Museum · Okazaki / Keage
Lake Biwa Canal Museum 琵琶湖疏水記念館
A free museum at the Keage end of the Lake Biwa Canal telling how 1890s engineers carried lake water to Kyoto, powering Japan's first commercial hydroelectric plant and trams.
About
The Lake Biwa Canal was a grand Meiji project, built from 1885 to 1890 by the 21-year-old engineer Tanabe Sakuro, to bring water from Lake Biwa through the mountains to Kyoto, reviving a city that had lost its status as capital. It supplied drinking water, irrigation and transport, and powered the Keage hydroelectric station, Japan's first commercial plant, which ran Japan's first electric tram. The museum, renewed in 2020, displays models, original plans, tools and photographs, and its back windows look onto the canal and the Keage Incline. A terrace by the canal has a cafe, and from spring to autumn the Biwako Sosui sightseeing boats run along the canal from Otsu to here. It is a fascinating, free hour that explains the Suirokaku aqueduct at Nanzen-ji and the Keage Incline.
Highlights
- Free museum of the Meiji canal project
- Models of the incline and boats
- Canal-side terrace and cafe
- Biwako Sosui sightseeing boat landing
- Easy link to the Keage Incline and Nanzen-ji
Tips
- Free admission; closed Mondays.
- Book the Biwako Sosui boat (Otsu to Keage) online in spring and autumn.
- Walk the Keage Incline and aqueduct next.
- English captions are available.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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