近江八幡和船観光協同組合 水郷めぐり — Attraction in Omihachiman

A totally different boat trip than the other ones we did in Japan. This one is borderlining peaceful and tranquil. Not to be confused with canal boat ride in town, this one goes into the tall grass inner wetlands (not actually into lake Biwa). 90 min round trip in and out channel and open water bodies, it is unique and one can only picture how much prettier it could be in Spring with cherry blossom. Of course it would be harder to get tickets when flocks of visitors arrive then.

Our boat mate was an 80year old gentleman who peddled us the entire time. Didn't speak any English but there wasn't much narrative to start with. We shared the ride with two retired couples from Hokkaido and Tokyo, both are very nice and helped with some translation.

One can see mt. Azuchi (?) from one stretch of water, and some wild lives in the tall grass. Scenary is beautiful but can be a little dull for little kids (read, my 10 yrs old).

And yes, beverages are allowed on boat and they even provide jackets for your warmth in...

We were wandering around lost and discovered this small business giving boat rides to tourists. It looked like a nice way to see the area, so our group of 6 women took off our shoes and crawled into the open-air boat. There were cushions to sit on and a wooden roof for protection from the sun. It was an hour and half ride through the lush canals of rice and farmland. We enjoyed the experience and were given the opportunity to try and commandeer the boat using the long bamboo pole - much harder than it looks. We laughed and enjoyed the opportunity to try. The gentlemen who run this place were super fun and kind. They made sure we had an amazing experience and even drove us into town afterwards. I...

It's a very well preserved castle village that was built in 1585 as a hub for canal transportation, goods delivery and people commuting to nearby Kyoto. We went there chasing for the sakura. Obviously, it was a bit late for the season. However, we were amazed by the charm of canal, the boat, the people and surrounding architecture. It's definitely worth driving down to enjoy the serenity...