The main shopping street leading from Hikone Station toward the castle, rebuilt in the 1990s to replicate the wooden merchant-townhouse aesthetic of the Edo period. The effect is theme-park tidy but not unpleasant — the street is pedestrianised, the proportions are right, and the shops sell local crafts, Japanese sweets, lacquerware, and regional food products rather than mass-produced tourist tat.
Worth an hour before or after the castle visit. Look for shops selling Hikone's specialty: Hikonekko, a soft local confection, and the famous Ii clan red-lacquered goods. The Tameike Pond at the far end of the street makes a good place to pause before the castle climb.