Ôtsu City 大津市

The capital of Shiga Prefecture, located at the southern tip of Lake Biwa, with a population of approx. 344,000 (2026). During the Heian period (794-1192) it developed into an inland port and trading centre for the imperial city of Kyôto. Later independent trading cooperatives contributed to the prosperity of the region, as did the two popular places of pilgrimage, the Mii-dera and Ishiyama-dera temples founded in the 7th and 8th centuries. Because of its location, Ôtsu became a large and strategically important postal station on the Tôkaidô highway.