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Lake Biwa Museum buildings seen across a pond from the elevated canopy trail
Photo: Kekero, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shiga · museum

Lake Biwa Museum

滋賀県立琵琶湖博物館

A museum on Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, themed on lakes and people, with one of Japan's biggest freshwater aquariums and ancient-lake species.

Visitor looking into a large freshwater fish tank in the Lake Biwa Museum aquarium
Photo: Kekero, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Covered walkway at the entrance of the Lake Biwa Museum
Photo: Abasaa, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A museum for everything about Lake Biwa

The Lake Biwa Museum is a prefectural museum run by Shiga Prefecture, opened on 20 October 1996. It stands on the shore of Lake Biwa in Kusatsu City, and its outdoor exhibits let you observe the real lake and woodland plants.

Its theme is "lakes and people". Through specimens, real objects and live fish, it explains how Lake Biwa formed, what lives in it and how people have lived alongside the lake. More than 20 years after opening, the exhibitions were renewed in three phases, and the museum was fully refreshed in October 2020.

One of Japan's largest freshwater aquariums

The most popular section is the aquarium. With about 2,000 square metres of exhibition space, it is one of the largest freshwater displays in Japan, and you can see more than 100 species of fish, including almost all the native fish of Lake Biwa and Shiga's rivers.

The tank for the Biwa giant catfish (Biwako-onamazu), a large catfish found only in Lake Biwa, was under repair after an accident that damaged it in 2023, but it reopened in April 2026 after 3 years and 2 months. The new tank recreates a rocky area modelled on rocks in Lake Biwa.

The World of Ancient Lakes corner introduces creatures from ancient lakes around the world that have evolved in their own way over long periods, such as the Baikal seal from Lake Baikal in Russia. In the Micro Aquarium, which gathers tiny creatures visible only under a microscope, you can look through a microscope yourself.

Four million years of history, and life with the lake

Gallery A, "Four Million Years of Lake Biwa and Us", traces how the lake formed and how its creatures changed, with specimens and dioramas. Gallery B uses real objects to show the history of the relationship between people and Lake Biwa, and Gallery C lets you experience the links between the lake's nature today and people's lives.

Outside is the Tree Canopy Trail, a raised walkway high above the ground. Opened in November 2018, it lets you walk among the treetops with a bird's-eye view and look out over Lake Biwa from its deck. There is also a Discovery Room where children can learn through touch.

Getting there and visiting tips

It is about 25 minutes by bus from Kusatsu Station on the JR Biwako Line. By car, it is about 25 minutes from Ritto Interchange on the Meishin Expressway, and there is a car park.

The museum is closed on Mondays (open if Monday is a public holiday). Opening hours and admission fees can change, so check the official website before you go.

Tips

  • As of September 2026, five tanks in the aquarium, including the catfish and the Lake Malawi fish, are temporarily off view while their acrylic panels are replaced. The work may also cause some noise and smells. If you are going to see a particular creature, check the notices on the official website.
  • According to the official website, there is almost nowhere in the museum to eat a packed lunch you bring yourself. Use the museum restaurant, or plan your meal for a different time.
  • Flash photography and live streaming are not allowed in the exhibition rooms.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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