80302-0096-PP - Otsu and Lake Biwa

Otsu City and Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture as seen from Miidera, a Buddhist temple also known as Enjoji. The canal is the Lake Biwa Waterway (Biwako Sosui) designed by Sakuro Tanabe to generate electricity and supply drinking water for Kyoto City, as well as facilitate transportation. This photo is believed to have been taken shortly after the opening of the canal in 1890 (Meiji 23).