Season 8

From Kyoto Prefecture, our journey traces the western shore of Lake Biwa and continues to Tsuruga on the Sea of Japan. In late autumn, a cable car and ropeway carry us to the summit of Mt. Hiei, where we glimpse Japan’s largest lake. We explore remnants of the locally funded, now-defunct Kojaku Railway, and meet a blacksmith, an antique shop owner, and a cooper who have relocated to the area. Our itinerary concludes in Tsuruga, once the maritime link that connected international trains to the Trans-Siberian Railway.