Most viewed - Lake Biwa Museum 琵琶湖博物館 |
Ancient Fish 古代魚 Sturgeon (チョウザメ) and gar have changed little over millions of years. They are called living fossils. Ancient fish feeding time is 3:40 pm. Sturgeon use their barbel whiskers to feel the bottom for food. They have no teeth.293 views
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Black bass, an invasive species in Lake Biwa which eats the babies of native fish. If you catch one of these, you must not throw it back into the lake. Dispose of it.289 views
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Albino Lake Biwa Giant Catfish236 views
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Lake Biwa Giant Catfish is the lake's largest endemic species (max. 1.2 meter long), dubbed the King of Lake Biwa.213 views
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Main entrance. Open 9:30 am - 5 pm, closed Mon. and the day after a national holiday. MAP212 viewsNote that the museum underwent major renovations and reopened in July 2016. Some of the old exhibits have been replaced and there are also new exhibits like Lake Baikal seals.
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Around the lake are disposal bins for invasive fish. Do not throw invasive fish back into the lake.206 views
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They serve black bass, Biwa salmon, catfish, and more.205 views
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Gengorobuna carp (ゲンゴロウブナ) - Endangered endemic species204 views
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Nigorobuna carp (ニゴロブナ 似五郎鮒) - Endangered endemic species, famous for funazushi.202 views
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Largemouth bass (black bass) and bluegill are Lake Biwa's worst invasive species. They eat eggs and fry of native fish, crustaceans, and insects.201 views
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About Lake Biwa200 views
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Museum restaurant serves lake fish.194 views
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Biwa trout/salmon - Endemic to Lake Biwa and lives in deep, cold (15˚C), pelagic waters. These are juvenile fish. Delicious!192 views
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Water Birds 水辺の鳥 Little Grebe (カイツブリ) - Native species, Shiga's official bird (県の鳥).168 viewsIn classic literature like Tale of Genji, Lake Biwa is called, "Lake of Little Grebes" (Nionoumi).
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Lake Environment and Lifestyle - Exhibition Gallery C 湖の環境と人々のくらし (C展示室)165 views
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Lake Biwa Museum has a world-class freshwater aquarium showing Lake Biwa's endemic species and more. Open 9:30 am - 5 pm, closed Mon. and the day after a national holiday. Admission 600 yen for adults.162 viewsIt shows Lake Biwa's history, fish and wildlife, coexistence with people, and a large lake-fish aquarium. It is also a research facility with a number of researchers and curators.
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Display of endemic fish and other species found only in Lake Biwa.161 views
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Lake Biwa Giant Catfish is shy and often hides in its shelter.160 views
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My comprehensive video about Lake Biwa's endemic species and invasive species displayed at the Lake Biwa Museum's freshwater aquarium.156 views
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155 views
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Wataka (ワタカ) Ischikauia steenackeri - Endangered endemic species, herbivorous fish.154 views
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Ko-Ayu (コアユ) Native species, popular food fish. Ko-ayu is the small variety of ayu (not baby ayu) commonly eaten as tsukudani (佃煮) or tempura. Adult ko-ayu retain their small size.154 views
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Lake Biwa Littoral Zone 琵琶湖の岸辺の生き物 - Many small organisms live amid aquatic plants near the shore.154 views
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Bluegill was brought to Japan in 1960 as a food fish by then Crown Prince Akihito who received it as a gift from Chicago, IL. 154 viewsIn 1963, the Fisheries Agency sent bluegill to Lake Biwa. Ten years later, bluegill had spread all over the lake. In 2007 in Shiga, Emperor Akihito expressed regret over bringing the bluegill.
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The tank simulates night time since the Lake Biwa Giant Catfish is nocturnal.153 views
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Midstream River Fish 川の中流の生き物 - Pale chub and dark chub with streamlined bodies suited for river currents. At bottom are pike gudgeon.152 views
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Definitions of endemic, native, endangered, and invasive species.151 viewsNative species (在来種)
Naturally inhabits Lake Biwa or Shiga and not introduced by man. May also inhabit places outside Shiga.
Endemic species (固有種・亜種)
Native species found only in Lake Biwa or Shiga.
Endangered species (絶滅危惧種)
Those facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Invasive species (侵略的外来種)
Introduced by man and harms the native species, environment, and local ecosystem.
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Sugo-Moroko gudgeon (スゴモロコ) - Endangered endemic species151 views
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On another day, we were able to see the two Lake Biwa Giant Catfish out in the open. It is nocturnal, and this tank simulates night time while the aquarium is open during the day. The lake's largest endemic species and Japan's largest catfish. 150 views
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Special Exhibit: Kunimasu Trout, Once Thought Extinct (black kokanee) Read about it here.150 views[企画展示室] よみがえった魚: クニマス
Oct. 26 – November 24, 2013
Five artificially-hatched kunimasu trout, originally endemic to Lake Tazawa in Akita Prefecture, were exhibited. Kunimasu was thought to be extinct since the 1940s when Lake Tazawa became too acidic due to man-made causes. In 2010, kunimasu was rediscovered in Lake Saiko at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Apparently, they successfully bred from eggs sent to Lake Saiko in 1935. Local fishermen knew about the fish, but did not know it was kunimasu. Sensational fish story.
Extinct in Lake Tazawa, Oncorhynchus kawamurae
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Biwa trout (ビワマス) - Endangered endemic species149 views
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Numa-ebi shrimp (ヌマエビ), Native species149 views
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Area in front of Lake Biwa Museum.148 views
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Entrance hall atrium148 views
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The photos in this album are video stills taken from my Lake Biwa Museum video. 148 views
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Lake Biwa's South Basin.148 views
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View from Mt. Hiei Driveway.147 views
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Lake Biwa Museum's freshwater aquarium displays fish species endemic to Lake Biwa, found no where else.147 views
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Reeds are essential147 views
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Aquarium tunnel showing rocky habitat.147 views
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147 views
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Mussel146 views
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Koi or Nishiki-goi (錦鯉) - Ornamental common carp.146 views
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Great Cormorant (カワウ) - Invasive native species, eats fish and destroys trees.146 views
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Maruki-bune was the lake's first primitive boat, a dugout canoe made from a single log. This one dates from 3,000 years ago (Jomon Period). 丸木船146 views
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Dr. Yasushi Kusuoka, curator 楠岡 泰 Biotic and Human Interaction Research146 views
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In the museum lab, Dr. Kusuoka shows a new ciliate species he and a Chinese colleague discovered in Lake Biwa, named Apocarchesium rosettum (アポカルケシウム・ロゼッタム)146 views
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Red-spotted masu salmon - Endangered native species (サツキマス・アマゴ)145 views
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During the 17th and 18th-centuries, over 1,000 maruko-bune sailed on the lake. The busiest ports were Shiotsu in the north and Otsu. After railroads were built, maruko-bune dwindled.145 viewsToday, there are no maruko-bune on Lake Biwa.
*Diorama of Oura Port at Maruko-bune Museum in Nagahama.
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Invasive Species 外国からきた魚 - The aquarium has a number of tanks showing invasive species like this Red-eared slider/terrapin (ミシシッピアカミミガメ).144 viewsInvasive species, popular pet, outcompetes native turtles for physical space.
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144 views
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Lake Fish from Other Countries 世界の湖の魚たち - Chinese high fin banded shark (エンツュイ) from Lake Dongting, China.144 views
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Maruko-bune, a traditional wooden boat mainly for shipping cargo across Lake Biwa in the old days. 丸子船144 views
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Tempura ko-ayu sweetfish do not grow as large as the ayu sweetfish which grow big in rivers. Ko-ayu remain in the lake and feed on plankton. Such an environment prevents them from getting larger.143 views
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Fish with Unusual Traits 面白い習性の魚 - Gigi talking catfish.143 views
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Upstream River Fish 川の上流の生き物 - Fish favoring cold water such as char and red-spotted masu salmon.143 views
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Tundra swans and bean geese winter on Lake Biwa.143 views
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Dr. Mark J. Grygier, Ph.D Biotic and Human Interaction Research143 views
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"Gigi" talking catfish (ギギ) Pelteobagrus nudiceps - Native species142 views
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Hari-bune, a traditional fishing boat mainly for longline fishing (延縄). There is no half-round log on the side, so it is not a maruko-bune. ハリブネ141 views
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Take a bus from JR Kusatsu Station. Admission 750 yen for adults. MAP140 views
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Fish in Reed Beds & Attached Lakes 内湖・ヨシ原にすむ魚 - Reeds are a haven for carps (wataka, ginbuna), bitterlings, gudgeons, and mussels. Invasive species (black bass, bluegill) dominate such habitats today.140 views
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Dark chub (カワムツ) - Native species140 views
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Electric catfish (デンキナマズ) from Lake Tanganyika, Africa140 views
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About 30 ancient maruki-bune have been found in Shiga, mainly in the Hikone-Maibara area. This one dates from 1,800 years ago (Yayoi Period). 丸木船139 views
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Maruki-bune replica displayed at the Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum in Omi-Hachiman. 滋賀県立安土城考古博物館139 viewsIn 1990, the Shiga Prefectural Association for Cultural Heritage had this replica made for a successful voyage from northern Nagahama to Chikubushima island, proving its viability.
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Biwa-kogata-sujishima spiny loach (ビワコガタスジシマドジョウ) - Endangered endemic species138 views
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Utsusemi-kajika sculpin (ウツセミカジカ) - Endangered endemic species138 views
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Ginbuna carp (ギンブナ) - Native species, reproduces without males.138 views
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Black bass (Largemouth bass) are the worst invasive species in Lake Biwa. (ブラックバス・オオクチバス)138 views
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Endemic mussel used to produce Biwa pearls, now extinct.137 views
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From 2006 to 2010, Dr. Grygier supervised the museum's comprehensive project: Exploration of the Biological Diversity of Lake Biwa and its Watershed: Taxonomy and Morphology- & Molecule-based Phylogeny137 views
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Lake Biwa's North Basin.136 views
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Biwa-Yoshinobori goby (ビワヨシノボリ) - Endemic species136 views
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Hon-moroko (honmoroko) gudgeon (ホンモロコ) - Endangered endemic species, but it has been recovering in numbers during the 2020s.136 views
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Japanese stream toad (ナガレヒキガエル) - Native species, endemic to Japan.136 views
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Fish Conservation and Breeding Center 保護・増殖センター - They breed endangered freshwater fish species and research breeding methods.136 views
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Sturgeon are ancient fish136 views
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Enter the crayfish and control its claws. ザリガニになろう136 views
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Pachycordyle kubotai - First discovered in Lake Biwa in mid-1990s by Dr. Oleg A. Timoshkin of the Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.136 views
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Biwa-higai gudgeon (ビワヒガイ) - Endemic species135 views
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Iridescent shark (カイヤン) from Tonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia.135 views
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Rudder hangs down from a torii-like brace (かさ木), also used as a mast rest when the mast is laid down.135 views
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Northern snakehead (カムルチー) - Invasive species, eats aquatic insects, mollusks, and carp.134 views
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Lake trout (レイクトラウト) from The Great Lakes, North America134 views
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134 views
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Red swamp crayfish (アメリカザリガニ) - Invasive species, destroys water plants, outcompetes others for food.133 views
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People and Lake Biwa - Exhibition Gallery B 人と琵琶湖の歴史(B展示室)133 views
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Awazu Shell Mound of food waste from 4,500 years ago excavated in 1990-91 near Seta River. 粟津貝塚133 views
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Underwater foundation of the Seta-no-Karahashi Bridge from the 7th century. Discovered in 1988 about 80 meters downstream from the present bridge.133 views
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At 19 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, and 12 meters high.133 views
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133 views
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Ostracod from Lake Biwa. Dr. Robin J. Smith from the UK is the ostracod specialist at Lake Biwa Museum.133 views
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Donko sleeper (ドンコ) - Native species endemic to Japan.132 views
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Abura-higai gudgeon (アブラヒガイ) - Endangered endemic species132 views
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Tanago bitterling and clam (タナゴ) - Endangered native species, endemic to Japan, lays eggs in living clams.132 views
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Hariyo three-spined stickleback - Endangered native species (ハリヨ)132 views
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Sturgeon is also famous for caviar.132 views
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Geological History of Lake Biwa - Exhibition Gallery A 琵琶湖のおいたち(A展示室)132 views
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The museum's maruko-bune was built by Shiga's last maruko-bune builder, Matsui Sanshiro (松井三四郎) and his son in 1995 in Seta, Otsu.132 views
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Freshwater jellyfish (マミズクラゲ) - Likely the world's longest exhibit of freshwater jellyfish (since Aug. 2, 2012). (No longer displayed in the Discovery Room).132 viewsAlthough these delicate jellyfish live all over Japan, they appear and disappear at a whim. So it's hard to catch them for a continuous exhibit.
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Tinfoil barb (シルバーバルブ) from Tonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia131 views
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Feeding time for sturgeon.131 views
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Mie elephants once roamed this area.131 views
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The sail is made of thick cotton material, replacing the old straw mat that didn't last long.131 views
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Born in 1913, Mr. Matsui built several maruko-bune until the 1930s. The completed boat sailed to the museum.131 views
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131 views
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Utsusemi-kajika sculpin (ウツセミカジカ) - Endangered endemic species130 views
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Sturgeon feeding130 views
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Humans appeared around Lake Biwa about 9,000 years ago, mainly along the South Basin. They ate nuts, lake fish and shellfish, and wild animals.130 views
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Discovery Room - Hands-on exhibits for kids (free admission) ディスカバリールーム130 views
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Two million years ago, the Mie elephant had become extinct and this smaller Akebono elephant lived in Shiga until it became extinct 1 million years ago. Mie elephants roamed a subtropical lake land 3 to 4 million years ago.129 views
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Maruko-bune were a vital transportation link between northern Japan and Kyoto/Osaka. Goods coming and going via the Sea of Japan also went over the lake.129 views
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Most of the wood is Japanese conifer (槇の木). 129 views
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Black copper plates decorate the bow (ダテカスガイ). The wood seams are stuffed with conifer fiber (槙縄) to repel water.129 views
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They grow from polyps and feed on plankton for a 6-month lifespan. They like non-filtered and non-circulating water. The museum succeeded in breeding and raising freshwater jellyfish. This display will continue as long as possible.129 views
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Exhibit of sow bugs in Shiga (ワラジムシ). Sow bugs are crustaceans. During the 2006-2010 survey, 22 species of sow bugs were found in Shiga. 129 viewsSeven of them were previously unknown (pink), but not necessarily endemic to Shiga.
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Touching Corner ふれあい体験室 - Petting zoo for crayfish and small fish.128 views
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Seta-no-Karahashi Bridge on the old Tokaido Road over the Seta River in Otsu. It was the eastern gateway to Kyoto. 瀬田の唐橋128 views
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The bow's tip is studded.128 views
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Maruko-bune's trademark is this half-round cedar or cypress log on both sides. おも木128 views
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Maruko-bune transported rice, fish, kelp, and many other northern Japan goods bound for Kyoto/Osaka. From Kyoto, came cotton, confections, soy sauce, sake, kimono, textiles, tobacco, and more.128 views
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Life in the countryside before tap water and sewerage. Rural kitchen sink called kawaya. 農村のくらし128 views
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128 views
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Lake Biwa and the Lakes of the World127 views
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Seventeen million years ago, southeastern Shiga was under a warm ocean. Fossils of dolphins and this baleen whale bone (replica) have been found in Tsuchiyama, Koka.127 views
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Replica of a Stegodon elephant skeleton similar to the Mie elephant that roamed along the shores of Lake Biwa's forerunner lake 3.5 to 4 million years ago.127 views
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Lake Biwa's forerunner Lake Oyamada emerged about 4 million years ago southeast of Shiga in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Over millions of years, at least two lakes formed and disappeared before Lake Katata (western Otsu) formed.127 views
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This lake got larger and deeper as geological protuberances 400,000 years ago pushed it to where Lake Biwa is today. South Basin on the left is much shallower than the North Basin.127 views
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127 views
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The boat's bottom is flat, suited for shallow waters. 126 views
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Gallery C - Large floor photo of the Lake Biwa basin. About 120 rivers flow into Lake Biwa. 琵琶湖盆地126 views
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See how our lives have changed during 1955 to 2005. Represented by technology and pop culture. わたしたちくらし50年126 views
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The center fence thus leads the fish to the trap holes (ツボ) in the trap's labyrinth.126 views
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Library - Reading room and kids books (free admission) 図書室126 views
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Side view of a female, Fabaeformiscandona akaina, 1.3 mm long. Ostracod known only from Lake Biwa, recorded at depths down to 31 m. Photo courtesy of Robin J. Smith.126 views
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125 views
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USA (Great Lakes)125 views
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Lake Biwa's endemic species. The lake's long history and diverse habitats (rocky areas, sandy beaches, attached lakes, reeds, cold waters, pelagic zones) gave rise to these 17 endemic fish and 30 mollusk species.125 views
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Checkered pattern was unique to Lake Biwa boats.125 views
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Traditional eri is an arrow-shaped bamboo fence in the water pointing away from shore. When fish encounters the center fence, it instinctively swims toward deeper water. 早崎内湖ビオトープ125 views
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Shiga's ostracods are tiny aquatic crustaceans with a hinged, rounded shell. Usually 0.3 mm to 5 mm long, living on the lake bottom or on water plants. Appendages are extended through a slit in the shell for crawling, digging, eating, etc.125 views
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Museum restaurant124 views
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The cargo was mainly rice, fish, and kelp.123 views
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Water was taken from a ditch and well. The fish in the ditch ate food scraps from washed dishes.122 views
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Riverside forests in Shiga are now rare due to development. They were a wildlife haven. The bamboo was also useful. 川岸林122 views
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Fish's view of going to the trap hole. Eri has been in use for 1,500 years. Eri today have more sophisticated shapes and use modern materials instead of bamboo.122 views
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Other exhibition rooms121 views
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Research wing of Lake Biwa Museum121 views
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The shells are mostly endemic Seta shijimi clams.120 views
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119 views
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Exhibit of live plankton collected from Lake Biwa every morning.119 views
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Aquatic parasites. A few are endemic to Lake Biwa.119 views
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Fisherman scooping fish from a traditional fish trap called eri. エリ118 views
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Observe live plankton through the microscope or on the monitor. A high concentration of plankton is obtained from a net thrown 10 meters into Lake Biwa.118 views
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