Biwako Hakodate-yama
Also written: びわこ箱館山 · 琵琶湖函馆山
A highland resort where seasonal flowers bloom and the view of Lake Biwa is stunning, making it a perfect spot for SNS-worthy photos.
An Illustrated Japan / Shiga / Famous Views
About this place
Biwako Hakodateyama is a highland resort located at 630-680 meters altitude at Hikimae, Imazu-cho, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, 60 km from Meishin Kyoto-Higashi IC via Kosei Road, 29 km from Hokuriku Expressway Kinomoto IC, and about 20 minutes by community bus from JR Kosei Line Omi-Imazu Station to Hakodateyama bus stop, with 2,000 parking spaces 1,000 yen per day. Originally Hakodateyama Ski Resort, it features vertical difference 445 meters, longest incline 1,323 meters, maximum gradient 35 degrees, single-line automatic circulation gondola eight-person CWA 1999 model at speed 5 m per second in four and half to six and half minutes, plus pair lifts 210 m x2, 203 m, 407 m currently active and five single lifts休止中. Summer green operations started using ski slopes to create lily garden area about 50,400 square meters opening July 2009 as Biwako Hakodateyama Lily Garden. In July 18 2020 facility renewed as Biwako Hakodateyama transforming from lily garden into flower field centered on petunias and kochia scarlet balls, with over fifteen varieties and about thirty thousand summer blooms such as sunflowers, SunPatiens, begonias, zinnias, marigolds painting slopes, with summer installation flower carpets and petal art. An iconic facility is the observation deck Biwako no Mieru Oka opened 2018 at 630 m that overlooks Lake Biwa panoramic, simultaneously opened parfait specialty shop LAMP converted from winter cafeteria where lamp-shaped glass parfait became Instagram sensation driving thirteen thousand more visitors July-August 2018 versus prior year. Other facilities include First Hutte, Second Hutte, sloped cafeteria, Karamatsu hut, rental, school, ticket office, lockers, toilets. In multicultural services, prayer room for Muslim tourists near summit and halal meals at restaurants were installed following growth in visitors. Appeal stretches through autumn where approximately 8,000 kochia plants turn vivid green in summer to deep crimson red in autumn, plus pink, orange and purple flower carpets added with two-meter tall three-dimensional flower art created from begonias and SunPatiens and Stairs Flower staircase to sky emerging as super photogenic spot. October limited sweets include Halloween parfait 2,000 yen from September 1 casis mousse and berry sauce horror mood, and Otsukimi matcha jelly limited to full moon days. Night operations evolve into Noite Gondola special operation October 4 to October 6 around mid-autumn full moon until 21:00 enabling moon and star illuminated Lake Biwa fantasy view, while Parfait shop LAMP becomes Starry Planetarium LAMP after 17:00 with portion projected as planetarium, night limited drinks and parfait moodful, and Halloween illumination. Additional autumn event October 26 Takashima Ee Mon Manpuku Matsuri local food festival plus summer debut rainbow color slide and sports premium activities off-road buggy adventure allowing license-free mountain trail racing. The renewal demonstrates effective reutilization of ski infrastructure as year-round SNS映え resort with flower and vista collaboration guaranteed photogenic mountain resort, green season typical end April to mid November with extended hours on weekends. Official PR video and MAP refer MacEarth operator, with latest information via official website and community bus schedules, accessible for families, couples, and photographers.
