Gradually it got lighter. As you can see, this particular road on the northern shore goes up surprisingly high. This end of the lake is almost uninhabited - amazing, since the population crunch is so severe elsewhere in the Kansai, and since it's so beautiful. The tiny fishing and farming villages that you do come across probably haven't changed much for decades. At the bottom of this hill is one small fishing village (Kannoura) that I immediately marked down for a future overnighter.

Back to my first solo trip. I spent the night at a minshuku at the northernmost tip of the lake - unfortunately inland. No matter - they treated me to a wonderful dinner of fresh vegetables, the famous "Biwagamo" duck grilled right at the table (more than I could possibly eat), and even some hot-buttered clams. (Needless to say, one of the best things about any minshuku is the food.) At the crack of dawn I set out again and immediately started going up hills, but with some great views to compensate in the very early morning.