Hino City offers a farm stay and a farm life experience: Exchange network of Omi Hino, Inc. 150 farmers in Hino City, Shiga Prefecture offer a farm life experience with a stay at their houses. The association has been accepting foreign tourists from China and other Asian countries as inspection tours or study tours, providing a farm stay and a farm life experience by taking advantage of easy access to Kyoto, about 90 minutes by car. [Farm life experience services] Agriculture and forestry: Rice planting, rice reaping, vegetable growing, tea picking, maintaining bamboo, etc. Life, history and culture: Strolling about town, picking edible wild plants, cooking local and traditional cuisine, baking confectioneries, crafting bamboo-ware, etc. [Accommodation] 150 host families can provide accommodation. [Access] From Kyoto: Take the rapid service of the Biwako Line from JR Kyoto Station to JR Omi-Hachiman Station (approx. 40 min.), then take the Omi Railway Kokoku Bus, Nippachi route, and get off at Hino Station (approx. 45min.). Alternatively, drive on the MEISHIN highway from Kyoto City to Hino (approx. 90 min.). From Osaka: Take the rapid service from JR Osaka Station to JR Omi-Hachiman Station (approx. 70 min.), then take the Omi Railway Kokoku Bus, Nippachi route, and get off at Hino Station (approx. 45min.). [Contact] 1-1 Kawara, Hino-cho, Gamo-gun, Shiga 529-1602 TEL: +81-748-52-6552, FAX: +81-748-52-2043 Website: http://www.omi-hino.jp/ E-mail: inakataiken. @omi-hino.jp Approx. 45 min. by bus 40 min. by train Omi Hino,Inc 45 min. by bus 30 min. by train Omi Hino Hachiman Kyoto Osaka 65 min. by train [Nearby tourist attractions] 1.5 hours by car Kansai Suzuka Quasi-National Park “Watamuki Mountain” (1100 meters elevation) International Airport Shiga Agricultural Park “Blumen Hugel” http://www.blumenooka.jp/ (Japanese) Hino City history and folk archives “Omi Hino Merchants Building” Hino City website: http://www.town.shiga-hino.lg.jp/ (Japanese) (there is a link for Omi Hino Merchants Building) .