Nagahama Castle stands by Lake Biwa and is known as a castle which brought great success to Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The interior of the castle is an historical museum introducing the history and culture of the northern part of Lake Biwa, Kohoku. The top floor of the castle, the ‘donjon’, is now a lookout enabling a panoramic view of the lake and the city. The nearby park, Houkouen, is a well known spot for cherry blossoms and sunsets. The place is also a good spot for a beautiful and relaxing lake-side walk.

Nagahama Hikiyama (Float) Matsuri (festival) having more than 400 years of history is known as one of the three great float festivals of Japan. In this museum, gorgeous and splendid floats actually parading around the city are exhibited. A movie showing highlights of the festival, such as kabuki played by boys aging from 5 to 12 just like the old days, are screened.

A guesthouse constructed by a business tycoon of Nagahama, Matazo Asami, for the Meiji Emperor when he made an official visit to Nagahama. The garden in this guesthouse is designed by Jihei Ogawa, who designed the Garden of Heian Jingu (Shrine) in Kyoto, and is designated as a national scenic garden. Also, this guesthouse is a venue for Nagahama Bonbaiten (exhibition of Japanese apricot trees in Bonsai style), an early spring event, from January 20.

There are 3 buildings within the Square.  The old Nagahama station house is the oldest existing station house in Japan and its station master’s room and waiting room are kept as they were in the old days.  In the second building, the Nagahama Railway Cultural Pavilion, a large number of valuable materials on railways are exhibited.  In the third building, the Museum for Commemoration of the Electrification of Hokuriku Line, steam locomotives which were in full operation, such as Model ED 70 or D51, before electrification are exhibited.

Kunitomo, known as one of three great gun manufacturing sites during Sengoku period (Age of Provincial Wars), was noted as manufacturing the most accurate harquebus of those days.  In the resource center, materials and history on the introduction of guns to Japan are exhibited.  In addition, visitors can learn of the contribution of Ikkansai Kunitomo, a famous inventor known as the “Edison of the Orient”.

Antique crafts, such as wood carvings, festival furnishing goods, etc., are exhibited in this museum.  Especially, combs and Japanese hairpins made from the Edo period through the Taisho period are impressive and attractive.

This Hall, as a building, is very elegant with a black plastered wall.  The building was constructed as a bank in 1900.  It was restructured as a tourist attraction in 1988.  Various types of glass ware are sold in the Hall.

The museum building was a traditional merchant house built on Hokkoku Kaido, which was transformed to a museum exhibiting glass art works.  The exhibits are mainly European glass works but cover a variety of glass works from ancient to modern glass art works from around the world.

Miniature toys called figures, a recent boom for collection, depicting dinosaurs, animation characters, etc., are exhibited in a diorama style.  Those figures are sold in a shop on the first floor of the museum.

Four facilities are allocated surrounding Shoubuike (Lake Shoubu).  Those facilities are: a study hall for local history, exhibiting panels on Oichi no Kata (Lady Ichi), Chacha (daughter of Oichi no Kata), Ito Hime (Princess Ito) Hall which introduces a history of sericulture, a traditional industry in Japan.

This museum introduces and facilitates understanding of great works of 5 great forefathers(Souou Kashou, Kaihou Yushou, Enshuu Kobori, Katsumoto Katagiri, Kozan Ono) related to this region through an exhibition of their personal mementos, resource material, etc. and images.