[Crowd Forecast] Quiet Times and Crowd Levels at Biwako Terrace (Biwako Valley): A Firsthand Review

This time, in Shiga Prefecture, on Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa, I introduce a sightseeing model course that takes the “ropeway” running up to the summit of Biwako Terrace and lets you enjoy Shiga’s popular sightseeing spot “Lake Biwa” from the terrace.

Biwako Valley, where you can see all of Lake Biwa at a glance, is a relatively new viewpoint that opened in 2016. From Biwako Terrace at an elevation of over 1,000 m you can take in the whole lake, and with the Infinity Lounge, grill dining, and the zipline adventure, I think it’s perfect for adult couple dates and student dates.

In this article, I actually rode the Lake Biwa ropeway and took in the view from the terrace, so I’d like to introduce, clearly, information useful for planning a date or trip, plus information for sightseeing efficiently and avoiding mistakes.

I’ve also included ways anyone with a smartphone can enjoy it at a discount, so please read to the end ♪

Now, let’s get started ♪

[Conclusion] Tips for avoiding crowds at Biwako Terrace

To give you the conclusion first, there are three main points to avoid crowds at Biwako Terrace. If you’re busy, check just this part first.

• Go on a weekday: Compared with weekends and holidays, the parking lots are emptier, and parking fees are also set lower on weekdays
• Aim to arrive 30 minutes before opening: The parking lot opens 30 minutes before the ropeway’s operating hours, so aiming to arrive at 8:30 (9:00 in November) makes it easier to avoid congestion at the parking lot and ticket office
• Be careful after 10:00 and at lunchtime: During long holidays and on weekends and holidays, the parking lots fill up after 10:00, and you may be guided to lots P8 and beyond, far from the ropeway station. Restaurants also get crowded easily, so I recommend shifting to an earlier or later time

For details on each congestion situation, see “Congestion at the Biwako Terrace ropeway” later, which covers the parking lot, ticket office, ropeway, terrace, and restaurant separately, so please check that too.

Time needed to sightsee Biwako Terrace

Biwako Terrace not only has a terrace for viewing the most beautiful view of Lake Biwa, but also offers many ways to enjoy it, such as a plaza where you can play on nostalgic playground equipment, a sightseeing lift, sledding, a dog run, restaurants, and zipline activities, so it’s hard to give a single estimate for the time needed.

Viewing Biwako Terrace alone takes at least 1 hour, 2 hours including the sightseeing lift, and you should allow about 3 to 5 hours if you plan on restaurants or activities.

How to enjoy it	Estimated time
A. Biwako Terrace viewing only	1 hour
B. Biwako Terrace viewing + a walk in the air on the sightseeing lift	2 hours
C. Above + restaurant	3 hours
D. Above + activities	5 hours

Biwako Terrace sightseeing model course overview

Now, let me introduce the Biwako Terrace sightseeing model course.

The base plan is the 3-hour itinerary of “B. Biwako Terrace viewing + a walk in the air on the sightseeing lift,” and as for restaurants and activities, there’s nothing to agonize over, so just add the extra time ♪

For the starting point, let’s begin from arriving at the Lake Biwa parking lot.

Activities at Biwako Terrace

At Biwako Terrace, you can experience the Zipline Adventure, with six courses in total, sliding down refreshingly while hanging from a pulley on ropes strung through the forest.

★ Biwako Valley Zipline Adventure reservation *Valid only on the date selected at booking
Usable on site by showing a QR code

Activity	Zipline Adventure
Period	April 22 – November 2
Time	Please ask at reception for the start time
Reception	THE MAIN 2F
Fee	¥3,900
Duration	About 120 minutes
Eligibility	Height up to 195 cm Weight 30 kg – 100 kg

There’s also an attraction where, about 5 m above the ground in the trees, you clear 33 items across 3 courses, such as swaying bridges and log crossings, while looking out over Lake Biwa.

★ Biwako Valley Sky Walker reservation *Valid only on the date selected at booking
Usable on site by showing a QR code

Activity	Sky Walker
Period	April 22 – November 2
Time	Please ask at reception for the start time
Reception	THE MAIN 2F
Fee	¥3,300
Duration	About 90 minutes
Eligibility	Height 115 cm – 195 cm

Restaurants at Biwako Terrace

Biwako Terrace has several restaurants.
At Grill Dining & Bar HALUKA, you can enjoy a beef lunch while looking at Lake Biwa, such as Omi beef roast beef bowl and grilled sirloin steak.

Because Biwako Terrace is a sightseeing viewpoint, the single-item price of a main lunch menu is ¥1,900 to ¥2,500, which feels a little expensive.

If you order a rice set and a drink as well, lunch costs about ¥3,500 per person.

There is also the Infinity Lounge, where you can enjoy a date at the best viewpoint with a glass of champagne in hand. It’s ¥3,000 with a welcome drink.

Location and access of Biwako Terrace

The address is inside Biwako Valley, 1547-1 Kido, Otsu, Shiga 520-0514.

For car navigation, search for “Biwako Valley Parking Lot”.

Can you drive to Biwako Terrace?

Biwako Terrace is at the ropeway summit station, so even if you set it in your car navigation, you can’t drive there directly.

The only way is to park in the lots around the ropeway base station and take the ropeway.

Parking lots around Biwako Terrace

You can’t drive directly to Biwako Terrace, but there are 15 dedicated parking lots, P1 to P15, around the ropeway base station.

There’s room for about 1,700 cars, so you can always park somewhere, but you’ll need some extra time going back and forth.

If you go after noon, people who came first thing in the morning are leaving, so you may luckily get P1, near the ticket office, but on weekends and holidays you follow the guards’ directions, so in the end it’s down to luck.

Vehicle type	Fee
Car	Weekdays: ¥1,000 / Weekends and holidays: ¥2,000
Motorcycle	Weekdays: ¥500 / Weekends and holidays: ¥1,000
Bus	Weekdays: ¥1,500 / Weekends and holidays: ¥3,000

Biwako Terrace ropeway fares

To see Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest and overwhelmingly present, looking down from a high elevation is the viewing method I most want to recommend.

What you probably wonder about is the fare structure for the round-trip ropeway.

Ticket type	Weekends, holidays and Obon period		Weekdays
	Same-day	Web advance	Same-day	Web advance
Adult	¥3,500	¥2,500～¥3,500	¥3,500	¥2,500～¥3,000
Elementary school student	¥1,500	¥1,400	¥1,500	¥1,400
Infant	¥1,000	¥900	¥1,000	¥900
Pet	¥500	¥500	¥500	¥900

The same-day adult ticket is a bold ¥3,500 round trip.

If a couple rides, two adults come to ¥7,000, about the same as one night at a business hotel.

Are there coupons for the Biwako Terrace ropeway?

A same-day adult ticket at ¥3,500 feels expensive for a ropeway, doesn’t it.

Right now, you can get an advance ticket for up to ¥1,000 off through KKday or Asoview, so let’s enjoy the Lake Biwa view at a discount ♪

As long as you decide the date and buy, there’s no need to line up at the window, and you can ride with ease!

★ [¥1,000 off for adults] Biwako Valley Ropeway round-trip ticket *Valid only on the date selected at booking
Date-specific; must be purchased by 23:59 the day before use

★ [¥700 off for adults] Biwako Valley Ropeway (round trip)
Usable on all dates except specified days, but must be exchanged for a boarding ticket at the window on the day

Congestion at the Biwako Terrace ropeway

During long holidays such as Golden Week, Obon, and Silver Week, and on weekends and holidays, the Biwako Terrace parking lots, ropeway ticket office, ropeway, and restaurants are all crowded, so be careful to leave plenty of time.

Biwako Terrace parking lot congestion

During long holidays and on weekends and holidays, many cars start parking at the Biwako Terrace lots just before opening time, so after 10:00 you’ll be guided to the rear lots, P8 and beyond, far from the ropeway station.

If you park in a rear lot, you have to take the on-site shuttle bus, which is a hassle.

Since the bus goes around the stops at each lot in turn, it may be full and you can’t board, and getting to the ropeway station can take longer than expected.

To avoid parking lot congestion at Biwako Terrace, the lot opens 30 minutes before the ropeway’s operating hours, so aim to arrive at 8:30. *Arrive at 9:00 in November.

Biwako Terrace ticket office congestion

During long holidays and on weekends and holidays, a line forms at the Biwako Terrace ticket office from morning to around noon, making it crowded.

To avoid ticket office congestion at Biwako Terrace, buy an advance ticket on the web by the day before.
With an advance ticket, you can skip the ticket office and go straight to the line to board the ropeway.

★ [¥1,000 off for adults] Biwako Valley Ropeway round-trip ticket *Valid only on the date selected at booking
Date-specific; must be purchased by 23:59 the day before use

★ [¥700 off for adults] Biwako Valley Ropeway (round trip)
Usable on all dates except specified days, but must be exchanged for a boarding ticket at the window on the day

Biwako Terrace ropeway congestion

As with the ticket office, during long holidays and on weekends and holidays, a line to board the Biwako Terrace ropeway forms from morning to around noon, with waits of 20 to 30 minutes.

The ropeway runs at 15-minute intervals every hour, but on a nice day you may have to wait for two cars.

Biwako Terrace congestion

Even during Golden Week, summer vacation long holidays, and weekends and holidays, you can sightsee at Biwako Terrace with relatively little stress.

This is a photo from Golden Week in good weather, and if you want to take photos with no one else in the shot, you sometimes wait while watching the surroundings, but it never becomes so crowded that you can’t take photos at all.

Biwako Terrace restaurant congestion

Grill Dining & Bar HALUKA at Biwako Terrace is a restaurant with a full view of Lake Biwa and is popular with many tourists, so it’s always crowded at lunchtime during long holidays and on weekends and holidays.

It’s common for about 10 groups to be waiting, so it’s safest to shift your time to an early or late lunch.

Biwako Valley sightseeing lift congestion

Biwako Valley has two sightseeing lifts: the Uchimi Lift, connecting the ropeway summit station with the Play Plaza in the center, and the Horai Lift, connecting the Play Plaza with Mt. Horai.

During long holidays and on weekends and holidays, the sightseeing lifts heading from the ropeway summit station → (Uchimi Lift) → Play Plaza → (Horai Lift) → Mt. Horai are crowded from morning to around noon, and you may wait about 10 minutes.

In the afternoon, more people gradually head back, so the same congestion occurs in the opposite direction.
The downhill is no trouble to walk, so if it’s too crowded, I recommend walking.