Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 and has a geographic area of 4,017 km2 (1,551 sq mi). Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the northeast, Mie Prefecture to the southeast, and Kyoto Prefecture to the west.
The floating pavilion of Mangetsu-ji on the shores of Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture viewed from space
The prefectural government building in Ōtsu City
Merchant mansions in Omihachiman
The Kansai region or the Kinki region lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolitan region of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto is the second-most populated in Japan after the Greater Tokyo Area.
The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world until 2022, with a centre span of 1,991 m
Himeji Castle
Daisen Kofun, the largest burial mound in the world
Hōryū-ji Golden Hall, the oldest wooden structure in the world
