• In order to improve the service of The Lake Biwa Canal Cruise, we are looking for monitor passengers to board using a multilingual audio guide.
• We are currently offering a limited-time special where you can experience a monitoring cruise at a special price! Usually priced at 9,000 yen, we are now offering it for just 3,960 yen! Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!
• The audio guide will guide you through the history and highlights of The Lake Biwa Canal.

The Otsu Lock Gate is the facility which is used to adjust the difference of the water level between the Lake Biwa and the canal by opening and closing two water gates alternately. At the outset of the construction, the gate was wooden and opening and closing was controlled manually and required four people. Currently this gate is made of steel. In 2021, renovation work for electrification completed and so manual opening and closing is not necessary anymore. However, for emergency operation, a handle for manual operation remains to this day. The Otsu Lock Gate is one of the first full-fledged western style brick lock gate in Japan following the Ishii Lock Gate located on the Kitakami River in Miyagi prefecture. And this is also a valuable heritage of modernization. In 2023, construction for automation of the lock gate completed.