Lake Biwa Canal Museum
museum
Lake Biwa Canal Museum
琵琶湖疏水記念館
Overview
A free museum tracing the audacious 19th-century canal that brought Lake Biwa's water to Kyoto.
The Lake Biwa Canal was a Meiji-era engineering marvel that tunneled through mountains to supply Kyoto with water, hydroelectric power, and transportation from Lake Biwa. This free museum near Nanzen-ji tells the story through original blueprints, photographs, and scale models. The nearby red-brick Suirokaku aqueduct (visible from Nanzen-ji) is one of Kyoto's most photographed structures and a direct product of this project.
Local tips
After the museum, walk the Keage Incline. The old boat railway track is lined with cherry trees and leads directly to the Suirokaku aqueduct at Nanzen-ji.
Practical info
- Japanese name
- 琵琶湖疏水記念館
- Nearest station
- Keage Station (Tozai Line)
- Payment
- Cards accepted
Accessibility
Good for
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