A Water Tour of Kansai Creating Abundant Sentiment SHIGA Prefecture Omihachiman City Boat Rides in a Riverside District of Calm Visitors enjoy a luxuriously relaxing time. As the boatman rows, the oar's creaking breaks the silence and waves ripple on the surface of the water. Occasionally, the song of a wild bird echoes. The boat advances slowly on the watercourse thick with reeds and surrounded by tranquility. This is Omihachiman City in Shiga Prefecture. The city, known as the home of the Omi-shonin, or Omi merchants, is now a popular tourist spot where visitors can enjoy boat rides in its riverside district, or suigo. These rides are said to have originated in the boating enjoyed as a leisure-time activity by ODA Nobunaga, shogun during the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600). With Lake Biwa only a few kilometers away, the suigo district provides visitors with a period of peace and relaxation on the calm surface of the water. One of the eight most picturesque scenes of Lake Biwa, this area is called the Suigo of Azuchi-hachiman, as the water changes in look and activity depending on the season, weather, and time of day. Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Section, Omihachiman Municipal Government TEL 0748-36-5517 BACK NEXT All images Copyright. 1999 Kansai International Public Relations Promotion Office. All Rights Reserved.