Shiga

Shiga exists because Lake Biwa exists. Japan's largest lake—covering 670 square kilometers, 4 million years old—dominates the prefecture geographically and economically. The lake provides drinking water for 14 million people in Osaka and Kyoto; protecting its watershed drives Shiga's environmental policy. The prefecture essentially serves as water steward for the Kansai region.

Historically, Shiga's position between Kyoto and the east made it a crossroads. The Tokaido and Nakasendo highways passed through; castles and merchant towns clustered along routes. Hikone Castle, one of Japan's twelve original castles, survives. The town of Omihachiman preserves Edo-period merchant architecture; traders from here spread across Japan as Omi merchants (Omi shonin), developing practices that influenced Japanese business culture.

Today, manufacturing clusters around the southern shore: electronics, machinery, pharmaceuticals. Environmental technology has become a specialization—protecting Lake Biwa requires expertise that exports globally. By 2026, Shiga bets on its position in the Kansai-Nagoya corridor and its environmental credentials. The lake that created the prefecture's identity may create its future: water stewardship, clean technology, and sustainable tourism as Japan decarbonizes.