If you travel along the Western shore of Lake Biwa by train (JR Kosei Line) you can enjoy a fine view of the lake for much of the journey, but after Makino station the train leaves the lake to pass through a series of tunnels before coming out on the Eastern side, and Biwako line which runs down the Eastern side is mostly too far inland to see the lake.
In some places the cedar-clad mountain-side sweeps right down to the lake edge, and dusty sunbeams streak down through the trunks. Elsewhere, homesteads and tourist lodges nestle into lush valleys planted with rice.
Cherry trees line the shore, and in spring heavy loads of blossom weight the branches down. Egrets and shags fish from rocks that have tumbled into the water. The road follows the curve of the bays, in and out, in and out. Two small monkeys scramble up the retaining wall at the side of the road. Small boats drift dreamily against a backdrop of blue hills. An island rises out of the lake, misty, indistinct, and mysterious. A man fishes from a small jetty in water that reflects the clouds. A mossy wall encloses a house with shining roof tiles. Hawks glide on air currents over the water.
People always say New Zealand is beautiful, and it is.... but no more so than the wild, lovely area at the top of Lake Biwa.
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