Takashima Onsen
- Location
- Takashima, Shiga, Japan
- Water type
- silica
- Temperature
- 42 °C
- pH
- 7.2
Water profile
Relaxing — deep, immediate muscle release.
Rich in trace elements — gentle on the skin.
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
Takashima Onsen is a community thermal spa on the western shore of Lake Biwa in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, where the ancient Wakasa Kaido road connecting Obama fishery port on the Japan Sea coast with Kyoto—known as the 'Mackerel Road' (Saba Kaido) after the salted fish carried overland—descends through the Kutsuki mountain valley to emerge at Lake Biwa's scenic northwestern shore. The siliceous mineral waters provide warm, restorative immersion for visitors exploring this quiet corner of Shiga where the pine-covered Chikubushima Island—one of Japan's three sacred islets, home to Tsukubusuma Shrine—floats offshore in the lake's northern basin. The Saba Kaido heritage trail, the lakeside thatched farmhouses of Makino, and Takashima's role as a gateway to both the Kutsuki mountain village and the Biwa lake cycling route give this onsen a distinctly scenic and historically evocative character.