Samegai Trout Farm
Opened in 1878, one of Japan's oldest trout farms, with the breeding ponds open to visitors.
piggybackjapan.com
Samegai Trout Farm
SaveOpened in 1878, one of Japan's oldest trout farms, with the breeding ponds open to visitors.
In the Fureai stream, water sits below a small child's knees and trout swim close enough to touch.
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- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Green = we confirmed it. Grey = not checked yet. Grey with a line through = the place does not have it.
Near here
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
Part 1: a full day of hands-on things to do at Samegai Trout Farm, for grown-ups and children
Feed comes by the bucket and the water boils when you throw it. The learning hall has a mini aquarium and 13 stamps.
furusato-maibara.com2022
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
Lure fishing all year at Samegai Trout Farm, plus fishing, water play and a mini aquarium for children
The stream is 28cm deep and 12C all year: bring sandals, towels, a change. Nappy change and a nursing room on site.
kids.rurubu.jp2026
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Fun to catch, good to eat: a day at Samegai Trout Farm
The small pond: 150 yen each, rod and bait. Three children landed seven fish; grilling came to 4,500 yen.
ameblo.jp2026
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
More than fishing: a river-fish theme park in the wild, and the days you get in free
Two car parks and two entrances, 400 yen for a car. Third Sunday of the month is free for families living in Shiga.
news.p-mom.net2023
Samegai Trout Farm · Links & reads ▾
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Basics
- Fee：Admission is 570 yen for adults and 340 for university students; primary, junior-high and high-school students get in free, as do prefecture residents aged 65 and over and visitors with a disability, on showing proof. Prices changed on 1 April 2025. Parking is run privately and charged separately - 400 yen for a car, 200 for a motorbike. Fishing costs more again: a 150-yen ticket at the bait ponds (rod and bait included, primary school age up), with every fish you catch bought at 240 yen per 100g, and 200 yen a fish to have a small one grilled on the spot. Groups of 30 or more get 20 per cent off admission, 300 or more 30 per cent.■■
- Hours：Gates open at 8:30, but at 9:00 on weekdays. Closing is 17:00 from February to June and September to November, 18:00 in July and August, and 16:00 in December and January. Closed every Wednesday - except during the Japanese school summer holidays, when it stays open - and from 28 December to 4 January. Heavy rain that swells and muddies the river inside the grounds can close it at no notice; that happened for two days running in June 2026.■■
- Time needed：180 min
- Booking：You can just turn up, groups included; the one thing that needs booking is the screening room, if you want to watch the farm's introductory video. The fishing is split: the bait ponds take no booking, but the natural river beat has to be booked by phone the day before, and the group trout fishing in the Fureai river needs ten people and a week's notice. The summer children's fish class is phone booking only.■■Official booking site ↗
evidence & sources (5)
- Official: Steps & slope caution, Family restroom, Outside food allowed
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: Outside food allowed
- Official: Stroller access notes
Spring water from a limestone cave under Mount Ryozen feeds the ponds, and it stays at 12C all year. The Fureai stream is not for swimming; it reaches about knee height on a small child. No swimsuit is needed, but there is nowhere to change, so bring dry clothes. Bait fishing needs no booking; a 150-yen ticket includes rod and bait. Every fish you hook must be bought, so with small children pick the pond of smaller trout. Small ones can be grilled on the spot.
| Steps & slope caution | Barrier-free | There is nowhere on site a wheelchair cannot go, the fishing areas included. There is dedicated accessible parking, an accessible toilet, and wheelchairs to borrow. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samegai.siga.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family restroom | Yes | An accessible toilet on site. Changing table inside it: not stated. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samegai.siga.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | Most of it is outdoors - ponds, the Fureai river, the fishing areas. The indoor part is the Fish Study Hall in the main building, with its mini aquarium and video corner. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samegai.siga.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | Barbecues are out: there are no barbecue facilities and bringing your own equipment is banned, in the car park and the riverside open spaces as well. Ordinary packed lunches: not stated. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samegai.siga.jpsamegai.siga.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | This is a place to reach by car - about 10 minutes from Maibara IC on the Hokuriku Expressway, 20 from Sekigahara IC on the Meishin. From JR Samegai station it is about an hour on foot, there is no public bus, and no taxi waits at the station; the shared taxi has to be booked with Omi Taxi (0749-52-8200) at least 60 minutes before you want to leave. Note the station is written Samegai with a ga, the farm without. The private car park holds 200 cars at 400 yen. Obon brings heavy crowds and traffic on the approach roads. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | samegai.siga.jpsamegai.siga.jp |
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller rental | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
Not checked yet (6)
Best-fit ages (guide), Child switch (rider swap), Official family-friendly certification, Quietness (guide), Crowding (guide), Lost-child support