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28-548: Maibara is located in northcentral Shiga Prefecture, on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa , and extending inland to the Ibuki Mountains and the border with Gifu Prefecture . Parts of the city are within the borders of the Biwako Quasi-National Park . Mount Ibuki is in the northeastern part of the prefecture. It is the highest peak in the prefecture. The Anegawa River and Amanogawa River pass through

56-542: A largemouth bass weighing 10.12 kg (22 lb 5 oz) was caught from the lake by Manabu Kurita. It has been officially certified by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) to tie the largemouth bass world record held solely by George Perry for 77 years. The Awazu site, a submerged Shell midden , is an important archaeological site of the Jōmon period . It goes back to

84-549: A true loach ( Cobitis magnostriata ), two gobies ( Gymnogobius isaza and Rhinogobius biwaensis ), two silurid catfish ( Silurus biwaensis and S. lithophilus ) and a cottid ( Cottus reinii ). The Biwa trout is also endemic to the lake, but some maintain that it is a subspecies of the widespread masu salmon rather than a separate species. The remaining endemic fish are subspecies of Carassius auratus , Cobitis minamorii , Sarcocheilichthys variegatus and Squalidus (chankaensis) biwae . Lake Biwa

112-569: A unicameral city council of 18 members. Maibara contributes two members to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Shiga 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . The economy of Maibara is centered on agriculture and light manufacturing. There are several industrial parks in the city. Maibara has ten public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by

140-576: A contiguous service that is the main trunk of JR West's "Urban Network" commuter rail network in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area . The line is named after Lake Biwa ( 琵琶湖 , Biwa-ko ) , which the route runs along. Line nicknames were introduced when the newly privatized JR West intended to use "familiar" names over official line names, such as Tōkaidō Main Line and Fukuchiyama Line . Biwako Line did not appear on

168-596: A notably diverse ecosystem to evolve in the lake. Naturalists have documented more than 1000 species and subspecies in the lake, including about 60 endemics . Lake Biwa is an important place for water birds . About 5,000 water birds visit Lake Biwa every year. There are 46 native fish species and subspecies in the lake, including 11 species and 5 subspecies that are endemic or near-endemic. The endemic species are five cyprinids ( Carassius cuvieri , Gnathopogon caerulescens , Ischikauia steenackeri , Opsariichthys uncirostris and Sarcocheilichthys biwaensis ),

196-499: A sophisticated processing technology was mastered in order to remove the harmful tannic acid , and make this food safe for consumption. Ishiyama is another such site of the Early Jōmon period on Lake Biwa. Various environmental laws cover Lake Biwa: At the prefectural level, Eutrophication Control Ordinance was enacted in 1979. It was intended to control the use of synthetic detergents by companies and residents alike and followed

224-523: A successful citizens' campaign known as the Soap Movement, which had emerged from women's consumer groups earlier in the 1970s. Legislation to prevent eutrophication was enacted in 1981 and first enforced on July 1, 1982; therefore, this day is called "Lake Biwa Day ( びわ湖の日 , Biwako no Hi ) ". The legislation established standards for the nitrogen and phosphorus levels for agricultural, industrial, and household water sources emptying into

252-775: Is about 670 km (260 sq mi). Small rivers drain from the surrounding mountains into Lake Biwa, and its main outlet is the Seta River , which later becomes the Uji River, combining with the Katsura and Kizu to become the Yodo River and flows into the Seto Inland Sea at Osaka Bay . It serves as a reservoir for the cities of Kyoto and Ōtsu and is a valuable resource for nearby textile industries. It provides drinking water for about 15 million people in

280-482: Is also the home of a large number of molluscs , including 38 freshwater snails (19 endemic) and 16 bivalves (9 endemic). Recently the biodiversity of the lake has suffered greatly due to the invasion of foreign fish , the black bass and the bluegill . Bluegill were presented to the Emperor and later freed in the lake as a food source for other fish. Black bass were introduced as a sport fish . In July 2009,

308-676: Is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu ), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto . Lake Biwa is an ancient lake , over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world. Because of its proximity to the country's historical capital Kyoto , references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles. The name Biwako

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336-489: The Edo period . With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1,1889, the village of Irie was established. It was raised to town status on November 15, 1923, becoming the town of Maihara . On February 14, 2005 Maihara merged with the neighboring towns of Santō and Ibuki (all from Sakata District ) and was raised to city status, changing its name from "Maihara" to "Maibara" at that time. The new city name

364-528: The Kansai region . Lake Biwa is a breeding ground for freshwater fish, including trout , and for the pearl culture industry. The Lake Biwa Canal , built in the late 1890s and later expanded during the Taishō period , played a role of great importance in the rekindling of Kyoto's industrial life, after a steep decline following the transfer of the capital to Tokyo. Lake Biwa is home to many popular beaches along

392-478: The "Biwako Line" nickname is used by the operator JR West for passenger announcements, the official status of Tōkaidō Main Line has not been changed or discussed. The counterpart for the line, Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) uses its official name "Tōkaidō Main Line" for the section of JR West, at the connections of Kyoto and Maibara. The "Biwako Line" nickname appears in some local newspapers and real estate advertisements. Frequent passengers understand that

420-541: The Biwako, JR Kyoto, JR Kobe lines are in fact one line, however, public recognition of the name is still in question, especially among non-users along the line. Stations are listed from east to west. The distance of Tokyo – Maibara is 445.9 km (277.1 mi), and that of Tokyo – Kyoto is 513.6 km (319.1 mi). Historically, the Tōkaidō Main Line continued from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond, through Maibara. In

448-537: The area. Maibara is home to three former post stations : Banba-juku , Samegai-juku and Kashiwabara-juku , and was the location of a port on Lake Biwa where travelers could shorten their journey by taking boat to Ōtsu-juku . During the Muromachi and Sengoku periods , the Kyōgoku clan domained most of Ōmi Province from their base in what is now Maibara. Most of the area came under the control of Hikone Domain during

476-635: The beginning of the Initial Jōmon period (ca. 9300 BP ). It lies near the southern end of Lake Biwa, close to Otsu City , at a depth of 2 to 3 meters from the bottom. The site shows the use of plant and animal food resources by the Jōmon people . It also demonstrates the importance of nut consumption in this period. Shell Midden No. 3 is dated to the Middle Jōmon period . An abundance of horse chestnuts were uncovered here (about 40% of their total estimated diet). This indicates that, by this later period,

504-663: The city government. There are two public high schools operated by the Shiga Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped. [REDACTED] JR Tōkai – Tōkaidō Shinkansen [REDACTED] JR Tōkai – Tōkaidō Main Line [REDACTED] JR West – Biwako Line [REDACTED] JR West – Hokuriku Main Line [REDACTED] Ohmi Railway – Main Line Lake Biwa Lake Biwa ( 琵琶湖 , Biwa-ko )

532-747: The city. About 70 percent of the city is forest. Gifu Prefecture Shiga Prefecture Maibara has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa ) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Maibara is 13.5 °C (56.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,810 mm (71 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C (77.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 2.1 °C (35.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Maibara

560-613: The first list, and instead The JR Kyoto Line was to be called up to Maibara. A move in Shiga Prefecture opposed the name, claiming that the name of Kyoto Line in Shiga sounds like an auxiliary, requiring its own name in the prefecture. Biwako Line was thus made to refer to the section between Maibara and Kyoto. The section of the name was extended to Nagahama, on the alteration of electric supply from 20 kV AC to 1,500 V DC, which enabled through operation to Kyoto and Osaka. Although

588-474: The lake. They also banned people from using and selling synthetic detergents which contain phosphorus. The lake was designated as a UNESCO Ramsar Wetland (1993) in accordance with the Ramsar Convention . The object of this treaty is to protect and sensibly use internationally valuable wetlands . The Kushiro marsh ( 釧路湿原 , Kushiro Shitsugen) in Japan is under this treaty now. Reed colonies on

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616-574: The north-western shore, in particular Shiga Beach and Omi-Maiko . The Mizunomori Water Botanical Garden and the Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu are also of interest. The Lake Biwa Marathon took place annually in Ōtsu, the city at the southern end of the lake, from 1962 until 2021. Lake Biwa is of tectonic origin and is one of the world's oldest lakes , dating to at least 4 million years ago. This long uninterrupted age has allowed for

644-595: The reed beds has been in force since 1992. Biwako Line The Biwako Line ( 琵琶湖線 , Biwako-sen ) is the nickname used by the operator of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) to refer to the portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line (between Maibara Station and Kyoto Station ) and the Hokuriku Main Line (between Maibara Station and Nagahama Station ). The section, along with JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line , forms

672-604: The shape of the lake is similar to that of the biwa , her favorite instrument." The lake was formerly known as the Awaumi ( 淡海 , Freshwater Sea) or the Chikatsu Awaumi ( 近淡海 , Freshwater Sea Near [the Capital]) . Later the pronunciation Awaumi changed to the modern Ōmi as in the name of Ōmi Province . The lake is also called Nio no Umi ( 鳰の海 , " Little Grebe Lake") in literature. The area of this lake

700-492: The shore form give Lake Biwa its characteristic scenery. The reeds play an important role in purifying water as well as providing habitat for birds and fish. At one time there were large areas of reeds along the shores of Lake Biwa, which local government surveys recently found to have halved in size due to encroaching development. This Shiga Ordinance for the Conservation of Reed Vegetation Zones to protect, grow, and utilize

728-533: Was 36.4 °C (97.5 °F) on 14 August 2024. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −12.2 °C (10.0 °F) on 4 February 2012. Per Japanese census data, the population of Maibara has seen relatively little fluctuation over the past century. Maibara is part of ancient Ōmi Province and the route of the Tōsandō (later the Nakasendō ) highway connecting Heian-kyō with the eastern provinces passed through

756-478: Was based on the name of Japan Railways' Maibara Station which many people in Japan knew as a station on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen Line. The adjacent town of Ōmi was merged into Maibara on October 1, 2005. Maibara was struck by an F2 tornado on June 29, 2018. The tornado caused major damage to homes and injured 8 people. Maibara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and

784-509: Was established in the Edo period . There are various theories about the origin of the name Biwako , but it is generally believed to be so named because of the resemblance of its shape to that of a stringed instrument called the biwa . Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku-ji in the 14th century, gave a clue to the origin of the name Biwako in his writing: "The lake is the Pure land of the goddess Benzaiten because she lives on Chikubu Island and

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