[滋贺] Lake Biwa Canal Cruise Multilingual Audio Guide Monitor

• The Lake Biwa Canal was built in the late 1800s to revive Kyoto’s economy.
• Now sightseeing boats offer trips along it.
• Follow the river's flow and leisurely enjoy the view of fresh green maple trees and historical buildings.
• This time, we are offering a monitored boat ride with free multilingual audio guides.
• Please take advantage of this opportunity.
• *Please note
• The meeting point and dismissal point differ depending on the start time.
• Meeting Points:
• 9:15 a.m. Downstream service [Miidera, Shiga ⇒ Keage, Kyoto]
• MIIDERA Embarkation and Disembarkation (Access: 5 minutes on foot from Exit 1 of Keage Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line)
• 2:40 p.m. Upstream service [Keage, Kyoto ⇒ Miidera, Shiga]
• KEAGE Embarkation and Disembarkation (Access: Approximately 4 minutes walk from Mitsuiji Station on the Keihan Line)
• *For more information, please check our official website!

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.