups here (mostly seniors). Since tour groups tend to check out earlier, people start waiting at the door around 6:20 AM for breakfast which starts at 6:30 🤣. There is a free shuttle bus running between JR Otsu Station and the hotel, but it can get quite crowded during certain times.

This was my first time visiting Ogoto Onsen, and I booked Yumotokan. Upon arrival, there was a mobile phone set up at the JR station specifically for contacting nearby hot spring inns, which could be used to request a shuttle pickup. It was a very thoughtful touch. The inn's room was spacious and fully equipped. The men's and women's baths swap locations daily. Our stay included two meals per day (dinner and breakfast), the food was delicious, and the breakfast was a buffet.

The hotel is just next to the Seta JR station (less than a minute walk), and there's convenience stores nearby. The breakfast buffet is delicious. Room amenities is sufficient for our stay. They also have luggage storage service which allows us to travel a bit around Biwako region after checkout.

Located in a very nice neighborhood, close to train station from kyoto. the room is very clean and nice and fully equipped. it’s nicely 2 bedrooms. stairs to go up to the second bedroom, with a small toilet

Takk til guiden vår Effy! Jeg likte turen i dag, og det var hyggelig å komme i kontakt med naturen. Turen gjorde det enkelt for meg å besøke områder som er lite tilgjengelige med kollektivtransport. En påminnelse om at Biwako-terrassen ligger på et skianlegg ... ta med en jakke eller tross den kalde vinden slik jeg gjorde!!

It was my first experience with klook and I couldn't be happier. Even if it was rainy the whole day, we could enjoy the itinerary as described thanks to Effy. She was amazing, she explained everything and was always ready to answer other questions and doubts. I would totally recommend 🌱

The day before the one-day tour, we received an email from our tour guide, Sun Jiaxue (Yuki), detailing the itinerary, important notes, meeting point, and contact information. Since there were about 20 people in our group, we traveled by large bus. At the start of the one-day tour and just before reaching our destination, our guide Yuki provided detailed explanations and important information. She also used Line to send reminders about the itinerary and pickup locations. Itinerary Stop 1: Miho Museum - I.M. Pei's Utopia. Anyone studying architecture must experience the master's architectural design and its integration with the environment. Lunch was at our own expense; the rice balls and Miho tofu at the ticket center's restaurant are worth trying. (Photos 1-3) Itinerary Stop 2: Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine on Mount Hiei - This is the head shrine for over 3,800 Hie, Hiyoshi, and Sanno shrines across Japan, known for monkeys serving as messengers of the gods. (Photo 4) Itinerary Stop 3: Shirahige Shrine and Water Torii Gate on Lake Biwa - A legendary spot said to be closest to the gods. (Photos 5-6) Many thanks to our tour guide Yuki and the driver for their excellent service on today's one-day tour. Our family of four had a truly enriching experience.

Tour guide Zhang Yanjin was extremely nice 👍 He drove smoothly, provided just the right amount of information, and kindly answered all our questions. I felt the time allocated for each stop was well planned. Also, thank you to all the fellow travelers who joined today—even though there were only 8 of us, everyone was quite punctual! ✅ I recommend renting an audio guide at Miho Museum ✅ (The last photo of Shirahige Shrine was edited because of bad weather 🤣)

Peggy, reiselederen vår, var fantastisk og veldig hjelpsom, og selve turen var kjempefin. Første gang jeg tok en heis.