About 250 residents, zero cars: it is the only inhabited lake island in Japan.
Fifteen minutes by ferry from Horikiri pier, near Omihachiman, Okishima is the only island in a Japanese lake with a permanent settlement: about 250 people live there without a single bridge linking them to the mainland. Cars are banned: you get around by bicycle or three-wheeled motor cart, and most families own a boat of their own to reach the mainland. The buses between Omihachiman Station and the pier do not run on Sundays and public holidays.
Inhabited island in Lake Biwa, administratively part of Omihachiman.
ℹ️ Ferry from Horikiri, about 15 minutes. Bus from Omihachiman to the pier: no service on Sundays and public holidays; check the timetable before setting out.
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