Shizugatake & Lake Yogo

What?
Shizugatake (賤ケ岳) is a small peak at the northernmost point of Lake Biwa (琵琶湖). On the other side it straddles the much smaller Lake Yogo (余呉湖). From the top of the 421m small mountain you can take in some beautiful views of both lakes and the mountains beyond. Lake Yogo is also known as mirror lake as usually there is no to very little wind creating ideal conditions for some mirrorlike moments. In the 16th century a battle took place on Mount Shizugatake between supporters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobutaka, resulting in a defeat of the latter one. On top of the mountain there are a few references to this battle with among others a small statue.
Where?
The trail head to the top of mount Shizugatake is only a few hundred meters away from Yogo Station (余呉駅) in Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県). It can be reached from Osaka (大阪) and Kyoto (京都) in one straight line, and from Nagoya (名古屋) with a transfer in Maebara. A gentle slope through a forested area will lead you to the top of the mountain. From there you can take a quick descent to arrive at the southernmost point of Lake Yogo. Circling the lake in either direction will take you back to where you started.
URL
Shiga Tourism Official Website (Mount Shizugatake) Shiga Tourism Official Website (Lake Yogo)

I love hiking and have been doing it for a couple of years now. I am however a very cautious hiker - credit to the failed attempt at Yatsubuchi-no-taki - and to that cause I have never actually climbed in the winter season. I am still not really planning to go on multi-day strenuous hikes, but I did want to experience climbing in the snow. Shizugatake seemed to me a good starting point: a low peak with a very gentle approach and with a few escape points, but nonetheless packed with snow and with nice views.
The proximity of Lake Yogo, dubbed “mirror-lake”, was a nice bonus.

Hiking through snow is a whole different experience. For the occasion I bought some light crampons and leg protectors. The crampons gave me a little bit of extra stability, but snow kept on clotting at the bottom of my shoes which led me to take them off in the decent. The leg protectors were a better buy, as they kept my legs and trousers warm and dry.

Physically I would say hiking in snow is 30% harder than normal, but with a fairly good condition that wasn’t a problem. I found the snow to have a bigger mental impact. Where I usually walk a little faster than indicated timings, the snow really slows you down giving you the feeling that you’re not really advancing.
But as this was a short hike this didn’t lead to irritation or anything else. Eventually I enjoyed the beautiful white carpet and was lucky to see some (fleeing) deer. At the top of the mountain the views were pretty great. Not overwhelming but worth the effort. From above though, Lake Yogo didn’t look like a mirror at all - it was just a murky green pond. The views to Lake Biwa were more rewarding.

Not very easy to see, but I was up to my knees in snow.

Plowing through the beautiful white carpet.

View on nearby Nagahama City.

The battle on top of this mountain is not forgotten.

On my way back to the station I was to circle half the lake and I started to doubt whether that was a good choice. I didn’t want to divert from my plan though, being my usual cautious self. And when I arrived at the lake after a short and steep descent, I noticed that while the moniker “Mirror-Lake” is a bit far-fetched, Lake Yogo is a quite pretty and peaceful place. The faint reflections in the water are far from being a great attraction, but the many water birds and predatory birds really pulled my gaze towards the waterfront. Together with the backdrop of snowcapped mountains I felt quite happy about this easy last part of my hike.

I can imagine the place being even prettier on a clear spring day, with many of the cherry trees in bloom and the flowerbeds giving the scenery more color.
As it was though, I was already pretty content with my first real snow hike.