The is in

Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It was founded in 1996. The theme of the museum is "relationship between lakes and people" and introduces the nature and culture of

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th ol ...

, the largest and oldest lake in Japan. The Lake Biwa Museum's aquarium is one of the largest freshwater aquarium in Japan. The giant Lake Biwa catfish (

Silurus biwaensis ''Silurus biwaensis'', the giant Lake Biwa catfish or ''Biwako-o'namazu'' (ビワコオオナマズ (Japan)), is a large predatory catfish species endemic to Lake Biwa in Japan. Description The giant Lake Biwa catfish is very similar to wels cat ...

) is a popular symbol of the Lake Biwa Museum. A full-scale replica of

Maruko-bune A maruko-bune () is a type of traditional wooden sailing boat, the design of which is unique to the Lake Biwa region, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The name is related to the rounded shape of the hulls in cross section, "''maru''" meaning round in Jap ...

, a traditional wooden sailing boat of the Lake Biwa, is on the exposition in the museum. Entrance of LBM

Exhibitions

* Gallery A: Geological history * Gallery B: Human history and folklore * Gallery C: Environmental issues and ecology * Discovery room for children * Special exhibits * Outdoor exhibits * Aquarium

References

External links

Lake Biwa Museum HP
Museums in Shiga Prefecture Aquaria in Japan Kusatsu, Shiga Museums established in 1996 1996 establishments in Japan {{Japan-museum-stub