Osaka wasn’t quite what we expected.

Admittedly, we are country lovers at heart, but after an unexpectedly brilliant trip to Taipei a couple of years before, we thought our views on cities had changed.

Osaka is a sprawling metropolis and, to many, full of fun and packed with highlights. The food, the freedom of expression in clothing and appearance — Osakans appear to have an individuality that differs from anywhere else in Japan we visited. 

But for us, it was more complicated than that, and that’s OK.

What defined Osaka for us, every single day, was getting lost. Not occasionally. Daily.

Some of the best travel experiences happen when you simply wander. You take a left turn down an interesting-looking alleyway and discover a hidden bar that turns an average evening into a memorable adventure. That is exactly what happened to us in Osaka, though often tinged with a sense of “I have no idea where I am” frustration.

However, once we stopped trying to force Osaka into something neat and predictable, it provided some unforgettable moments.

We were looking for a calming, nature-focused day trip from Osaka, somewhere away from the crowds. Lake Biwa drew us in. 

It is a place many visitors to Japan miss, even though it is an easy day trip from Kyoto and Osaka and offers wonderful mountain views, ropeway rides, and lakeside nature.

Discovering that Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture is Japan’s largest freshwater lake, we knew we had to add it to our itinerary.

Calling it simply “a lake” feels a bit understated. At over four million years old, it is one of the world’s oldest lakes, a colossal body of water that has shaped life in this region for millennia.

The statistics are seriously impressive, and we wanted to see it for ourselves.

We chose to visit Biwako Valley, as we were drawn by the idea of fresh, cool air, misty clouds, and mountain views. Sitting atop Mount Uchimi at 1,108 metres, we felt it was the perfect introduction.

Feet Do Travel share our visit to Lake Biwa’s Biwako Valley, and why we think it is worth a day trip.

Nara is often visited as a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka, which is exactly how we went.

Unfortunately, too many people try to rush through here, but we discovered that it’s worth slowing things down to truly appreciate what Japan’s ancient capital city has to offer.

We decided to explore Nara independently by bicycle. After days of walking around Japan, it felt like a welcome change; a rest for our weary feet, and a way to travel faster yet slower—something a little more relaxed, yet a little more fun. 

In this article, Feet Do Travel shares our day trip cycling around Nara, including the sacred deer and historic temples we visited along the way.

​We hope to show why Nara deserves a place on your Japan itinerary, but also why it is a destination best enjoyed slowly, with time to wander beyond the obvious sights.