Mt. Horai seen from Shiga, located in the northernmost part of Otsu City in Shiga Pre., is one of the three hundred famous mountains in Japan. Suddenly over 1000m from the west coast of Lake Biwa, the mountain shape is truly magnificent and so bears the name of Horai. Hourai means the place where the hermit lives, Sennin-go, and this Mt. Hourai, and the inner part of the Mt. Bunagatake belongs to the Hira Mountains, and is also known as a mountain for the mountaineering ascetic. The winter is deep with snow and the mountaintop is crowded with skiers. Now the rice planting is over and the frogs are booming.

滋賀県大津市の最北端に位置する志賀町から見る蓬莱山は日本三百名山に数えらています。琵琶湖西岸からいきなり1000mを越す山容は実に雄大で、蓬莱の名が冠せられました。蓬莱とは仙人の住む所、仙人郷と言う意味で、この蓬莱山、更に奥の武奈ケ岳一体は比良山系に属し、修験者の山としても知られています。冬は雪深く、山頂はスキー客で賑わいます。今はもう田植えも終わり、蛙が盛んに鳴いています。