[滋賀] Lake Biwa Canal Cruise Multilingual Audio Guide Monitor

• he 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.
• Short Video：https://youtu.be/WgIJjArkUh4?si=HV5e8sVfPP0MEp3t

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.