Higashiōmi – Goshu Ondo and kite art

In Higashiōmi, vibrant traditions meet impressive kite art and walking tours through Yōkaichi. Those choosing the area for a holiday can explore the history of Goshu Ondo, visit the kite museum, or take walks with a variety of themes. These cultural highlights give your search for suitable holiday accommodation in Higashiōmi a clear focus: what matters may be whether you are especially interested in learning about local traditions or adding a walking tour to your itinerary.

Goshu Ondo: a summertime tradition

Yōkaichi is considered the birthplace of Goshu Ondo, which is now celebrated throughout Japan as a summertime tradition. About 150 years ago, Nishizawa Torakichi, the first Sakuragawa Tairyū from Yōkaichi, created Goshu Ondo by incorporating elements of Nenbutsu Odori and Uta Nenbutsu. This story of its origins brings together two older forms of dance and song in a distinct tradition. For visitors, this offers a special way to connect with the local culture: Goshu Ondo is not just a name from the past, but a summertime custom that continues to be celebrated.

The group dance is also central to the Shōtoku Festival, where a total of 800 participants dance Goshu Ondo. This number brings the communal nature of the event to life, without a stage programme needing to take centre stage. Those especially interested in dance and regional traditions can learn not only about the tradition’s origins, but also how people come together to perform Goshu Ondo at the festival.

A giant kite and a variety of designs

The World Kite Museum Higashiōmi Ōdako Hall displays a Higashiōmi giant kite measuring 100 tatami mats in size. Japanese regional and traditional kites are also on display, along with colourful kites from around the world. The museum thus brings together an exceptionally large Japanese kite and a wide international variety of designs. A visit is not limited to a single exhibit: regional and traditional forms, as well as kites from other parts of the world, are also part of the collection described here.

If you want to focus your trip on culture, you can include the kite museum alongside the other cultural attractions in Yōkaichi in your plans. Goshu Ondo and kite art offer different perspectives: one is a summertime dance tradition and its origins, while the other features a large regional kite and other Japanese and international examples.

Explore Yōkaichi on foot

The Yōkaichi Walking Tour starts at Yōkaichi Station on the Ōmi Railway and is listed as taking approximately 2 to 2.5 hours. Its stops include Shōfukurō, the Miyo-san Highway, the former Sumii Dental Clinic, Ichigami Shrine, the Giant Kite Hall, Nunobikiyaki Kiln and the station-front Green Road. The selection takes in a variety of places and themes, from a historic road and a former building to a shrine, the kite museum and a pottery workshop. If you would like to visit several of these stops, you can use the stated duration of the walking tour to help plan your trip.

Another walking tour visits wartime relics preserved in the city. The Course to Explore Wartime Relics Remaining in the Urban Area includes the remains of the airfield railway line, the former Army Yōkaichi Airfield and an aircraft shelter. It therefore has a distinct focus on historic remains. Together with the Yōkaichi Walking Tour, it offers a choice between a route with a variety of stops and one devoted specifically to wartime relics.

The Higashiōmi City Yōkaichi Station Tourist Exchange Facility, a tourist information centre, is also close to Yōkaichi Station on the Ōmi Railway. The station is therefore both the meeting point for the Yōkaichi Walking Tour and a helpful landmark for visitors who want to get their bearings in the area first.

More destinations: Ōtsu, Moriyama, Ritto, Konan, Maibara, Hikone, Kusatsu, Nagahama.

For the main travel overview: Shiga Prefecture.