This season's operation of the Lake Biwa Canal Boat, a sightseeing boat on the Lake Biwa Canal that connects Shiga and Kyoto, began on March 28, 2024. Starting this season, the route for some flights will be extended to Otsu Port (Hamaotsu 5-chome, Otsu City) on the shore of Lake Biwa. A commemorative ceremony was held at Otsu Port to welcome the first flight, and commemorative gifts were handed out to those on board.
A canal boat is a sightseeing boat that passes through the First Lake Biwa Canal, which was completed in the Meiji period. Shiga Prefecture, Otsu City, Kyoto City, and other cities have been operating the service in spring and fall since 2018. Previously, the route was about 7.8 km between Otsu and Keage, but the Otsu Lock, which uses two water gates to eliminate the water level difference between Lake Biwa and the canal, has been electrified, and the Otsu After completing renovations to the seawall to allow small ships to dock at the port, a service to Otsu Port has been set up starting this spring, extending the route by 1.5 kilometers.
Nine tourists were on board the first flight. The ship departed from Keage around 9 a.m. and arrived at Otsu Port just after 10 a.m. The ceremony was attended by three female passengers who had come from Tokyo and elsewhere, and were presented with souvenirs by Mayor Kenji Sato and others, including a one-day pass for the Keihan Railway, a ticket to enter Ishiyama-dera Temple, and a towel.
This season's flight runs until June 9th (closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays other than April 2nd and 3rd). Flights to Otsu Port will only operate until March 31st and from April 4th to 7th.
