Kusatsu City

Shiga Prefecture

With a population of over 100,000 and an area of approx. 48 square kilometers, Kusatsu City is one of the major cities of Shiga Prefecture. Kusatsu is situated in the southeastern part of the prefecture, facing Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. The city is an important point for transportation, with several trunk railway lines and highways such as the JR Biwako Line (Tokaido trunk line), the JR Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train), National Highway Route 1, the Keiji Bypass and the Meishin Expressway running through the city.
In ancient times, this area was a pivotal zone with two official highways running through it, the Tosando and TokaidoKusatsu, embracing the Yabase, Yamada and Shina ports. In the Edo Period (1600-1868), it developed as a post-station town at the junction of the Tokaido and Nakasendo Highways. In the city, therefore, there still remain old highways dotted with various historic cultural assets.

Yabasedo Highway
"Kusatsu, Tokaido gojusantsugi" (Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Highway), Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock print series (Hoeido print)