Ukimi do over the lake

 Ukimido is the temple which has a hall over the lake.

It looks like a floating hall.  The official name is Mangetsu ji temple. 

 The view is one of the eight lakescapes of Lake Biwa.

 The noted poets and artists visited here and created poems or paintings.

The history dates back to Heian era, but the hall itself was rebuilt or renovated a couple of time. The view is said to be same as before except tall building we can see far behind.

I was impressed by gorgeous pine trees in the precinct.  They are said to be 700 years old.

The access 

From Kyoto station

 JR Kosei line.  the nearest station is Katada 
 Take a local bus to Demachi, and 7 min walk.

Entrance fee 300 yen

Shirahige shrine in Shiga.

 Shiga pref. is a nice place which has many sightseeing spots. However, not many people don't know its charm.

I would like to introduce some spots to tell you how interesting and nice they are.

Shirahige means white beard. So direct translation is a shrine of white beard

The main shinto kami ( diety ) enshrined here is Sarutahiko, who is the kami to lead and tell the way. The one enshrined in the shrine is said to be an old one with white beard. So especially he is specialized to give us a benefits of long life too.

By the way, the shrine is well-known for the different reason.

That is....... Instagram!
The torii gate stands in the lake and if the timing is good, you can take a very beautiful picture of the gate with the sun.

But recently, many people come to take pictures crossing the road with heavy traffic.

Now crossing the road is prohibited 

I tried to take a nice pic. but this is what I could do,,

I visited the shrine on Saturday and came across the little girls worshipping here.

Can you see little girls in beautiful kimono?

Access

The nearest train station is  Oumi Takashima station of Kosei line from Kyoto station.

However, from the station, there is no transportation to the shrine

Over 30 min walk is required.