Ōtsu (大津市) is the capital
city of
Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years (15.42% of whom are under 15 and 16.81% are over 65) and a
population density of 905.28 persons per km²; the total area is 374.06 km². In the years 667 to 672, the
Ōmi Ōtsu Palace was founded by
Emperor Tenji. The
Jinshin War devastated Otsu, but a new capital
Heian-kyō (now
Kyoto) was established the immediate neighborhood in 794, and Otsu was revived as important traffic point and a satellite town of the capital. In the 12th century.
Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, is in the center of the prefecture and is also a site of significant relevance to the Japanese tourism industry. Otsu is also a sister city to
Lansing, Michigan, and has been since 1969. Otsu is also the home of Mii-dera.
(Wikipedia)The name Mii-dera literally means "Three-Well Temple". It refers to three Emperors (Tenchi, Temmu and Jito) who as newborns bathed in the temple's well. "Mii" originally meant "sacred well". The temple bell is famous for one of the Omi Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi). This temple is also the head of the TENDAIJIMON sect and is the 14th amulet-offering point of the Sacred Kannon Temples of Western Japan.