Information as at 21 August 2026

This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI

It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.

Moving to Otsu

Q: What kind of town is Otsu City?

342,846 people (1 August 2026). Otsu is the capital of Shiga Prefecture and a core city. It stretches 45.6 kilometres north to south along the south-west shore of Lake Biwa, and 19% of its 464.51 square kilometres (89.91) is the lake itself. Emperor Tenji established the Omi Otsu palace here in 667, and the mayor notes that the city has the third-largest number of nationally designated cultural properties of any municipality in Japan. And Kyoto Station is 10 minutes and ¥200 away on the special rapid service.

Q: How long does it take from Otsu to Kyoto or Osaka?

🔴 Kyoto Station is 10 minutes and ¥200 from Otsu Station, with no change of train. A commuter pass costs ¥5,650 a month. Osaka Station is 43 minutes and ¥960 away and Sannomiya 1 hr 9 min — all on a single special rapid. Tokyo is 2 hr 41 min, changing to the Shinkansen at Kyoto, and Kansai Airport 1 hr 32 min on the Haruka limited express with no change. From any station in the city, Kyoto is 10 to 41 minutes away.

Q: What is the cheapest house you can buy in Otsu City?

SUUMO lists 576 properties (all of them), running from ¥1,200,000 to ¥450,000,000 with a median of ¥22,800,000. 102 (18%) are under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 167 square metres and the median build year 1993, with 133 (23%) built in 1981 or earlier — a newer market than the other prefectural capitals on this site. 🔴 The city has a vacant-home bank, but as of 21 August 2026 it carried 1 listing.

Q: What are the disaster risks in Otsu?

🔴 The Lake Biwa west shore fault zone (its southern section reaching Kokubu in Otsu City, about M7.5) and the Hanaore fault zone (central-southern section, about M7.3) run beneath the city, but the probability of either moving within 30 years is close to 0% to 0.6% (the southern section moved as recently as 1185). The city is designated an area for promoting Nankai Trough earthquake preparedness, and the probability of shindo 6-lower or above within 30 years at the city hall site is 13.1%. Having no coast, it has no tsunami or storm-surge projections. 🔴 There is as yet no projected inundation map for inland flooding (sewers and channels overflowing), and the flood map now published was prepared in March 2022 (an update is due during the 2026 financial year).

Q: What are summer and winter like in Otsu?

Annual rainfall of 1,566.6 mm is much the same as Tokyo (1,598.2 mm). In winter the January daily low is 0.7℃, with 35.0 nights a year below 0℃ and 0.0 days staying below freezing. In summer the August daily high is 32.5℃, with 8.4 days above 35℃, 60.5 above 30℃ and 10.9 tropical nights — an inland year, close to the Kyoto basin. 🔴 The north of the city (the Minami-Komatsu station), however, gets 1,904.1 mm, 337.5 mm more than the south. 🔴 Neither station in the city keeps snow normals (no statistics are collected).

Q: Will I be short of hospitals, shops or schools?

🔴 From the 2026 financial year, families pay nothing towards school meals at municipal elementary schools (at junior high, third and subsequent children of households raising three or more children aged 22 or under are exempt). On children’s medical care, preschool children pay nothing at the desk, and from the first year of elementary school to the end of the school year in which a child turns 18 it is ¥500 a month per medical institution for outpatient care, ¥1,000 a day for hospital stays (up to ¥14,000 a month), and nothing at pharmacies. There are 37 municipal elementary schools, 18 municipal junior high schools and 36 school districts. Emergency care at night and at weekends is spread across six hospitals, and there are six universities and junior colleges in the city.

Q: Roughly what does a year cost, water and the rest?

Water and sewerage come to ¥13,066 for 45 cubic metres over two months (13 mm connection) (water ¥6,346 plus sewerage ¥6,720). 🔴 Otsu City has the unusual arrangement of reading meters every two months but billing every month (half the reading is charged as each month). Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3% inside the urbanisation promotion area. 🔴 The national relocation grant (¥1,000,000 / ¥600,000 from the Tokyo area) is not available in Otsu City, as it is not among Shiga Prefecture’s designated municipalities.

Q: Will the house I buy sell again later?

🔴 Residential land is ¥82,300/m², +1.9% year on year, and all four uses — residential, commercial, industrial and all uses together — are positive. That is 1.48 times the Shiga average (¥55,500/m²). The strongest rise was industrial land at +12.8% (about twice the prefectural +6.8%). 🔴 The highest in the prefecture, though, is not Otsu but Kusatsu City (¥139,600/m²). The places to compare are the outskirts of Kyoto City and Kusatsu City.

Q: Is the population of Otsu growing?

🔴 It has barely fallen. Against 343,550 on 1 April 2020, it stood at 342,655 on 1 April 2026 — a fall of 895 (0.26%) in six years. After growing by about 150,000 over forty years, from 191,481 in 1975 to 340,973 in 2015, it has been level since. By age, 12.3% are under 15 and 28.3% are 65 or over. The comprehensive plan’s indicators include a net migration gain of 738 (2023 financial year).

From Otsu Station to Kyoto Station it is 10 minutes and ¥200 on the special rapid service, with no change of train. A commuter pass costs ¥5,650 a month. The population is 342,846, and Otsu is the capital of Shiga Prefecture and a core city. 🔴 Of the city’s 464.51 square kilometres, 89.91 — 19% — is Lake Biwa. It runs 45.6 kilometres north to south, from a low point of 84 metres (the surface of Lake Biwa) to a high point of 1,214 metres. Emperor Tenji established the Omi Otsu palace here in 667, and the mayor notes that the city has the third-largest number of nationally designated cultural properties of any municipality in Japan. In 2025 the Lake Biwa Canal works became a National Treasure, the site of Sakamoto Castle a national historic site, and the float procession of the Otsu Festival part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage.

Population

342,846 people

161,504 households, 2026-08-01

Homes for sale

576 listings

From ¥1,200,000 / median ¥22,800,000

Kyoto Sta.,

10 min

JR special rapid, no change, ¥200

Osaka Sta.,

43 min

JR special rapid, no change, ¥960

Residential land price

¥82,300/m²

+1.9% year on year / the Shiga average is ¥55,500/m²

Water + sewerage (45 m³ / 2 months)

¥13,066

Water ¥6,346 + sewerage ¥6,720

City area

464.51km²

Of which Lake Biwa is 89.91 km² (19%)

Range of elevation

84〜1,214m

From the surface of Lake Biwa to the Hira mountains

Summer (August daily high)

32.5℃

Otsu — 1.2℃ higher than Tokyo

Winter (January daily low)

0.7℃

Otsu — 0.5℃ lower than Tokyo

🚗 Roadside stations2 🏛 Traditional streetscapes ⛰ National and quasi-national parks ♨ Hot springs and day baths11 🚐 RV parks3

Roadside stations: Biwako Ohashi Kome Plaza, Imoko-no-sato / Traditional streetscapes: Sakamoto, Otsu City (the satobo priests’ retirement houses and the temple town; designated Heisei 9.10.31) / National and quasi-national parks: Biwako Quasi-National Park / Hot springs and day baths: Otsu-yu, Fukui-yu, Omi-yu, Ashiyu, Ogoto Onsen Rokkaku Ashiyu, fan-dii, Yutopia, Hira Topia, Spa Resort Ogoto Agaryanse, Otsu Onsen Ofuro Café Biwakoza / RV parks: RV Park Omi-Maiko Tones (OMI-MAIKOTONES), RV Park HESTA Omi-Maiko, RV Park SUNTOWERMARINA
Sources: roadside stations from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism list of “michi-no-eki” (checked 2026-08-21); traditional streetscapes from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, “List of important preservation districts for groups of traditional buildings” (checked 2026-08-21); national and quasi-national parks judged from Ministry of the Environment boundary data and other sources (details in §17) (checked 2026-08-21); hot springs and day baths from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (checked 2026-08-21); RV parks from Japan RV Association, list of certified “Kurumatabi” RV parks (checked 2026-08-21). 🔴 Only the things a town has are listed — it does not mean that a town without them is worse.

Last verified 2026-08-21

CHAPTER 01First, what kind of place Otsu is

The city stretches long and narrow along the south-west shore of Lake Biwa, 45.6 kilometres north to south and 20.6 east to west. It has 342,846 people in 161,504 households (1 August 2026) over 464.51 square kilometres (of which Lake Biwa is 89.91). It became a city on 1 October 1898, a core city in April 2009, and took its present boundaries when it merged with the town of Shiga on 20 March 2006. For a prefectural capital, it sits remarkably close to Kyoto — 10 minutes to Kyoto Station.

The city begins in 667The city’s own material opens like this — “since Emperor Tenji moved the capital to the Omi Otsu palace in 667, Otsu has prospered as the key point commanding Lake Biwa, and as the fifty-third post town on the Tokaido”. On 10 October 2003 it became the tenth place in Japan designated an “ancient capital” (under the Ancient Capitals Preservation Act). The city describes itself as a treasury of cultural properties after Kyoto and Nara, and the mayor has said in a comment that it has the third-largest number of nationally designated cultural properties of any municipality in Japan.

Three designations followed one another in 2025On 27 August 2025 the Lake Biwa Canal works were designated a National Treasure and an Important Cultural Property. It was the first National Treasure designation for a building here since 1961 (the main hall of Hiyoshi Taisha), 64 years earlier, and the city’s tenth National Treasure building. On 18 September 2025 the site of Sakamoto Castle became a national historic site. It was Akechi Mitsuhide’s castle, a “phantom castle” that stood for only about 15 years. It is the city’s sixteenth national historic site and its first castle. On 11 December 2025 the float procession of the Otsu Festival was added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage listing “Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals” (§11).

19% of the city lies on the lakeOf its 464.51 square kilometres, 89.91 are Lake Biwa. The city hall stands 89 metres above sea level, and the city’s material gives its highest point as 1,214 metres and its lowest as 84. Taking the land as a whole, the city consists of a narrow strip of flat ground along the lake and the Hira and Hiei mountains rising immediately behind it. The eight areas in §2 follow those divisions directly.

Sources: population and households fromOtsu City, “Latest population statistics”(as of 1 August 2026: 342,846 people — 164,655 men and 178,191 women — in 161,504 households; updated 7 August 2026) / the history, area, elevations, incorporation, move to core-city status and merger with the town of Shiga come fromthe same, “Outline of Otsu City (2026)” (PDF)(became a city on 1 October 1898 / merged with the town of Shiga on 20 March 2006 / became a core city in April 2009 / area 464.51 km², of which Lake Biwa is 89.91 km² / 20.6 km east to west, 45.6 km north to south / highest point 1,214 m, lowest 84 m / 89 m above sea level near the city hall / Emperor Tenji moved the capital to the Omi Otsu palace in 667 / designated the tenth ancient capital in Japan on 10 October 2003) / the National Treasure designation of the Lake Biwa Canal is fromthe same, “On the designation of the Lake Biwa Canal works as a National Treasure and an Important Cultural Property”(gazetted 27 August 2025 / the first in 64 years, since 1961, and the tenth National Treasure building / the third-largest number of nationally designated cultural properties of any municipality in Japan, per the mayor’s comment) / the site of Sakamoto Castle is fromthe same, “On the designation of the site of Sakamoto Castle as a national historic site”(gazetted 18 September 2025 / the city’s sixteenth, and its first castle) / checked 2026-08-21

What kind of town is Otsu City?

342,846 people (1 August 2026). Otsu is the capital of Shiga Prefecture and a core city. It stretches 45.6 kilometres north to south along the south-west shore of Lake Biwa, and 19% of its 464.51 square kilometres (89.91) is the lake itself. Emperor Tenji established the Omi Otsu palace here in 667, and the mayor notes that the city has the third-largest number of nationally designated cultural properties of any municipality in Japan. And Kyoto Station is 10 minutes and ¥200 away on the special rapid service.

CHAPTER 02Eight areas, and life in each

Since the city runs 45 kilometres north to south, we divide it into eight. The division comes from sorting all 576 listings one by one by their map coordinates, and 0 listings could not be placed. The medians run from ¥12,800,000 in Hieidaira and Fujio to ¥31,980,000 in Seta and Aoyama, a spread of 2.5 times. The median elevation across the city is 111.8 metres — the surface of Lake Biwa is about 84 metres, so the lakeside areas all sit around 90 metres and only the hillsides jump.

Areas	Listings	median	Median elevation	What defines it
Seta and Aoyama (the eastern hills)	108 listings	¥31,980,000	113.4m	The dearest and the newest in the city. Only 6% pre-1981
Sakamoto, Ogoto, Oginosato (Mount Hiei foothills)	98 listings	¥26,350,000	115.7m	Median build year 2005. The newest housing of the eight
Katata, Wani, Hira, Kitakomatsu (the Kosei Line north of )	93 listings	¥13,800,000	104.5m	Median plot 232 m², the largest. 33% under ¥10,000,000
Nango, Tanakami and Oishi (upstream on the Setagawa)	86 listings	¥16,700,000	106.1m	Ishiyama is all but the only nearest station. River and hill country
Ishiyama, Awazu and Kokubu (around Ishiyama Sta.)	64 listings	¥23,800,000	128.8m	Median plot 132 m², the tightest. Housing clinging to the slope
Central (Otsu Sta., Hamaotsu, Zeze)	63 listings	¥28,980,000	112.3m	Median building 124 m², the largest. The prefectural office and the city hall are here
Otsukyo, Karasaki and Shigasato (the west shore, along the Keihan)	46 listings	¥19,300,000	96.6m	The lowest-lying of the eight. 12 minutes to Kyoto (from Otsukyo Station)
Hieidaira and Fujio (the hills on the Kyoto border)	18 listings	¥12,800,000	374.9m	The cheapest, and the highest ground. 56% pre-1981

Seta and Aoyama (the eastern hills) — the city’s dearest at ¥31,980,000108 listings (¥5,400,000–¥129,900,000, median ¥31,980,000, just 3 under ¥10,000,000 = 3%). Elevation 84.6–160.9 metres. Median plot 171 square metres, building 115 square metres, median build year 1997 with only 6 pre-1981 = 6% — the newest market of the eight. The nearest stations are Seta for 55 and Minami-Kusatsu for 37; Minami-Kusatsu is in Kusatsu City. This part of Otsu has Ryukoku University’s Seta campus (Seta Oe-cho) and Shiga University of Medical Science (Seta Tsukinowa-cho), and neighbouring Kusatsu has Ritsumeikan University’s Biwako-Kusatsu campus (Noji-higashi 1-chome, Kusatsu City) (§7).
Who it suits = anyone looking for a newer house somewhere with an easy run to both Kyoto and Osaka
What to watch = this is the dearest market in the city. The same budget buys nearly twice the space on the Kosei Line side

Sakamoto, Ogoto and Oginosato (the foot of Mount Hiei) — a median build year of 200598 listings (¥2,800,000–¥57,800,000, median ¥26,350,000, 12 under ¥10,000,000 = 12%). Elevation 86.0–180.8 metres. At a median build year of 2005 this is the newest of the eight (13 pre-1981 = 13%). The nearest stations are Hieizan-Sakamoto for 40, Ogoto-Onsen for 32, Matsunobaba for 11 and Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi for 8. Both the JR Kosei Line and the Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line run through, and Hieizan-Sakamoto is 18 minutes and ¥320 from Kyoto. Sakamoto has the “Otsu City Sakamoto important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings” — in the city’s words, “a streetscape of satobo, the retirement houses granted at the foot of the mountain to monks who had grown old in their training on Mount Hiei”.
Who it suits = anyone looking for a relatively new house within commuting range of Kyoto
What to watch = along the edge of the mountains, check the landslide warning zones against the exact address (§5)

Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line) — 232 m² plots, median ¥13,800,00093 listings (¥1,200,000–¥450,000,000, median ¥13,800,000, 31 under ¥10,000,000 = 33%). Elevation 85.8–203.2 metres. At a median plot of 232 square metres (about 70 tsubo) this is the largest of the eight, with a median build year of 1985 (38 pre-1981 = 41%). The nearest stations are Ono for 25, Omi-Maiko for 13, Katata for 12, Shiga for 11, Hira for 11 and Wani for 10 — the Kosei Line stations mark out the area directly. Katata is 27 minutes and ¥410 from Kyoto, Wani 33 minutes and Omi-Maiko 41. Both the city’s cheapest listing at ¥1,200,000 and its dearest at ¥450,000,000 (on the lakeshore at Minami-Hira, on 1,206 m² of land) are in this area.
Who it suits = anyone looking for a wide plot and a view of the lake within commuting range of Kyoto
What to watch = four in ten are pre-1981. Budget for earthquake strengthening from the start

Nango, Tanakami and Oishi (upstream on the Setagawa) — bus and car country from Ishiyama Station86 listings (¥2,800,000–¥46,800,000, median ¥16,700,000, 16 under ¥10,000,000 = 19%). Elevation 80.4–149.1 metres. Median plot 174 square metres, median build year 1992. The nearest-station entries cluster on Ishiyama for 52 and Ishiyamadera for 31 — the stations sit only at the mouth of the area, and life here assumes a car. Hamlets follow one another along the Setagawa, the only river flowing out of Lake Biwa: Nango, Tanakami and Oishi.
Who it suits = anyone who wants to be near the river and the hills at a lower price, and does not mind driving
What to watch = the Setagawa and the Daidogawa are in the projected flood inundation zones (§5)

Ishiyama, Awazu and Kokubu (around Ishiyama Sta.) — tight plots, but close to the station64 listings (¥3,800,000–¥78,000,000, median ¥23,800,000, 16 under ¥10,000,000 = 25%). At a median elevation of 128.8 metres (86.5–216.4) it stands above the lakeside areas — the housing clings to the mountainside coming down to the lake. At a median plot of 132 square metres (about 40 tsubo) this is the tightest of the eight. The nearest stations are Ishiyama for 27, Awazu for 16 and Ishiyamadera for 14. JR Ishiyama Station is 16 minutes and ¥240 from Kyoto, and 46 minutes from Osaka. Ishiyamadera, where Murasaki Shikibu is said to have conceived the Tale of Genji, is here.
Who it suits = anyone who wants to be near a station more cheaply than in the centre
What to watch = this is sloping ground. Always check the condition of the retaining walls and the landslide warning zones

Central (Otsu Sta., Hamaotsu, Zeze) — the largest buildings63 listings (¥2,800,000–¥64,500,000, median ¥28,980,000, 9 under ¥10,000,000 = 14%). Elevation 87.0–190.6 metres. At a median building of 124 square metres this is the largest of the eight, on 164 square metres of land, with a median build year of 1991 (18 pre-1981 = 29%). The nearest stations are Zeze for 41, Otsu for 7, Kamisakemachi for 6 and Zezehommachi for 4. This is where the Shiga prefectural office, Otsu city hall, Otsu Municipal Hospital and Otsu Red Cross Hospital gather, and Kyoto is 10 minutes and ¥200 from Otsu Station. From Biwako-Hamaotsu the Keihan Keishin Line runs through onto the Kyoto municipal Tozai subway line, reaching Sanjo-Keihan in 24 minutes for ¥470.
Who it suits = anyone who wants to live without a car, or who goes into Kyoto every day
What to watch = at 63 there are not many listings. This is a market to wait in, not to rush

Otsukyo, Karasaki and Shigasato (the west shore, along the Keihan) — the lowest of the eight at 96.6 metres46 listings (¥2,200,000–¥125,000,000, median ¥19,300,000, 7 under ¥10,000,000 = 15%). At a median elevation of 96.6 metres this is the lowest-lying of the eight. Median plot 118 square metres, median build year 1994 (8 pre-1981 = 17%). The nearest stations are Karasaki for 13, Minami-Shiga for 11, Omi-Jingu-mae for 8, Otsukyo for 7 and Shigasato for 6. Otsukyo Station is 12 minutes and ¥240 from Kyoto, if anything closer than the centre. Omi Jingu (which the city’s recruitment pages call “the holy ground of karuta”) and the Omi Otsu palace site at Nishikoori are here.
Who it suits = anyone commuting to Kyoto who wants a newer house as close to a station as possible
What to watch = plots are on the tight side (a median of 118 m²). If you want a garden, look elsewhere

Hieidaira and Fujio (the hills on the Kyoto border) — 375 metres up, median ¥12,800,00018 listings (¥2,000,000–¥59,800,000, a median of ¥12,800,000, the lowest of the eight, 8 under ¥10,000,000 = 44%). Median elevation 374.9 metres (74.6–384.4). With a median build year of 1980 and 10 pre-1981 = 56%, it is also the oldest. Here is the city’s own description — “the Yamanaka-Hieidaira school district is a quiet, green and unhurried residential area on the mid-slopes of Mount Hiei at about 340 metres. Go down to the east and you reach central Otsu; go down to the west and you reach central Kyoto. Living there is ‘living halfway between the mountains and the city’”. And indeed, the Keihan bus runs from Hieidaira to Sanjo-Keihan in 42 minutes for ¥410, with no change. Fujio is on the Kyoto side of the watershed, and the lowest point this site found from the listings’ map coordinates (74.6 metres) is here too.
Who it suits = anyone who wants somewhere quiet and cheap close to Kyoto
What to watch = only 18 listings, and more than half are pre-1981. Look at the winter road surface, and at a life that assumes a car

Prices, counts, elevations and years of construction are fromSUUMOlisted576 listings (all) each listing's map coordinates, sorted into eight areas (all 576 listings placed, 0 unplaced) / elevations were taken from the map coordinates on each listing page through the elevation API of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan / the area names follow the municipal elementary school districts and the station names on the JR Kosei Line, the Tokaido Main Line and the Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line / journey times were searched live on Yahoo! Transit for a departure at 8 a.m. on Monday 24 August 2026 (§3) / the description of the Yamanaka-Hieidaira school district is fromOtsu City, “Living in Otsu (on moving and settling here)”(updated 23 June 2026) / “Omi Jingu, the holy ground of karuta” comes fromthe same, “What kind of city is Otsu? Getting to know its appeal”(updated 15 April 2026) / the Sakamoto preservation district and the explanation of satobo, and Ishiyamadera and the Omi Otsu palace site at Nishikoori, come fromthe same, “Otsu City plan for maintaining and improving historic scenery” (revised March 2026, PDF) / the university locations fromthe same, “Cooperation agreements with universities” / obtained 21 August 2026 / checked 2026-08-21

Which part of Otsu City should I live in?

Sorting the 576 listings into eight areas, the medians run from ¥12,800,000 in Hieidaira and Fujio to ¥31,980,000 in Seta and Aoyama, a spread of 2.5 times. If budget comes first, look at Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (33% under ¥10,000,000, a median plot of 232 m²); for a newer house, Sakamoto, Ogoto and Oginosato (a median build year of 2005); for closeness to a station, the centre or Otsukyo. 🔴 On the hillsides the land climbs sharply (the median elevation in Hieidaira and Fujio is 374.9 metres).

CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around

The first figure for this city is “10 minutes to Kyoto”. From Otsu Station the JR special rapid takes 10 minutes and ¥200, with no change, and a commuter pass costs ¥5,650 a month. Osaka Station is 43 minutes and ¥960 away, again with no change, and Sannomiya 1 hr 9 min. Tokyo is 2 hr 41 min, changing to the Shinkansen at Kyoto, and Kansai Airport 1 hr 32 min on the Haruka limited express with no change. The railways through the city are two JR lines (the Tokaido Main Line, known as the Biwako Line, and the Kosei Line) and two Keihan lines (the Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line and the Keishin Line).

Journey times from Otsu Station (searched for a Monday 8 a.m. departure on 24 August 2026)

Destination	Fastest	Notes
Kyoto	10 min, ¥200 JR special rapid, 0 changes	A commuter pass costs ¥5,650 a month or ¥27,470 for six months. There is no supplement to pay
Osaka	43 min, ¥960 JR special rapid, 0 changes	A commuter pass costs ¥24,860 a month. Osaka too needs no change of train
Sannomiya	1 hr 9 min, ¥1,460 JR special rapid, 0 changes	One special rapid all the way to Kobe. You step straight onto the east–west axis of Kansai
Nagoya	1 hr 0 min, ¥5,370 Shinkansen from Kyoto, 1 change	Fare ¥2,840 plus a limited express charge of ¥2,530
Tokyo	2 hr 41 min, ¥13,500 Shinkansen from Kyoto, 1 change	Fare ¥8,540 plus a limited express charge of ¥4,960
Kansai Airport	1 hr 32 min, ¥3,960 Haruka limited express, 0 changes	Osaka International (Itami) Airport is 1 hr 23 min and ¥2,200 away (1 change)

From the stations in the city to Kyoto Station (same conditions, on trains needing no limited express charge)

Sta.	Kyoto to	Fare	Which area in §2
Otsu (JR the Tokaido Main Line)	10 min	¥200	The centre
Otsukyo (the JR Kosei Line)	12 min	¥240	Otsukyo, Karasaki, Shigasato
Zeze (JR the Tokaido Main Line)	14 min	¥240	The centre
Ishiyama (JR the Tokaido Main Line)	16 min	¥240	Ishiyama, Awazu, Kokubu / Nango, Tanakami, Oishi
Hieizan-Sakamoto (the JR Kosei Line)	18 min	¥320	Sakamoto, Ogoto, Oginosato
Seta (JR the Tokaido Main Line)	19 min	¥320	Seta, Aoyama
Katata (the JR Kosei Line)	27 min	¥410	Katata, Wani, Hira, Kitakomatsu
Wani (the JR Kosei Line)	33 min	¥510	Katata, Wani, Hira, Kitakomatsu
Omi-Maiko (the JR Kosei Line)	41 min	¥680	Katata, Wani, Hira, Kitakomatsu
Hieidaira (the Keihan bus )	42 min To Sanjo-Keihan, 0 changes	¥410	Hieidaira, Fujio

Kyoto is within 40 minutes from anywhere in the cityAs the table above shows, Kyoto Station is 10 to 41 minutes from the main stations in the city. Even Omi-Maiko, the furthest north, is 41 minutes and ¥680, with no change of train. “Living in one prefectural capital and commuting to the next one without changing trains” is a condition few places in Japan can offer. Osaka too is one special rapid away, and Kobe 1 hr 9 min. All three of Kansai’s great cities are within a no-change commute.

The two Keihan lines are the city’s finer networkBesides JR there are the Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line (Ishiyamadera to Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi) and the Keihan Keishin Line (Biwako-Hamaotsu to Misasagi). The Keishin Line runs through onto the Kyoto municipal Tozai subway line, so Biwako-Hamaotsu is 24 minutes and ¥470 from Sanjo-Keihan, and 28 minutes and ¥540 from Karasuma-Oike. For “Central”, “Otsukyo, Karasaki and Shigasato” and “Ishiyama, Awazu and Kokubu” in §2, these Keihan stations are the everyday transport. From “Central” there are two ways into the streets of Kyoto — JR and Keihan.

By car, the Meishin — and the Shin-Meishin under constructionThe Meishin Expressway runs east–west across the south of the city, with the Otsu, Seta-nishi and Seta-higashi interchanges and Otsu service area. The positions of the airports and interchanges are filled in automatically in the box below this section. The Shin-Meishin Expressway between the (provisionally named) Otsu junction and the Joyo junction and interchange is under construction, and NEXCO West Japan’s progress information records that as of the end of July 2026 land acquisition and the start of works both stood at 100%. No opening date has been published (§12).
Counting the motorway rest areas that fall inside the city boundary in the map data, part of the site of Kusatsu parking area (inbound) falls on the Otsu side, as well as both carriageways of Otsu service area.

Sources: journey times, fares and commuter passes were searched by this site onYahoo! Transit, searched live for a departure at 8 a.m. on Monday 24 August 2026 (Otsu to Kyoto 10 min ¥200, commuter pass ¥5,650 a month / ¥16,140 for three months / ¥27,470 for six / Otsu to Osaka 43 min ¥960, pass ¥24,860 a month / Otsu to Sannomiya 1 hr 9 min ¥1,460 / Otsu to Nagoya 1 hr 0 min ¥5,370 with 1 change / Otsu to Tokyo 2 hr 41 min ¥13,500 with 1 change / Otsu to Kansai Airport 1 hr 32 min ¥3,960 with 0 changes / Otsu to Osaka International Airport 1 hr 23 min ¥2,200 with 1 change / Biwako-Hamaotsu to Sanjo-Keihan 24 min ¥470, to Karasuma-Oike 28 min ¥540 / Hieidaira to Sanjo-Keihan 42 min ¥410 with 0 changes / each station to Kyoto searched on trains needing no limited express charge) / the progress on the Shin-Meishin is fromNEXCO West Japan, “E1A Shin-Meishin Expressway, Otsu JCT to Joyo JCT/IC” construction progress information(as of the end of July 2026, the rates for boundary staking, land acquisition and the start of works all stood at 100%. No opening date is given) / the motorway service and parking areas use the same OpenStreetMap site data as §17 (those falling inside the Otsu City boundary judged automatically) / checked 2026-08-21

✈ Airports

The nearest is Osaka International Airport (a hub airport under company management), about 55.1 km in a straight line. Next is Kobe Airport (about 80.9 km in a straight line). 🔴 These are straight-line distances, not road distances or journey times — please check the actual routes in each operator’s timetable.

🛣 Expressway junctions

This area has 3 entrances and exits (interchanges and junctions).
Chuo Expressway Nishinomiya Line = Otsu, Seta-higashi JCT/IC, Seta-nishi

Sources: airports fromNational Land Numerical Information, "Airports", FY2021 edition (category names followthe MLIT list of airports ) / expressway junctions fromthe same, "Expressways time series", 2025 edition, current data only (what is open today). Both were overlaid onthe same, "Administrative boundaries", 2026and judged by machine to fall inside this area / verified 2026-08-21

How long does it take from Otsu to Kyoto or Osaka?

🔴 Kyoto Station is 10 minutes and ¥200 from Otsu Station, with no change of train. A commuter pass costs ¥5,650 a month. Osaka Station is 43 minutes and ¥960 away and Sannomiya 1 hr 9 min — all on a single special rapid. Tokyo is 2 hr 41 min, changing to the Shinkansen at Kyoto, and Kansai Airport 1 hr 32 min on the Haruka limited express with no change. From any station in the city, Kyoto is 10 to 41 minutes away.

CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now

SUUMO lists 576 properties, and all 576 are included here. They run from ¥1,200,000 to ¥450,000,000, with a median of ¥22,800,000. 102 (18%) are under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 167 square metres (about 51 tsubo) and the building 110 square metres. The median build year is 1993, with 133 (23%) built in 1981 or earlier (the old earthquake code) — a newer market than the other prefectural capitals on this site.

Sort

"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.

Hachiyado¥1,200,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 130 m / Land 109 m² (33 tsubo) / Building 19 m² (6 tsubo) / built 1981 / Shiga Sta. 28 min walk10 photos →

Minamikomatsu¥1,500,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 163 m² (49 tsubo) / Building 33 m² (10 tsubo) / built 1975 / Omi-Maiko Sta. 15 min walk9 photos →

Kitakomatsu¥1,500,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 331 m² (100 tsubo) / Building 17 m² (5 tsubo) / built 1977 / Kitakomatsu Sta. 18 min walk8 photos →

Chado-cho¥2,000,000Hieidaira and Fujio (the hills on the Kyoto border)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 26 m² (8 tsubo) / Building 42 m² (13 tsubo) / built 1980 / Oiwake Sta. 13 min walk3 photos →

Shigasato 2¥2,200,000Otsukyo, Karasaki and Shigasato (the west shore, along the Keihan)Elev. approx. 120 m / Land 321 m² (97 tsubo) / Building 37 m² (11 tsubo) / built 1964 / Shigasato Sta. 6 min walk8 photos →

Inazu 1¥2,800,000Nango, Tanakami and Oishi (upstream on the Setagawa)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 51 m² (15 tsubo) / Building 55 m² (17 tsubo) / built 1975 / Ishiyama Sta. bus 8 min+3 min walk10 photos →

Kojogaoka¥2,800,000Central (Otsu Sta., Hamaotsu, Zeze)Elev. approx. 130 m / Land 198 m² (60 tsubo) / Building 76 m² (23 tsubo) / built 1959 / Zeze Sta. 15 min walk10 photos →

Kitahira¥2,800,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 365 m² (110 tsubo) / Building 51 m² (15 tsubo) / built 1975 / Omi-Maiko Sta. 25 min walk9 photos →

Sakamoto 8¥2,800,000Sakamoto, Ogoto and Oginosato (the foot of Mount Hiei)Elev. approx. 180 m / Land 179 m² (54 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1975 / Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi Sta. 19 min walk10 photos →

Sakamoto 8¥2,800,000Sakamoto, Ogoto and Oginosato (the foot of Mount Hiei)Elev. approx. 180 m / Land 201 m² (61 tsubo) / Building 37 m² (11 tsubo) / built 1975 / Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi Sta. 20 min walk9 photos →

Daimotsu¥2,800,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 130 m / Land 150 m² (45 tsubo) / Building 39 m² (12 tsubo) / built 1981 / Shiga Sta. 18 min walk6 photos →

Minamikomatsu¥2,880,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 596 m² (180 tsubo) / Building 40 m² (12 tsubo) / built 1975 / Omi-Maiko Sta. 23 min walk2 photos →

Kitakomatsu¥2,900,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 232 m² (70 tsubo) / Building 35 m² (11 tsubo) / built 1975 / Kitakomatsu Sta. 7 min walk9 photos →

Kitakomatsu¥3,300,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 232 m² (70 tsubo) / Building 27 m² (8 tsubo) / built 1975 / Kitakomatsu Sta. 8 min walk9 photos →

Kitakomatsu¥3,500,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 127 m² (38 tsubo) / Building 109 m² (33 tsubo) / built 1950 / Kitakomatsu Sta. 3 min walk7 photos →

Arakawa¥3,800,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 110 m / Land 198 m² (60 tsubo) / Building 38 m² (11 tsubo) / built 1975 / Shiga Sta. 15 min walk10 photos →

Wanikitahama¥3,800,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 130 m / Land 333 m² (101 tsubo) / Building 63 m² (19 tsubo) / built 1975 / Wani Sta. 17 min walk10 photos →

Tanabe-cho¥3,800,000Ishiyama, Awazu and Kokubu (around Ishiyama Sta.)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 70 m² (21 tsubo) / Building 52 m² (16 tsubo) / built 1972 / Karahashimae Station 9 min walkSee 9 photos →

Daimotsu¥3,900,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 130 m / Land 166 m² (50 tsubo) / Building 45 m² (14 tsubo) / built 1974 / Shiga Sta. 22 min walk9 photos →

Minamikomatsu¥3,900,000Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (north on the Kosei Line)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 3307 m² (1000 tsubo) / Building 36 m² (11 tsubo) / built 1970 / Omi-Maiko Sta. 29 min walk5 photos →

The photographs are the images carried on SUUMO. They disappear once a listing ends. Check the real condition of a property on site.

See all 576 on SUUMO →

A median of ¥22,800,000 — the price of being next to KyotoMeasured the same way, Utsunomiya comes to ¥22,990,000, Oita ¥25,500,000, Kagoshima ¥18,990,000 and Fukuyama ¥17,980,000. Otsu is ¥22,800,000, about the same as Utsunomiya. On land prices, against Kyoto City’s residential ¥247,700/m², Otsu is ¥82,300/m² — a third (§9). “Buying a house ten minutes from Kyoto at a third of Kyoto’s land price” is, I think, the closest way to read prices here.

The housing is on the newer side. 23% is pre-1981The median build year is 1993, with 133 = 23% under the old code. In terms of §2, Hieidaira and Fujio (56%) and Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu (41%) are the older parts, and Seta and Aoyama (6%) and Sakamoto, Ogoto and Oginosato (13%) the newer. Choosing an area is, in itself, choosing a build year. If you buy a wide plot north on the Kosei Line, allow for strengthening work in the budget.

The city has a vacant-home bank, but only 1 property is listedOtsu City runsthe “Otsu City vacant-home bank”through its Housing Policy Division (under the bank’s founding rules). However,the property details are not carried on the city’s own site but published on two external sites, the at-home vacant-home bank and the LIFULL HOME’S vacant-home bank. Counting both on 21 August 2026, each carried 1 listing(Suimei 1-chome, Otsu City; 5LDK; ¥21,800,000; built 1980; land 241.84 m²; 10 minutes’ walk from Ono Station on the JR Kosei Line).Registration is subject to review, and sales and lettings are handled by members of the real-estate association that has an agreement with the city. About the Otsu City vacant-home bank →

Sources: taken from SUUMO, "Second-hand detached houses in Otsu City" (see the list here / of the 576 listings,576 listingsall retrieved on 21 August 2026) / elevations are the map coordinates on each listing page put throughGeospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API / the medians for Utsunomiya, Oita, Kagoshima and Fukuyama were compiled by the same method from the same full SUUMO data as their own pages on this site / the vacant-home bank is fromOtsu City, “About the Otsu City vacant-home bank”(updated 10 November 2025 / registration is subject to review / members of the real-estate association with an agreement with the city act as agents / the details are published onthe at-home vacant-home bankandLIFULL HOME'S Akiya bank) / the number of listings was checked on both sites on 21 August 2026 (1 each) / checked 2026-08-21

Akiya bank — 1 listings

This is every house for sale registered on the at-home municipal vacant-home bank — 1 in all (as checked on 21 August 2026). They are listed cheapest first.

Otsu City Suimei 1-chome¥21,800,000

Land 242 m² (73 tsubo) / Building 112 m² (34 tsubo) /built 1980／5LDK
JR the Kosei Line Ono Sta. / 10 min walkAkiya bank of View listing →

What is the cheapest house you can buy in Otsu City?

SUUMO lists 576 properties (all of them), running from ¥1,200,000 to ¥450,000,000 with a median of ¥22,800,000. 102 (18%) are under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 167 square metres and the median build year 1993, with 133 (23%) built in 1981 or earlier — a newer market than the other prefectural capitals on this site. 🔴 The city has a vacant-home bank, but as of 21 August 2026 it carried 1 listing.

CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?

Two of Japan’s major active fault zones run beneath Otsu City. One is the Lake Biwa west shore fault zone (its southern section running from south of Takashima City to around Kokubu in Otsu City, about 38 kilometres long); the other is the Hanaore fault zone (from Takashima City over the Hanaore pass to Kyoto City and Uji City, about 58 kilometres in all). The probability of either moving within 30 years is, however, close to 0% for both the southern and the central-southern sections, and the Earthquake Research Committee’s assessment has to be read that far. The city is also designated as an area for promoting Nankai Trough earthquake preparedness. Having no coast, it has no tsunami or storm-surge projections.

Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?

For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.

Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Designated
Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area	not applicable (the whole of Shiga Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	not applicable (the whole of Shiga Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years	13.1% (1.1% for shindo 6-upper or above) At the Otsu city hall site. Surface ground: AVS30 350 m/s, alluvial fan

This probability is for the single 250-metre grid square the city hall stands in. The Otsu City town hall stands onalluvial fan(AVS30 350 m/s), and the 13.1% above is the figure for that point. Even within Otsu it changes a great deal between the lowland by the rivers and the terraces. When a listing interests you, look it up by its street address.Enter an address on the J-SHIS map and it shows the probability and the ground for that 250-metre mesh.

Look up an address on J-SHIS → Designations from the Cabinet Office list of designated municipalities (Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area／Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area／Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area ) / probability and surface ground from theNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API (2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the city hall coordinates / verified 2026-08-21

The active faults underfoot (the Earthquake Research Committee’s long-term assessment)

Fault zone	Scale of the earthquake	Probability within 30 years	Most recent event
Lake Biwa west shore fault zone, southern section South of Takashima City to around Kokubu in Otsu City, about 38 km	About M7.5	Close to 0%	The earthquake of 1185 (Genryaku 2). The average interval between events is about 4,500–6,000 years, and the elapsed-time ratio since the last is 0.1–0.2
Lake Biwa west shore fault zone, northern section Takashima City, about 23 km	About M7.1	1〜3%	About 2,800–2,400 years ago. Taking the upper figure, it is assessed as “in the high group among Japan’s principal active faults”
Hanaore fault zone, central-southern section The Hanaore pass to Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, and Uji City	About M7.3	Close to 0% to 0.6%	About 2,800 years ago to the 6th century. Taking the upper figure, “in the somewhat high group”
Lake Biwa west shore fault zone, whole About 59 km in total	About M7.8	Does not exceed the probability for the southern section alone	The projection if the northern and southern sections move together

The probability is low. But the scale is largeRead at face value, the 30-year probability for the faults running through the city (the southern section of the Lake Biwa west shore zone and the central-southern section of the Hanaore zone) is close to 0% to 0.6%. The southern section moved as recently as 1185, and against an average interval of 4,500–6,000 years the elapsed-time ratio is only 0.1–0.2. On the other hand, if it does move the assessment gives M7.5, with the west side of the fault rising 6 to 8 metres relative to the east. A low probability and a large scale are two different things. The J-SHIS figure (13.1% for shindo 6-lower or above within 30 years at the city hall site) takes in both these faults and the Nankai Trough.

Three hazard maps, plus a disaster profile for each school districtThe city publishes ① a landslide and flood hazard map (landslides, and flooding from Lake Biwa, the Setagawa, the Daidogawa and the Kusatsugawa), ② a flood-damage hazard map (smaller rivers and local channels overflowing) and ③ a hazard map for agricultural reservoirs designated as disaster-prevention priorities — all of them by school district (36 of them). On top of that there is a “disaster profile” for each school district, setting out the features and cautions for that area. Not many cities go as far as covering everything school district by school district. Before you buy, open the PDF for that district.

Two things the city states honestlyFirst — “of the projected inundation maps required under the Flood Control Act, only the flood map has been prepared. (The inland-water map is not yet prepared, and there is no storm-surge map because there is no coast.)” There is as yet no projection for inland flooding, where sewers and channels overflow. Second — “at the end of March 2026 Shiga Prefecture updated its projected flood inundation zones. Please note that the Otsu City hazard map currently published was prepared in March 2022, before that update. A new hazard map is due to be prepared during the 2026 financial year.” The flood colouring published now is one version behind the prefecture’s latest projection. It is due to be updated during the 2026 financial year, so depending on when you buy, look at both the old and the new.

Sources: the active faults come from the long-term assessments of the Earthquake Research Committee of the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (the Lake Biwa west shore fault zone= the southern section runs from south of Takashima City to around Kokubu in Otsu City, about 38 km, about M7.5, close to 0% within 30 years, last active in 1185 (Genryaku 2), average interval about 4,500–6,000 years, elapsed-time ratio 0.1–0.2 / the northern section is in Takashima City, about 23 km, about M7.1, 1–3% within 30 years, last active about 2,800–2,400 years ago, “in the high group” / if the whole 59 km moves together, about M7.8 /the Mikata and Hanaore fault zones= the central-southern section of the Hanaore fault zone, about M7.3, close to 0% to 0.6% within 30 years, last active about 2,800 years ago to the 6th century, “in the somewhat high group”) / the hazard maps and the city’s notes come fromOtsu City, “Landslide and flood hazard map”(updated 30 April 2026 / the rivers covered are Lake Biwa, the Setagawa, the Daidogawa and the Kusatsugawa / “of the projected inundation maps required under the Flood Control Act, only the flood map has been prepared. The inland-water map is not yet prepared, and there is no storm-surge map because there is no coast” / the prefecture updated its projected flood inundation zones at the end of March 2026; the map now published was prepared in March 2022, and a new one is due during the 2026 financial year) andthe same, “Otsu City hazard maps and disaster profiles”(three kinds: landslide and flood; flood damage from smaller rivers and local channels; and agricultural reservoirs designated as disaster-prevention priorities),the same, “Otsu City disaster profiles”(by school district, 36 of them) / checked 2026-08-21

What are the disaster risks in Otsu?

🔴 The Lake Biwa west shore fault zone (its southern section reaching Kokubu in Otsu City, about M7.5) and the Hanaore fault zone (central-southern section, about M7.3) run beneath the city, but the probability of either moving within 30 years is close to 0% to 0.6% (the southern section moved as recently as 1185). The city is designated an area for promoting Nankai Trough earthquake preparedness, and the probability of shindo 6-lower or above within 30 years at the city hall site is 13.1%. Having no coast, it has no tsunami or storm-surge projections. 🔴 There is as yet no projected inundation map for inland flooding (sewers and channels overflowing), and the flood map now published was prepared in March 2022 (an update is due during the 2026 financial year).

CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like

On the Japan Meteorological Agency’s normals (1991–2020), annual rainfall at Otsu is 1,566.6 mm — much the same as Tokyo (1,598.2 mm). The January daily low is 0.7℃ and daily high 7.9℃, with 0.0 days staying below freezing and 35.0 nights a year below 0℃. In summer the August daily high is 32.5℃, with 8.4 days above 35℃, 60.5 above 30℃ and 10.9 tropical nights. These, though, are the figures for the Otsu station at the southern tip of the city. Within the same city, the station at Minami-Komatsu at the foot of the Hira mountains in the north records 1,904.1 mm a year — 337.5 mm more.

The city has two observation stations with different rainfallThere are two Meteorological Agency stations in the city: “Otsu” at the southern tip (86 metres) and “Minami-Komatsu” in the north (90 metres, around Omi-Maiko). We confirmed that both lie inside Otsu City using the administrative boundary data of the National Land Numerical Information. Annual rainfall is 1,566.6 mm at Otsu and 1,904.1 mm at Minami-Komatsu. Annual mean temperature is 15.1℃ and 14.7℃, and the January daily low 0.7℃ and 0.5℃. Drier and warmer the further south you go, wetter the further north — the 45 kilometres from end to end show up directly as a difference in climate.

Neither station keeps snow statisticsFor the Meteorological Agency’s snow normals (total snowfall and deepest snow cover), both Otsu and Minami-Komatsu show “///” — no statistics are kept. In other words, there is no official figure at all for “how many centimetres of snow Otsu City has in a normal year”. This site does not fill in a missing figure by guesswork. That said, the north of the city lies at the foot of the Hira mountains, and as §2 shows the median elevation differs greatly between areas — both are clues when thinking about what winter asks of you. When you look at properties along the Kosei Line or up the hillsides, do ask the local estate agent about the winter road surface.

Winter is “cold, but never below freezing all day”January brings a daily high of 7.9℃ and a low of 0.7℃, with 35.0 nights a year below 0℃ and 0.0 days where the high stays below 0℃. It is the inland cold of the Kyoto basin, more or less. Summer brings 8.4 days above 35℃ and 60.5 above 30℃, hotter by day than Tokyo, while 10.9 tropical nights make the nights easier than Tokyo’s. This is not a climate made cool by being beside Lake Biwa. See the month-by-month range in the graph below.

Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency normals (1991–2020) =Otsu (prec_no=60, block_no=0586)(annual rainfall 1,566.6 mm / annual mean 15.1℃ / January daily high 7.9℃ and low 0.7℃ / August daily high 32.5℃ and low 23.5℃) andthe same, day counts by class (view=a2)(per year: 35.0 nights below 0℃, 0.0 days staying below freezing, 10.9 tropical nights, 126.3 days above 25℃, 60.5 above 30℃, 8.4 above 35℃),Minamikomatsu (block_no=1083)(annual rainfall 1,904.1 mm / annual mean 14.7℃ / January daily low 0.5℃) / the snow data fromthe same, snow (view=a4), where both Otsu and Minami-Komatsu show “///” for every item — no statistics kept (checked 2026-08-21) / that both stations lie inside Otsu City was confirmed by matching the latitude and longitude in the Meteorological Agency’s AMeDAS station table against the National Land Numerical Information N03 administrative boundaries (2026); both fall in 25201, Otsu City / checked 2026-08-21

What are summer and winter like in Otsu?

Annual rainfall of 1,566.6 mm is much the same as Tokyo (1,598.2 mm). In winter the January daily low is 0.7℃, with 35.0 nights a year below 0℃ and 0.0 days staying below freezing. In summer the August daily high is 32.5℃, with 8.4 days above 35℃, 60.5 above 30℃ and 10.9 tropical nights — an inland year, close to the Kyoto basin. 🔴 The north of the city (the Minami-Komatsu station), however, gets 1,904.1 mm, 337.5 mm more than the south. 🔴 Neither station in the city keeps snow normals (no statistics are collected).

CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools

From the 2026 financial year, families pay nothing towards school meals at municipal elementary schools. At junior high level, the third and subsequent children of households raising three or more children aged 22 or under are exempt. On children’s medical care, preschool children pay nothing at the desk, and from the first year of elementary school to the end of the school year in which a child turns 18 it is ¥500 a month per medical institution for outpatient care, ¥1,000 a day for hospital stays (up to ¥14,000 a month), and nothing at dispensing pharmacies. There are 37 municipal elementary schools, 18 municipal junior high schools and 36 school districts. The city has 6 universities and junior colleges.

School meals at elementary school cost nothingThe city’s list puts it this way — “no family contribution towards elementary school meals: following the national government’s ‘fundamental easing of the burden of school meal charges’, the family contribution towards school meals is removed for every child attending a municipal elementary school”. At junior high level, “exemption from school meal charges for third and subsequent children: for households with several children (raising three or more children aged 22 or under), the school meal charges for the third and subsequent children attending a municipal junior high school are waived”. Everyone at elementary level; third children and beyond at junior high.

Children’s medical care is “free before school, a flat rate after”Preschool children (to the first 31 March after turning 6) have their 20% share of insured treatment met in full — nothing to pay at the desk. From the first year of elementary school to the first 31 March after turning 18, outpatient care is ¥500 a month per medical institution (dentistry is counted separately even at the same hospital), hospital stays are ¥1,000 a day up to ¥14,000 a month per institution, and dispensing pharmacies charge nothing. No income limit is stated. For comparison on this site, Utsunomiya has no payment at the desk as a rule to the end of the school year in which a child turns 18, and Fukuyama charges ¥500 a day to the end of junior high — the shape of the scheme differs from town to town.

Six places across the city take emergencies at night and at weekendsBecause the city runs 45 kilometres north to south, its emergency care is spread out — Otsu Municipal Hospital (Motomiya 2-9-9, 10 minutes’ walk from Zeze Station) / Otsu Red Cross Hospital (Nagara 1-1-35) / Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital (Seta Tsukinowa-cho) / Biwako Ohashi Hospital (Mano 5-1-29) / JCHO Shiga Hospital (Fujimidai 16-1) / Otsu Red Cross Shiga Hospital (Waninaka 298). There is somewhere to go from the south of the city to the north — the centre, Seta, Mano and Wani. Paediatric emergencies at night and at weekends are handled at the “Otsu regional paediatric emergency clinic” inside Otsu Red Cross Hospital.

There are six universities and junior collegesOf the universities with cooperation agreements with the city, six are inside it — Seian University of Art and Design (Oginosatohigashi) / Ryukoku University’s Seta campus (Seta Oe-cho) / Shiga University’s Ishiyama campus (Hiratsu 2-chome) / Shiga Junior College (Tatsugaoka) / Biwako Seikei Sport College (Kitahira) / Shiga University of Medical Science (Seta Tsukinowa-cho). In addition, Ritsumeikan University’s Biwako-Kusatsu campus is in Kusatsu City, with Minami-Kusatsu the nearest station from “Seta and Aoyama” in §2. That this area has the highest median in §2 (¥31,980,000) is not unconnected with this concentration of universities.

Sources: the school meals and children’s medical care come fromOtsu City, “List of support measures for moving to and settling in Otsu, 2026” (PDF, as of 1 May 2026)(no family contribution towards elementary school meals / exemption from school meal charges for third and subsequent children = households raising three or more children aged 22 or under) / the details of children’s medical care come fromthe same, “About the children’s medical care subsidy”(updated 2 December 2025 / from the first year of elementary school to the first 31 March after turning 18 / outpatient ¥500 a month per medical institution, hospital stays ¥1,000 a day up to ¥14,000 a month per institution, nothing at dispensing pharmacies) andthe same, “About the infant medical care subsidy”(for preschool children the 20% share of insured treatment is met in full) / the number of schools comes fromthe same, “List of Otsu municipal elementary schools”(37 schools) andthe same, “List of Otsu municipal junior high schools”(18 schools), counted automatically by this site / the number of school districts comes fromthe same, “Otsu City disaster profiles”, the list by school district (36 districts) / emergency care fromthe same, “About the emergency care system”(updated 10 April 2026; six hospitals with addresses / for children, the “Otsu regional paediatric emergency clinic” inside Otsu Red Cross Hospital) / the universities fromthe same, “Cooperation agreements with universities”(of the eight universities with agreements, six are inside the city, with addresses) / the schemes compared for Utsunomiya and Fukuyama come from the same sources as their own pages / checked 2026-08-21

Will I be short of hospitals, shops or schools?

🔴 From the 2026 financial year, families pay nothing towards school meals at municipal elementary schools (at junior high, third and subsequent children of households raising three or more children aged 22 or under are exempt). On children’s medical care, preschool children pay nothing at the desk, and from the first year of elementary school to the end of the school year in which a child turns 18 it is ¥500 a month per medical institution for outpatient care, ¥1,000 a day for hospital stays (up to ¥14,000 a month), and nothing at pharmacies. There are 37 municipal elementary schools, 18 municipal junior high schools and 36 school districts. Emergency care at night and at weekends is spread across six hospitals, and there are six universities and junior colleges in the city.

CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy

Otsu City has an unusual arrangement: meters are read once every two months, but bills come every month. The two months’ usage is halved and each half calculated as one month. For 45 cubic metres over two months (13 mm connection), water comes to ¥6,346 and sewerage ¥6,720, giving ¥13,066 (including consumption tax). Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3% inside the urbanisation promotion area. And the national relocation grant (¥1,000,000 / ¥600,000 from the Tokyo area) is not available in Otsu City — Otsu is not among Shiga Prefecture’s designated municipalities.

Water charges and sewerage charges (two months, 13 mm connection, tax included)

Volume used (two months)	Water	Sewerage	Total
0 cubic metres the standing charge alone	¥2,222	¥1,982	¥4,204
20 cubic metres	¥2,332	¥2,628	¥4,960
45 cubic metres a guide for a household of 2 to 3	¥6,346	¥6,720	¥13,066
70 cubic metres	¥10,614	¥11,682	¥22,296

How it is worked out — under the city’s rules, half the two-monthly meter reading is treated as the “first half” (rounded up) and the rest as the “second half” (rounded down), each charged against the one-month table. For 45 cubic metres that is 23 plus 22 cubic metres. Water is a standing charge of ¥1,111 (13 and 20 mm) plus usage, and sewerage ¥991.10 for the base allowance of 8 cubic metres plus the excess.

The national relocation grant is not paid in OtsuThe relocation grant paid for moving from the Tokyo area to the provinces (¥1,000,000 for a household of two or more, ¥600,000 for a single person) has its eligible municipalities set by each prefecture. The municipalities Shiga Prefecture publishes are nine: Nagahama, Koka, Higashiomi, Maibara, Hino, Ryuo, Aisho, Toyosato and Taga. Otsu is not among them. In other words, moving to Otsu does not bring the national ¥1,000,000. What the city has instead are the three schemes of its own below.

The city’s own schemes are three: renovation, marriage and starting a business① The Otsu City settlement-promotion renovation grant — for a household moving in from outside the city, or a child or grandchild household moving in from outside to live with a parent household in the city, renovating a house at least a year old: 10% of the cost, up to ¥300,000. For an incoming household with a child under 15 or a birth expected, 20% up to ¥600,000. The work must be done by a contractor with its head office registered in the city or a sole trader living in the city; applications must be brought to the counter in person (no post or fax) and are taken first come, first served within the budget (for 2026, from 20 April to 28 December). ② The Otsu City newlywed life support grant — where both partners were 39 or under at marriage and their combined income for the previous year was under ¥5,000,000: up to ¥600,000 if 29 or under, up to ¥300,000 if 39 or under. ③ The business start-up grant — for those newly starting a business in the city or within three years of doing so: half the costs, up to ¥500,000 (up to ¥1,000,000 if aged 35 or under).

The taxes are 1.4% and 0.3%Fixed asset tax is 1.4% of the assessed value, and city planning tax 0.3% on land and buildings inside the urbanisation promotion area. Both are the standard rates. As §4 shows, 23% of the houses are pre-1981, so the reductions for new homes, earthquake strengthening, energy-saving work, certified long-life housing and barrier-free work are worth reading before you buy. In “Hieidaira and Fujio” and “Katata, Wani, Hira and Kitakomatsu” in §2 in particular, four to five in ten are pre-1981.

Sources: the water charges from Otsu City Public Enterprise Bureau, “How water charges work, and the charge table”(standing charge for 13 and 20 mm = ¥1,111.00 / usage ¥5.50 for 0–10 m³, ¥160.60 for 11–30 m³, ¥185.90 for 31–50 m³ / meters are read once every two months, with half the usage taken as the “first half”, rounded up, and the rest as the “second half”, rounded down, and billed monthly / fractions of a yen dropped), sewerage fromthe same, “How sewerage charges work, and the charge table”(base allowance of 8 m³ for ¥991.10 / ¥161.70 for 9–20 m³; for 21–30 m³, (volume − 20) × 171.60 + 2,931.50; for 31–50 m³, (volume − 30) × 238.70 + 4,647.50). The figures in the table were calculated by this site from that charge table and the city’s method / the tax rates come fromthe same, “About fixed asset tax”(1.4%) andthe same, “About city planning tax”(0.3%, inside the urbanisation promotion area) / the municipalities eligible for the relocation grant come fromShiga Prefecture, “Shiga Prefecture relocation and employment support scheme”(eligible municipalities = Nagahama, Koka, Higashiomi, Maibara, Hino, Ryuo, Aisho, Toyosato and Taga / ¥1,000,000 for a household of two or more, ¥600,000 for a single person) / the city’s own schemes come fromOtsu City, “Guide to the Otsu City settlement-promotion renovation grant”(updated 1 April 2026 / 10% up to ¥300,000, or 20% up to ¥600,000 for an incoming household with a child under 15 or a birth expected / the work must be done by a contractor with its head office registered in the city or a sole trader resident in the city / applications from 20 April to 28 December 2026, brought to the counter in person, within the budget) andthe same, “List of support measures for moving to and settling in Otsu, 2026” (PDF)(newlywed life support = ¥600,000 if 29 or under, ¥300,000 if 39 or under, combined income under ¥5,000,000 / business start-up grant = half the costs, up to ¥500,000, or up to ¥1,000,000 if aged 35 or under) / checked 2026-08-21

Roughly what does a year cost, water and the rest?

Water and sewerage come to ¥13,066 for 45 cubic metres over two months (13 mm connection) (water ¥6,346 plus sewerage ¥6,720). 🔴 Otsu City has the unusual arrangement of reading meters every two months but billing every month (half the reading is charged as each month). Fixed asset tax is 1.4% and city planning tax 0.3% inside the urbanisation promotion area. 🔴 The national relocation grant (¥1,000,000 / ¥600,000 from the Tokyo area) is not available in Otsu City, as it is not among Shiga Prefecture’s designated municipalities.

CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell

Otsu is a city “above the prefectural average, with all four uses rising”. Residential land is ¥82,300/m², +1.9% year on year, 1.48 times the Shiga average (¥55,500/m², +0.9%). Commercial, industrial and all-use land are all around 1.5 times the prefectural average, and the strongest rise was industrial land at +12.8% (about twice the prefectural +6.8%). The highest in the prefecture, though, is not Otsu — residential land in Kusatsu City is ¥139,600/m² (+4.4%), 1.7 times Otsu’s.

Use	Otsu City	Year on year	Shiga Prefecture Average	Against the prefectural average
Residential	¥82,300/m²	+1.9%	¥55,500/m² (+0.9%)	1.48×
Commercial	¥179,500/m²	+5.0%	¥117,000/m² (+2.8%)	1.53×
Industrial	¥51,500/m²	+12.8%	¥34,000/m² (+6.8%)	1.51×
All uses	¥107,600/m²	+3.1%	¥70,300/m² (+1.7%)	1.53×

The places to compare are Kyoto City and Kusatsu CityIn the same source, residential land in Kyoto City is ¥247,700/m² (+3.6%), in Kusatsu City ¥139,600/m² (+4.4%) and in Hikone City ¥40,200/m² (±0.0%). Otsu’s ¥82,300/m² is a third of Kyoto City’s and six tenths of Kusatsu’s. Demand from people who find Kyoto too dear but do not want to go deep into Shiga is heading for Otsu and Kusatsu — the fact that all four uses are positive has that shape. When you sell, too, the comparisons will be the outskirts of Kyoto City and Kusatsu City.

The strongest rise was industrial land at +12.8%Of the four uses, industrial land rose most (+12.8%), about twice the prefectural average (+6.8%). That is clearly larger than residential land’s +1.9% or commercial land’s +5.0%. Otsu has three Meishin interchanges (Otsu, Seta-nishi and Seta-higashi), and the Shin-Meishin from the (provisionally named) Otsu junction to Joyo is under construction (§12). Land for logistics and manufacturing is moving, and this year’s figures show it.

When you sell, the differences between areas come through directlyThe medians in §2 run from ¥12,800,000 in Hieidaira and Fujio to ¥31,980,000 in Seta and Aoyama — 2.5 times. That gap is explained almost entirely by three things: distance to a station, elevation and build year. What was explained to you when you bought will be explained again when you sell. The landslide warning zones and projected flood inundation zones in §5 in particular must be disclosed under the Real Estate Brokerage Act. Check them against the exact address before you buy — in the end that is the surest course.

Sources: land prices fromLand Information Centerprepared the “[Land price survey] (2026) average prices and year-on-year change by prefecture, municipality and use” (prepared 27 April 2026); the rows for Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto City, Kusatsu City and Hikone City (Otsu City = residential ¥82,300/m² +1.9%, commercial ¥179,500/m² +5.0%, industrial ¥51,500/m² +12.8%, all uses ¥107,600/m² +3.1% / Shiga Prefecture = residential ¥55,500/m² +0.9%, commercial ¥117,000/m² +2.8%, industrial ¥34,000/m² +6.8%, all uses ¥70,300/m² +1.7% / Kyoto City residential ¥247,700/m² +3.6% / Kusatsu City residential ¥139,600/m² +4.4% / Hikone City residential ¥40,200/m² ±0.0%) / the second-hand market is the same 576 SUUMO listings as §4 / checked 2026-08-21

Will the house I buy sell again later?

🔴 Residential land is ¥82,300/m², +1.9% year on year, and all four uses — residential, commercial, industrial and all uses together — are positive. That is 1.48 times the Shiga average (¥55,500/m²). The strongest rise was industrial land at +12.8% (about twice the prefectural +6.8%). 🔴 The highest in the prefecture, though, is not Otsu but Kusatsu City (¥139,600/m²). The places to compare are the outskirts of Kyoto City and Kusatsu City.

CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many

342,846 people in 161,504 households (1 August 2026). 164,655 men and 178,191 women, 2.12 people per household. This city has barely shrunk. Against 343,550 on 1 April 2020, it stood at 342,655 on 1 April 2026 — a fall of 895 (0.26%) in six years. By age, 12.3% are under 15, 59.3% are 15–64 and 28.3% are 65 or over. The comprehensive plan’s indicators include a net migration gain of 738 (2023 financial year).

Year	Population	Households	Per household
1898 (Meiji 31) The year of incorporation; municipal survey	32,446 people	5,826 households	5.57 people
1975 (Showa 50) From here to 2015, the national census	191,481 people	52,311 households	3.66 people
2005 (Heisei 17) Passing 300,000	323,719 people	118,475 households	2.73 people
2015 (Heisei 27 (2015))	340,973 people	136,153 households	2.50 people
1 April 2026 (Reiwa 8) This one is the resident register, as of 1 April	342,655 people	160,690 households	2.13 people

150,000 more in fifty years, and level sinceFrom 191,481 in 1975 to 340,973 in 2015 — about 150,000 more in forty years. Then from 343,550 in 2020 to 342,655 in 2026 (each 1 April), the last six years have been all but level. On the year, the population fell by 286 while households rose by 1,735. The population is not falling, yet households keep rising — one- and two-person households are increasing, and people per household have gone from 3.66 in 1975 to 2.13. That the median second-hand house in §4 is a relatively high ¥22,800,000 is the other side of demand not thinning.

The age structure tracks the national one closelyAs counted on 31 July 2026, 42,332 are under 15 (12.3%), 203,337 are 15–64 (59.3%) and 97,177 are 65 or over (28.3%). By industry it is 1.1% primary, 21.7% secondary and 73.9% tertiary (2020 census). As befits a prefectural capital, more than seven tenths of the work is in services.

Between the 36 school districts lie 236 people and 20,072The city publishes its population statistics by school district. The largest is Setakita with 20,072, followed by Hirano 19,433, Katata 17,927, Shiga 17,718 and Seiran 17,500. The smallest is Katsuragawa with 236 (23 of them under 15), then Ogi 1,722 and Kamitanakami 1,725. The same city holds both a housing district of 20,072 people and a mountain hamlet of 236 — that is what 45 kilometres from end to end means. The city notes of the Katsuragawa area that “they actively welcome people moving in” (§14).

Sources: the monthly population and household figures come fromOtsu City, “Latest population statistics”(as of 1 August 2026: 342,846 people, 161,504 households) / the year-by-year trend, the change on the previous year and employment by industry come fromthe same, “Outline of Otsu City (2026)” (PDF)(32,446 in 1898, 191,481 in 1975, 323,719 in 2005 and 340,973 in 2015 from the national census / 343,550 in 2020 and 342,655 in 2026, each as of 1 April / change on the previous year = 286 fewer people, 1,735 more households / employment by industry in the 2020 census: primary 1,601 = 1.1%, secondary 32,908 = 21.7%, tertiary 112,166 = 73.9%) / the figures by age and school district come fromthe same, “Population statistics by age and school district (five-year bands)” (PDF, counted 31 July 2026)(342,846 for the city as a whole / 42,332 aged 0–14, 203,337 aged 15–64 and 97,177 aged 65 or over / Setakita 20,072, Katsuragawa 236). The totals and shares for the three age bands were calculated by this site / the net migration gain comes fromthe same, “Otsu City comprehensive plan, third implementation plan, reference volume” (PDF), the comprehensive strategy indicators (net migration gain 738 in the 2023 financial year, target 1,375 for 2028) / checked 2026-08-21

Share of foreign residents

1.80%National average 3.26%

Of the 343,316 people living in Otsu City, 6,195 are foreign residents. That is below the national average (3.26%).
Nationwide, foreign residents make up 3.26% of the population (4,031,159 out of 123,767,642). There are 34 municipalities in Japan where the share passes 10%.

Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17

Is the population of Otsu growing?

🔴 It has barely fallen. Against 343,550 on 1 April 2020, it stood at 342,655 on 1 April 2026 — a fall of 895 (0.26%) in six years. After growing by about 150,000 over forty years, from 191,481 in 1975 to 340,973 in 2015, it has been level since. By age, 12.3% are under 15 and 28.3% are 65 or over. The comprehensive plan’s indicators include a net migration gain of 738 (2023 financial year).

CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events

This city has its “three great festivals of Otsu”. The Sanno Festival (Hiyoshi Taisha in Sakamoto; late February to 15 April, with the main events on 12–14 April), the Otsu Festival (Tenson Shrine in the centre; the main day is the day before Sports Day in October, with the eve festival the day before that) and the Senko Festival (Takebe Taisha in Seta; 17 August). Of these, the float procession of the Otsu Festival was added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage listing “Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals” on 11 December 2025. Neighbourhood associations are beginning to take up electronic circulating notice boards, now used by more than 50 associations in the city.

Festival	When	Where	What kind of festival
The Otsu Festival	October Main day the day before Sports Day; eve festival the day before that	Tenson Shrine (Kyo-machi 3-chome) and the old Tokaido road	13 floats process for a whole day. The oldest is about 400 years old. What marks it out is that every float carries a different mechanical puppet. Added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage on 11 December 2025
The Sanno Festival	Late February to 15 April Main events 12–14 April	Hiyoshi Taisha (Sakamoto) and the mountains, villages and lake around Sakamoto	The festival of the head shrine of the more than 3,800 Hiyoshi, Hie and Sanno shrines across Japan. A portable-shrine festival running about a month and a half, with the Yoimiya-otoshi rite on the 13th, the procession of the portable shrines on the 14th, and the offering rite at Awazu out on Lake Biwa
The Senko Festival	17 August	Takebe Taisha (Jinryo), the Seta Karahashi bridge and the Setagawa	A boat procession down the Setagawa, recalling the legend of Yamato Takeru leading a fleet. The barge carrying the portable shrine passes down between torches, and fireworks go up as the fleet returns to the Seta Karahashi bridge

Two of the “three great festivals of the lake country” are in OtsuThe city’s plan defines them — “the three great festivals of the lake country: the Otsu Festival and the Sanno Festival in Otsu City, and the float festival in Nagahama City”. Two of the three are in Otsu. The Otsu Festival arose “on the economic strength of the people of Otsu Hyakucho, which prospered as a port and a post town”, and the city writes that its floats carry hangings to rival those of Kyoto’s Gion Festival. The floats date from the Edo period — Saigyo-zakura Tanukiyama (1635), Seiobo-zan (1656) and Komei Kisui-zan (1694) among them — each handed down by its own neighbourhood.

For the neighbourhood association, “ask the block head or the association chair directly”The city explains that to join a neighbourhood association you should “ask the block head or the association chair for the area you live in directly. If you do not know which association covers your area, please contact the Community Collaboration Division”. Their activities are set out under seven headings: fellowship, keeping the area tidy, disaster prevention and safety, welfare, traditional culture, sharing information, and self-government. Nothing on the city’s pages makes joining a condition of any subsidy (some cities, such as Utsunomiya on this site, ask for a signed undertaking to join).

The circulating notice board is moving to an appThe city has introduced an electronic circulating notice board platform app, and as of 31 March 2026 more than 50 neighbourhood associations in the city had started using it. It handles circulars, surveys, discussion groups and shared documents, and the city says it “eases the load on association officers and creates conditions in which the next generation of organisers can take part more easily”. The city also states plainly that “use is not compulsory”. It is adopted association by association, and individuals cannot use it on their own.

Sources: the three great festivals come fromOtsu City, “Otsu City plan for maintaining and improving historic scenery” (revised March 2026, PDF)(the Otsu Festival = the annual festival of Tenson Shrine, main day the day before Sports Day in October with the eve festival the day before, 13 floats, the oldest about 400 years old, every float with a different mechanical puppet, hangings to rival Kyoto’s Gion Festival, Otsu Hyakucho / the Sanno Festival = the festival of Hiyoshi Taisha, about a month and a half from late February to 15 April, main events 12–14 April, the Yoimiya-otoshi rite, the procession of the portable shrines, the offering rite at Awazu, the head shrine of more than 3,800 Hiyoshi, Hie and Sanno shrines nationwide / the Senko Festival = 17 August, Takebe Taisha, a boat procession on the Setagawa, fireworks as it returns to the Seta Karahashi bridge / the definition of the “three great festivals of the lake country” / the years the floats were built) / the UNESCO listing comes fromthe same, “On the listing (registration) of the ‘float procession of the Otsu Festival’ as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage”(11 December 2025; four entries were added to “Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals”, bringing it to 37) / the neighbourhood associations come fromthe same, “About neighbourhood associations”andthe same, “On the operation of the electronic circulating notice board platform app”(updated 1 April 2026 / more than 50 associations had started using it as of 31 March 2026 / use is not compulsory) / checked 2026-08-21

What are the neighbourhood associations and the neighbouring like?

🔴 This is a city with “three great festivals of Otsu”. The Sanno Festival (Hiyoshi Taisha; late February to 15 April, centring on 12–14 April), the Otsu Festival (Tenson Shrine; the main day is the day before Sports Day in October, with 13 floats each carrying a different mechanical puppet — added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage in December 2025) and the Senko Festival (Takebe Taisha; 17 August, a boat procession on the Setagawa with fireworks). To join a neighbourhood association you ask the block head or the association chair directly, and more than 50 associations in the city have begun using an electronic circulating notice board app.

CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices

From the published material, four things move prices in Otsu: ① being 10 minutes from Kyoto, ② the prefecture’s centre of gravity shifting south (to Kusatsu and Ritto), ③ the Shin-Meishin under construction, and ④ the run of cultural property designations in 2025. The city’s comprehensive plan sets a target of raising tourist spending from ¥182,700,000,000 (2023) to ¥208,900,000,000 (2028).

① Land at a third of Kyoto’s priceAs §9 shows, against Kyoto City’s residential ¥247,700/m², Otsu is ¥82,300/m². Ten minutes away, at a third of the price. The city itself opens its relocation page with “close to Kyoto and Osaka — about 10 minutes to JR Kyoto Station (from Otsu and Otsukyo stations) and 40 minutes to JR Osaka Station — and yet possessed of rich nature, beginning with the Hira and Hiei mountain ranges”. As long as that distance does not change, land prices in Otsu will keep being pulled along by Kyoto’s.

② The highest in the prefecture is Kusatsu CityResidential land runs Kusatsu City ¥139,600/m² (+4.4%) > Otsu City ¥82,300/m² (+1.9%) > Hikone City ¥40,200/m² (±0.0%). Neighbouring Kusatsu is seven tenths dearer than the prefectural capital. Kusatsu has Minami-Kusatsu Station and Ritsumeikan University’s Biwako-Kusatsu campus, and “Seta and Aoyama” in §2 (median ¥31,980,000) lies within its orbit. Even inside Otsu, the eastern edge is the dearest — the prefecture’s centre of gravity moving south-east shows up in the price differences within the city too.

③ The Shin-Meishin will pass across the south of the cityFor the Shin-Meishin Expressway between the (provisionally named) Otsu junction and the Joyo junction and interchange, NEXCO West Japan’s progress information records that as of the end of July 2026 the rates for boundary staking, land acquisition and the start of works all stood at 100%. Land acquisition and archaeological survey are complete, and work has begun on every section. No opening date is given in that material. Alongside it, widening to six lanes is under way over about 23 kilometres from Koka-Tsuchiyama IC to the (provisionally named) Otsu junction, and three-lane running began on part of the stretch from Shigaraki IC to the Otsu junction on 30 May 2026. This road lies behind the +12.8% for industrial land in §9.

④ Three cultural property designations followed one another in 202527 August: the Lake Biwa Canal works became a National Treasure and an Important Cultural Property (the first tunnel is the National Treasure) / 18 September: the site of Sakamoto Castle became a national historic site / 11 December: the float procession of the Otsu Festival became UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. The mayor said, “with the extension of the ‘Lake Biwa Canal boat’ to Otsu Port realised last March, we expect the canal boat service and other work drawing on the Lake Biwa Canal to attract still more attention”, and the comprehensive plan’s priority projects now include “a historic town-building project making use of the site of Sakamoto Castle”. Tourism investment is heading for Sakamoto (the “Sakamoto, Ogoto and Oginosato” of §2) and the centre — that is the direction of the next few years.

Sources: land prices as in §9 (the Land Information Center, “[Land price survey] (2026)”) / the city’s own words come fromOtsu City, “Living in Otsu (on moving and settling here)”(updated 23 June 2026) / the Shin-Meishin fromNEXCO West Japan, “E1A Shin-Meishin Expressway, Otsu JCT to Joyo JCT/IC” construction progress information(as of the end of July 2026 all three indicators stood at 100%; land acquisition and archaeological survey complete; no opening date given) andthe same, “Three-lane running begins on part of the stretch from Shigaraki IC to the (provisionally named) Otsu JCT from Saturday 30 May 2026” / the cultural property designations and the mayor’s comment come fromOtsu City, “On the designation of the Lake Biwa Canal works as a National Treasure and an Important Cultural Property”(the Lake Biwa Canal boat was extended to Otsu Port in March 2024),the same, “On the designation of the site of Sakamoto Castle as a national historic site”、the same, “On the listing (registration) of the ‘float procession of the Otsu Festival’ as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage” / the tourist-spending target and the priority projects come fromthe same, “Otsu City comprehensive plan, third implementation plan, reference volume” (PDF)(tourist spending ¥182,700,000,000 in 2023, target ¥208,900,000,000 for 2028) andthe same, “Otsu City comprehensive plan, third implementation plan” (PDF, March 2025)/ Verified 2026-08-21

What is likely to happen to land prices in Otsu?

Four things hold them up: ① being 10 minutes from Kyoto (against Kyoto City’s residential ¥247,700/m², Otsu is ¥82,300/m² — a third), ② the prefecture’s centre of gravity shifting south-east (to Kusatsu and Ritto), ③ the Shin-Meishin under construction, and ④ the run of cultural property designations in 2025. On the Shin-Meishin from the (provisionally named) Otsu junction to Joyo, land acquisition and the start of works both stood at 100% at the end of July 2026 (no opening date published). The city has set a target of raising tourist spending from ¥182,700,000,000 to ¥208,900,000,000.

CHAPTER 13What this place makes

What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.

¥584,960,000

Hometown-tax donations received in the 2025 financial year (18,056 donations).
542nd of the 1,788 municipalities in Japan, and 9th within Shiga Prefecture

What this town names as its own products

In its “Otsu City plan for maintaining and improving historic scenery” (revised March 2026), the city lists these as its local produce, crafts and dishes: Omi kabura (a white turnip said to have first been grown at Obanagawa in the Edo period. With about 400 years of history, it is held to be the ancestor of Kyoto’s traditional Shogoin turnip. Today only a handful of farms grow it, on contract to long-established pickle makers in the city — a revival project is under way through the city’s “Otsu brand” programme), Sakamoto chrysanthemums (an edible chrysanthemum long grown around Sakamoto, the temple town of Enryakuji; used in the chrysanthemum meals at Saikyoji and in “kiku namasu”), Otsu-e paintings (a traditional craft of Shiga Prefecture), Zeze ware (said to have begun in the early Edo period when Ishikawa Tadafusa, lord of the Zeze domain, built a kiln under the guidance of Kobori Enshu; one of the seven Enshu kilns), plant-dyed hand-braided cords (Otsu braiding is said to have begun in the mid-Edo period with the repair of sword cords and inro cords for the samurai and townspeople entering Kyoto), Omi ganpi paper (a traditional craft of Shiga Prefecture), smoked ridge tiles (a traditional craft of Shiga Prefecture), funazushi (a fermented food made from the crucian carp of Lake Biwa; selected as one of Shiga Prefecture’s intangible folk cultural properties, the “food cultural properties of Shiga”, as a lake-fish narezushi), and lake fish simmered in soy (koayu, honmoroko, sujiebi and others; koayu in sweet soy, and shrimp with beans).

This municipality also publishes its own hometown-tax guidance. Hometown tax and donations (Otsu City)

Source:Otsu City, “Otsu City plan for maintaining and improving historic scenery” (revised March 2026, PDF), Chapter 1, “(7) Local produce, crafts, dishes and so on”／the same, Chapter 1 (it states that the crafts listed are those in the city that appear among the “Traditional crafts of Shiga” / Shiga Prefecture set up its designation system for traditional crafts in 1983 and had designated 38 items and 44 makers in the prefecture by March 2015)/ Verified 2026-08-21

You can support a town without living there

Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.

Support Otsu City through the hometown tax →

Source:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey on the state of the hometown tax scheme (conducted FY Reiwa 8)", the table of amounts and numbers received (provisional FY Reiwa 7 settlement), tallied by this site. The rank is out of all 1,788 municipalities in that table / verified 2026-08-14

What is Otsu City made of?

In its plan for historic scenery the city lists Omi kabura (a traditional turnip with about 400 years behind it, held to be the ancestor of Kyoto’s Shogoin turnip) and Sakamoto chrysanthemums (an edible chrysanthemum grown in the temple town of Enryakuji), the crafts Otsu-e paintings, Zeze ware, plant-dyed hand-braided cords, Omi ganpi paper and smoked ridge tiles, and the dishes funazushi and lake fish simmered in soy. Zeze ware is one of the seven Enshu kilns, said to have begun under the guidance of Kobori Enshu.

CHAPTER 14A message from Otsu City

The city it sets out to become in its comprehensive plan (the basic concept, 2017–2028) is “a city you want to go on living in, woven from ties of people, nature and history — the rebirth of Otsu”, with the subtitle “towards a compact and sustainable city”. Its relocation page is “Living in Otsu (on moving and settling here)”, and the mayor is Sato Kenji (in office since January 2020, now in his second term). The city opens its relocation page with this sentence — “Otsu City is a chosen city, with many people moving in.”

What the city writes firstHere it is as it stands — “Otsu City is a chosen city, with many people moving in. Close to Kyoto and Osaka — about 10 minutes to JR Kyoto Station (from Otsu and Otsukyo stations) and 40 minutes to JR Osaka Station — and yet possessed of rich nature, beginning with the Hira and Hiei mountain ranges.” The figures we searched live in §3 are 10 minutes to Kyoto and 43 to Osaka. The net migration gain in §10 is 738 (2023 financial year), and the comprehensive plan sets a target of 1,375 for 2028. What the city says and what the published figures show point the same way.

139 staff asked what they like about OtsuOn its recruitment pages the city publishes a survey of 139 staff in their twenties and thirties. The phrases that came out were “not too urban, not too rural — the ‘just right’ size” and “a magnificent view, right from the middle of town!”. To “what do you like about Otsu City, having worked here?”, the answers were the people and atmosphere among colleagues 51.8%, convenience of the area 43.1%, staff benefits 37.2%, the city’s stability and size 36.5%, and the rich natural environment 35.8%. What the people inside a city think is good about it is a more honest document than any view from outside.

How the city measures satisfaction with raising childrenAmong the comprehensive plan’s indicators is this — “the share of people at the four-month post-natal check who say ‘I want to go on raising my child in this area’: 97.9% (2023) → 98.0% (2028)”. Taking something already at 97.9% to 98.0%. That is the kind of target this city sets. The third implementation plan’s priority projects are four: improving pre-school education and childcare, advancing dementia policy, rebuilding the city hall, and historic town-building drawing on the site of Sakamoto Castle.

Where to ask, and who takes you in locallyIn the 2026 financial year the city will be at relocation consultation events inOsaka (29 August), Tokyo (27 September), Nagoya (10 October and 28 November) and Osaka again (27 February 2027).There is also a “vacant-home matching tour”, combining viewings with taking part in local events (Planning and Coordination Division, 077-528-2701). On the local side, the ones who take people in arethe Katsuragawa area (of which the city says “they actively welcome people moving in”),the Yamanaka-Hieidaira school district（§2）、and the North Otsu Area Appeal Creation Council, “REedit NorthOtsu”. Living in Otsu (on moving and settling here) →

What this page isThis site gathers the city’s official information with sources attached; it does not speak for the city. Schemes, prices and charges change — the water and sewerage rates and the subsidies in §8 in particular. Before you sign anything or move, check the originals and the latest information. The hazard information in §5 especially: a new hazard map is due during the 2026 financial year. Please check both the old and the new, address by address, on the city’s and Shiga Prefecture’s pages.

Sources: the city it sets out to become comes fromOtsu City, “Otsu City comprehensive plan, third implementation plan, reference volume” (PDF), the basic concept (“a city you want to go on living in, woven from ties of people, nature and history — the rebirth of Otsu”, “towards a compact and sustainable city” / indicators: the share at the four-month post-natal check saying “I want to go on raising my child in this area” 97.9% (2023) → 98.0% (2028); net migration gain 738 (2023) → 1,375 (2028)) / the priority projects come fromthe same, “Otsu City comprehensive plan, third implementation plan” (PDF, March 2025) / the relocation guidance, events and local introductions come fromthe same, “Living in Otsu (on moving and settling here)”(updated 23 June 2026 / “Otsu City is a chosen city, with many people moving in” / the relocation events for 2026 / the Katsuragawa area, the Yamanaka-Hieidaira school district and the North Otsu Area Appeal Creation Council) andthe same, “List of support measures for moving to and settling in Otsu, 2026” (PDF)(the vacant-home matching tour; Planning and Coordination Division, 077-528-2701) / the staff survey comes fromthe same, “What kind of city is Otsu? Getting to know its appeal”(updated 15 April 2026; 139 staff in their twenties and thirties) / the mayor comes fromthe same, “Profile of the Mayor of Otsu”(Sato Kenji / became the 24th Mayor of Otsu in January 2020 / re-elected January 2024, term from 25 January 2024 to 24 January 2028) / checked 2026-08-21

What kind of city is Otsu setting out to build?

The city it sets out to become is “a city you want to go on living in, woven from ties of people, nature and history — the rebirth of Otsu”, “towards a compact and sustainable city”. The city opens its relocation page with the sentence “Otsu City is a chosen city, with many people moving in.” Support for people moving here comes in three parts: the settlement-promotion renovation grant (10% up to ¥300,000, or 20% up to ¥600,000 for households with children), newlywed life support (¥600,000 if 29 or under, ¥300,000 if 39 or under) and the business start-up grant (half the costs up to ¥500,000, or ¥1,000,000 if aged 35 or under). 🔴 All are within the budget available, so go to the office first.

CHAPTER 15A year in Otsu

The Otsu year is marked out by its three great festivals. Spring brings the Sanno Festival at Sakamoto, summer the Senko Festival on the Setagawa, and autumn the Otsu Festival in the centre. The climate — 0.0 days staying below freezing and 8.4 days above 35℃ — makes for an inland year much like the Kyoto basin. The north of the city (Minami-Komatsu), though, gets 337.5 mm more rain a year than the south (Otsu) (§6).

Season	What there is
Winter (December to February)	January brings a daily low of 0.7℃ and a high of 7.9℃, with 35.0 nights a year below 0℃ and 0.0 days staying below freezing. Neither station in the city keeps snow statistics (§6). On the hillsides and along the Kosei Line, ask locally about the winter road surface
Spring (late February to April)	The Sanno Festival (Hiyoshi Taisha). It begins in late February, centres on 12–14 April and runs to 15 April. The Yoimiya-otoshi rite, and the offering rite at Awazu out on Lake Biwa
Rainy season (June to July)	June brings 217.7 mm and July 211.8 mm, the wettest months of the year. The annual 1,566.6 mm is much the same as Tokyo (1,598.2 mm), but when it rains, it rains hard (read this together with the projected flood inundation in §5)
Summer (August)	The Senko Festival on 17 August (Takebe Taisha; a boat procession on the Setagawa, with fireworks). The August daily high is 32.5℃, with 8.4 days a year above 35℃ and 10.9 tropical nights
Autumn (October)	The Otsu Festival — the main day is the day before Sports Day, with the eve festival the day before that. Thirteen floats process for a whole day, showing their mechanical puppets as they go. This is the town’s own festival, added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage in December 2025

Sources: the climate is as in §6 (Japan Meteorological Agency normals, 1991–2020) and the festivals as in §11 (Otsu City, “Otsu City plan for maintaining and improving historic scenery”, revised March 2026). The monthly rainfall comes fromJapan Meteorological Agency, normals for Otsu(month 6 217.7mm, month 7 211.8mm) / Verified 2026-08-21

The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.

What is there to look forward to through the year in Otsu?

The three great festivals mark out the seasons. Spring (late February to 15 April) brings the Sanno Festival at Sakamoto, and summer (17 August) the Senko Festival on the Setagawa — the barge carrying the portable shrine passes down between torches, and fireworks go up as it returns to the Seta Karahashi bridge. Autumn (October) brings the Otsu Festival, with thirteen floats processing for a whole day. Winter has 0.0 days staying below freezing, and summer 8.4 days a year above 35℃.

CHAPTER 16The people who run this city

When you are thinking of moving somewhere, who is running the place now, and where they are trying to take it, is something people about to move there want to know even more than the people already living there. This section sets out, with sources, only what Otsu City publishes itself. 🔴 As of 22 August 2026, following the official site, I (the AI) could find 3 of the 6 items below. The mayor of Otsu is Sato Kenji (confirmed on the city’s own page).

What is published	Published	What you can read
About the mayor	The Mayor of Otsu’s room	Name, career, greeting
Policy address	Could not find one	What they say they will do this year
List of council members	List of assembly members (with photographs)	Who the members are, and their groupings
Council broadcasts and recordings	Could not find one	Whether you can watch the council in session
Searchable minutes	Could not find one	Whether you can search past debates by wording
Master plan	Otsu City comprehensive plan	How many years ahead this town has decided

The mayor of Otsu CitySato Kenji. The page carrying that name was last updated2024-02-01.Reiwa 2 (2020), 1/25is when the career summary says he took office.
🔴 Age and gender have not been guessed from the name.Only what is published is reproduced here, as published.Otsu City introduction page →

How much of the assembly you can seeThe assembly is set at 38 members. A list of members, live or recorded coverage of plenary sittings, and a search of the minutes — where those three are published, you can read a town’s debates for yourself before you ever move there.
🔴 This site does not carry individual members’ names, photographs or social media. It shows you where to read them.
Once you have moved, when your own turn comes to be one of the people deciding — those three are what tell you.

How many years ahead has been decidedIn Otsu City,Otsu City comprehensive plan. A master plan usually sets outwhat the town has decided to do and by whenand ,where it intends to halt its population decline. 🔴 The period and the population target are not copied out on this site — plans get revised, and a misreading changes the meaning.Please check the official text from the link below.Otsu City comprehensive plan →

🔴 What I will not do in this chapter1. I will not guess gender or age from a name. Only what is published appears here. 2. I will not write that anything is good or bad. Only what is being put forward, and where it comes from. 3. I will not compare election candidates.
🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (2026-08-22), and reopens the original page each time to confirm by machine that the name is still there. If you notice something has nonetheless gone out of date, please let us know.

Source: allofficial site (Otsu City ), followed on 2026-08-22. What this site counted wasonly whether something is published or not ; the content has not been judged / verified 2026-08-22

Who runs Otsu City now?

The mayor of Otsu is Sato Kenji (confirmed on the city’s own page on 22 August 2026). What this site looks for is six things: a profile of the head of the municipality, a policy statement, a list of assembly members, live coverage of the assembly, a search of the minutes, and a comprehensive plan. 🔴 We make no judgement of good or bad. Only whether something is published or not.

CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off

Something that never shows up in the numbers you use to find a house, yet bears directly on how happy you are once you live there, is days off. This section counts, by the same measure across every area, the places you can go on a day off in Otsu and the places family and friends can stay when they visit. This is a city with Biwako Quasi-National Park. It currently has 11 hot spring and day bath facilities, 1 amusement park, zoo or aquarium, and 2 roadside stations. 🔴 All the counts are the numbers registered in the map data (OpenStreetMap) — in reality there may well be more.

What	Number counted, and names
⛰ National and quasi-national parks	Biwako Quasi-National Park
♨ Hot springs and day baths	Otsu-yu, Fukui-yu, Omi-yu, Ashiyu, Ogoto Onsen Rokkaku Ashiyu, fan-dii, Yutopia and Hira Topia, 11 facilities in all
🏯 Castles and castle sites	The site of Seta Castle
🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums	Nango Fisheries Centre
🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls	The Kinoshita Art Museum, the Shiga Museum of Art, the Tanakami Local History Museum, the Tanakami Mineral Museum, the Zeze Ware Museum, the Omi Jingu Clock Museum, the Nagara Creative Exhibition Hall, the Mihashi Setsuko Art Museum and the Otsu Hyakucho-kan, 22 in all
⛩ Shrines and temples	151 shrines and 264 temples. Those with a Wikipedia entry are Izu Shrine, Omi Jingu, Wakamiya Hachimangu, Genanji, Saifukuji, Myoo-in, Shigain and Miidera (Onjoji)
🚗 Roadside stations	Biwako Ohashi Kome Plaza and Imoko-no-sato (2 stations)
🐕 Dog runs	Not found in the map data
🛣 Expressway service and parking areas	Otsu SA (inbound) / Otsu SA (outbound) / Kusatsu PA (inbound) (⛽ petrol station)

Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels

What	Number counted
🏨 Hotels and ryokan	39
🏠 Guesthouses and hostels	8
⛺ Campsites and auto-campsites	Otsu City Katsuragawa Forest Camp Village and RV Park Omi-Maiko Tones (2 places)
🏕 Glamping	Not found among the campsite or hotel names
🚐 RV parks (overnight in your vehicle)	RV Park Omi-Maiko Tones (OMI-MAIKOTONES), RV Park HESTA Omi-Maiko and RV Park SUNTOWERMARINA

This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.

Sources: the counts and names of facilities fromOpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) / RV parks fromJapan RV Association, list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks / roadside stations fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations / the service and parking areas on the expressway, and the shops within them, also from OpenStreetMap (judged mechanically by whether they fall inside the site's outline) / national parks judged from the overlap of the Ministry of the Environment Biodiversity Center's boundary data with the National Land Numerical Information (administrative areas); for quasi-national parks the municipalities concerned were confirmed at the link on the park name / verified 2026-08-21

Are there places to go on a day off, and places to stay?

This is a city with Biwako Quasi-National Park. Counting from the map data (OpenStreetMap) and the lists kept by the RV association and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, we found 11 hot spring and day bath facilities, 1 amusement park, zoo or aquarium, 2 roadside stations and 39 hotels and inns. Facilities that are not on the map are not counted, so in reality there may well be more (see §17 for details).

What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site

This site reads the official websites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, scored out of 100, to measure how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need. We measured Otsu City’s official site, and the total came to 51 (measured 21 August 2026).

"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.

Area	Score	What was found
Getting started with a move	0 / 20	Not found
Housing	9 / 15	There is an akiya bank; listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area; completed deals are organised
The money side of living here	5 / 15	Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Disaster information	18 / 20	Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; the year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated; and 2 more
Industry and local produce	8 / 10	A list of local speciality products is on the official site; hometown tax results are published year by year; there are support schemes for businesses and industry
Transport	2 / 10	There is a community bus timetable
Can an AI read it?	9 / 10	Every page carries an update date; there is a sitemap.xml; the site search runs server-side; and 2 more

See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them

0 / 3　There is a relocation and settlement page
Not found 0 / 3　There is a dedicated relocation site
Only pages within the official site 0 / 3　A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours)
0 of department, telephone and opening hours were stated 0 / 5　Support schemes state amounts and conditions
Not found 0 / 3　There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme
Not found 0 / 3　Vacancies in trial housing are published
Not found 4 / 4　There is an akiya bank
There is a municipal akiya bank 1 / 4　Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area
0 of 1 (0%) had all four items 4 / 4　Completed deals are organised
No completed deals appear in the list 0 / 3　The conditions of use are stated
Not found 1 / 5　Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table
There is a water and sewerage page　Go and see → 3 / 5　Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope
Grants are described　Go and see → 1 / 3　There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
There is a tax page　Go and see → 0 / 2　Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like
Not found 5 / 5　Hazard maps are published by district
183 documents by district　Go and see → 5 / 5　Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered
Flood / landslide / earthquake　Go and see → 3 / 3　The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated
At the end of March 2026 Shiga Prefecture updated its projected flood inundation zones　Go and see → 2 / 4　Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)?
It appears to be a scanned-image PDF　Go and see → 3 / 3　Disasters are announced through more than one channel
Disaster email / disaster app / social media / TV and radio　Go and see → 5 / 5　A list of local speciality products is on the official site
9 items (on the city's official site)　Go and see → 1 / 3　Hometown tax results are published year by year
1 fiscal year is recorded　Go and see → 2 / 2　There are support schemes for businesses and industry
For businesses　Go and see → 2 / 4　There is a community bus timetable
There is a page　Go and see → 0 / 3　Fares are stated
Not found　Go and see → 0 / 3　The date of the last revision is given
Not found　Go and see → 3 / 3　Every page carries an updated date
18 of the 20 pages read　Go and see → 2 / 2　There is a sitemap.xml
　Go and see → 2 / 2　Site search runs on the server side
　Go and see → 1 / 2　Statistics are published as Excel or CSV
There is a statistics page　Go and see → 1 / 1　Open data is published
　Go and see →

Compare with other towns → 　For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →

Measured by this site. The URL of each official site is taken from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice. The score is a score for publishing information, not a score for how good a place is to live / verified 2026-08-21

Compare with other areas

Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.

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Compare areas by budget and region →

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