Lake Biwa attracts many birds and along with them birdwatchers. There are a large number of historical towns surrounding the lake, including Hikone, with one of Japan's 12 remaining original castles, Omihachiman, with an attractive restored canal area and a number of museums, Sakamoto, with the World Heritage Site temple Enryaku-ji, the famous temple of Ishiyama-dera, where Lady Murasaki wrote The Tale of Genji, and Nagahama, with Japan's oldest remaining train station building, an attractive historical district, and some significant temples and shrines, as well as a reconstructed castle. The lake is also known for beautiful sunsets, especially when viewed from the east side of the lake as the sun sets over the mountains to the west.
Visit Omimaiko Beach. The water is very clean and the beach is very relaxing. Many people flock there on weekends and you can also camp there. It is better than going to most seaside beaches in Kansai as it is so clean. From Osaka it takes 1 hour by train JR to Omimaiko Station and only 30 minutes from Kyoto.
