SHIGA SURVIVAL GUIDE: THE GUIDE-sports and leisure

Shiga Prefecture has a wide range of sporting and leisure activities to offer, from rugby and football (soccer to the Americans and Japanese, though you can find "American football" here as well) to more "local" sports like aikido and judo. And even if lying on a beach or hiking through a forest is more your style, in Shiga it should be a simple matter to find some kind of healthy, enjoyable and relaxing way to spend your free time.

ATHLETIC CLUBS AND FACILITIES

Below are a variety of sports and athletic facilities in major cities throughout the prefecture. There are many public facilities available in cities and towns also. Ask the people around you if they know of anything in your area.

OTSU Viva Sports Academy (5 minute walk from Seta Station) Tel: 077-543-0887
Otsu Physical Club (5 minute walk from Hama Otsu Station) Tel: 077-526-3456
Shiga Prefecture Martial Arts Hall (Kenritsu Budou-kan) Tel: 077-521-8311
Shiga Prefecture Gymnasium (Kenritsu Taiiku-kan) Tel: 077-524-0221
Royal Oak Sports Club Tel: 077-543-9111
KUSATSU: Bio Sports (Inside Estopia Hotel, near Kusatsu Station) Tel: 077-566-1200
MORIYAMA: Fitness Club Gym Tel: 077-582-7337
RITTO: Ritto Athletic Club Tel: 077-554-3800

ADOGAWA: Do Best Tel: 0740-32-2222
IMAZU: Spaaku Imazu Tel: 0740-22-5577
OMIHACHIMAN: XAX United Sports Club (near Omihachiman Station) Tel: 0748-38-0250
NAGAHAMA: C-Max Tel: 0749-63-2121
HIKONE: C-Max Tel: 0749-26-7666
Sports Plaza 810 (in Viva City)
YOKAICHI: Taiyou Sports Swimming Club Tel: 0748-22-5120
Yokaichi Wellness Center Tel: 0748-22-8800
Nonobiku Taikukan Tel: 0748-25-2633

CIVIC POOLS IN SHIGA

OTSU: Ojigaoka koen pool 077-526-3085
Ojigaoka koen onsui pool 077-526-3085
Ogoto rinsui koen pool 077-522-7065
Seiran shimin pool 077-522-7065
Karasaki koen pool 077-562-7065
Ikadachi shimin pool 077-525-7062
Nango koen pool 077-522-7065
Tanakami koen pool 077-522-7065
Sakamoto shimin pool 077-522-7062
Fujimi onsui pool 077-533-0820
Kogan naguisa koen pool 077-528-2785
NAGAHAMA: Nagahama shimin pool 0749-63-9806
YOKAICHI: Nunobiki undo koen pool water beam 0748-25-0045
KUSATSU: Kusatsu kinro seisyounen pool 077-561-2352
Rokuha koen pool 077-564-3838
MORIYAMA: Moriyama shimin pool 077-582-1143
RITTO: Ritto choei pool 077-553-4321
CHUZU: Chuzu cho B&G kaiyou center pool 077-589-5100
YASU: Yasu cho onsui pool 077-587-6200
ISHIBE: Ishibe comin pool 0748-77-5400
MINAKUCHI: Minakuchi sports no mori 0748-62-7529
Uelu-bi 0748-63-1200
KOGA: B&G zaidin koga kaiyou center onsui pool 0748-88-5887
KONAN: Konan cho B&G kaiyou center pool 0748-86-6971
HINO: Otani koen pool 0748-52-5379

NOTOGAWA: Notogawa cho onsui pool 0748-42-6767
KOTO: Koto cho chomin pool 0749-45-1213
TAGA: Taga cho B&G kaiyou center pool 0749-57-1414
SANTO: Santo cho B&G kaiyou center pool 0749-57-1414
IBUKI: Ibuki cho B&G kaiyou center pool 0749-58-1636, (winter) 0749-74-3355
AZAI: Azai cho B&G kaiyou center pool 0749-74-3355
TAKATSUKI: Takatsuki chomin dai ichi pool 0749-85-5204/2188
Takatsuki chomin dai ni pool 0749-85-5204/2189 (Provisory)
Takatsuki chomin dai san pool 0749-85-5204/2187 (Provisory)
KINOMOTO: Kinomoto chomin pool 0749-82-4111
YOGO: Yogo chomin pool 0749-86-3221
Yogoko yagai katsudou center pool 0749-86-2480
KUTSUKI: Green park "Omoide no mori suguinoko" pool 0740-38-2770
Kutsuki onsen "Tenku" onsui pool 0740-38-2770
IMAZU: Imazu chomin suiei pool 0740-22-2551
B&G zaidan kaiyou center okunai onsen pool 0740-38-5555
ADOGAWA: Adogawa chomin suiei pool (telephone to Tanaka) 0740-32-2543
Adogawa chomin suiei pool (telephone to Simkoga) 0740-32-2543
SHIN ASAHI: Shin asahi chomin pool 0740-25-8137

CYCLING IN SHIGA

Shiga is a great place to get on a bike and get lost. Many of you will inherit shopping bikes (mama chari) from your predecessors. They are great for errands around town but they have their limitations (to say the least). You may want to consider picking up a mountain or road bike. The prefecture is full of bike roads and mountain trails. Cycling is not only great exercise, but it is also the best way to discover all that Shiga has to offer. No matter what kind of bike you have, always keep it locked. As a precaution, register your bike with the police (many stolen bikes are recovered here). The following is a list of shops, publications, and cycling activities you may find useful.

Shops
2 Rinkan (Yokaichi) 0748-23-1011 A small shop that carries everything from shopping bikes to high-end mountain bikes. The owners are renowned for their hospitality and follow-up service. They also sell scooters.
Bee Club (Omihachiman) 0748-33-0903A high end shop with lots of goodies, the people here are also very friendly, helpfull and willing to talk (albeit in Japanese). This shop is also home to one of Shiga's stronger cycling team/clubs.
Cycle Road Isobe (Maibara) 0749-52-3440 Does good repair work. Decent selection. Mixed reviews as to the friendliness of this shop owner.
Ask around the JET community and you're sure to come across some "experts" on the subject, or you can always consult the yellow pages for a shop near you. Many smaller shops carry a few decent mountain bikes, or may be able to order them.
Maps and Books
Shobunshas's Touring Mapple Japanese map for motorcyclists. It has great information for on-road and off-road touring.
Shobundo Trail Map Series Written in Japanese, but very detailed and last printed in 1996. Maps numbered 44-48 cover Shiga. Printed for hikers, but also great for mountain bikers.
Cycling JapanBryan Harrel ed. Can be found at the bookstaores in Kyoto and Osaka. Very informative for rides around Japan, however, information on Shiga specifically is limited.
Trail Map for Northeast Shiga This is a rather "artistic" interpretation of the trails throughout the mountains of the northeastern part of Shiga. Renedered by Jason Bundy (JET 94-96), this map shows the hiking and mountain biking trails personally explored by this former ALT. Good to get you started or give you a rough idea of trails available in the area. For more information, current JETs who hike/bike can be a valuable reference/guide/training partner.

(JPEG 296k)
Races and Festivals
Shakunage MTB Festival September, in Hino. A four-hour endurance race. Call 0748-52-0515 for information.
Panasonic MTB Cup Race Usually the third weekend in July at Mount Ibuki. Solo and team races. For the past several years, Shiga JETs have formed a "Gaijin" team for the race.

BEACHES AND WATERSPORTS

There is a wide range of watersports available throughout Shiga, as well as beaches scattered all along the waterfront of Lake Biwa. The most popular, and beautiful, beaches, however, tend to be the white sand beaches located along Lake Biwa's west and northwest coast, from Omi Maiko (the largest) to Makino's Sunny Beach in the north. Omi Maiko is easily accessible by train on the JR Kosei line, and takes about 24 minutes from Yamashina Station. Barbecue areas can be found at many beaches, and grills used free of charge.

Please note: This section to be expanded upon at a later date.

SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING

There are many ski and snowboard mountains in and around Shiga, and some worldclass ski resorts are within a few hours by train. Mt. Ibuki is Shiga's largest mountain, and has two resorts. Oku-ibuki is the larger of the two resorts and offers a range of runs from beginner to a rather challenging mogul run called "The champion course." Snowboards are not allowed at this resort. The Ibukiyama resort is definately the smaller of the two, and the wide short runs tend to cater to snowboarders, and can be a good place to learn to snowboard (as it often appears that everyone is doing). Can be very crowded, not recommended for skiers. Lift tickets for both resorts cost around 4000 yen for day skiing, and slightly less for night skiing. Yogo Kogen is another resort in the northern part of Shiga. Again this resort is more suited for snowboarding, as it features very wide short runs and tends to be full of boarders (likened to a parking lot by one disgruntled skier). Lift prices are the same as the resorts on Ibuki. For better skiing, and bording for that matter, Shiga's northern neighbors of Gifu and Fukui offer a wide range of slopes and resorts. The prices and crowds are comparable, however, the quality is markedly better.

Please note: This section to be expanded upon at a later date.

For an excellent site with information on resorts outside of Shiga, visit GO SKI-Japan. This site offers information, descriptions and reviews for many of Japan's larger ski/snowboard resorts, as well as offering visitors a chance to put their own two cents in.

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