Zipangu Bridge 
Journey Around Lake Biwa, 7 
The Living Wooden Culture of Lake Biwa

Shiga Prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. Lake Biwa comprises one sixth of the area of Shiga Prefecture. People in this area have cherished the lifestyle that makes use of the water source of Lake Biwa. Shiga Prefecture has a rich history with water. Japanese legend includes the story of the birth of Lake Biwa. Like Mt. Fuji, Lake Biwa is a famous Japanese symbol. This photo magazine will introduce tourist destinations for an enriching journey around Lake Biwa. Indulge your interest in Shiga Prefecture and Japanese culture through the articles of this magazine.

In this issue, we interviewed six people on the theme "Living Wooden Culture of Lake Biwa" and presented articles that delved into the vibrant scene there. We featured six experts are those who are familiar with wooden and culture around Lake Biwa and are active in their respective fields. The area around Lake Biwa is rich in nature. In particular, forest areas make up half of Shiga Prefecture. Since ancient times, Japanese people have lived and worked on the heavily forested mountains, made wooden tools, and lived with wooden items in their lives. From woodcarving and woodturning to old and new Japanese-style houses, and gardens, both old and new, we can see that wood has always been an essential part of Japanese life. This time, we talked with the experts about Japanese wood culture that closely relates to our life. From these interviews, I hope that you can feel the rich life of Japanese woods through photographs.