First time at Kyoto Tower. First time at JR Nagaokakyo Station. I've been to Kyoto many times and highly recommend Shimogamo Shrine and other Kyoto sightseeing spots.

#KyotoTour #KyotoTower #ShimogamoShrine I always take the Hankyu Kyoto Line, so I've never been to see Kyoto Tower, but today I happened to get off the Hankyu train and change to the JR Nagaokakyoshi Station, and as I was walking, I saw Kyoto Tower. I've always wanted to see it, so I was glad. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I've been going to Kyoto every month for mini-trips. My favorite is Shimogamo Shrine, and I've been there many times throughout the year. It's really beautiful, there are a lot of events, and it's fun...The most recent one I went to was the Mitarashi Festival at the end of last month. It's really fun...It's a festival that only lasts about one week a year, so I want you to go at least once...It's a festival that I really recommend. Takasegawa...The Takasegawa River that flows next to Pontocho is a small river, but it's surrounded by greenery and has a lot of atmosphere, and it's a very beautiful river. It's also the setting for Mori Ogai's novel "Takase-bune." Pontocho...A Japanese-style folk song that every Japanese person knows. Pontocho is famous for the lyrics, "The snow that falls on the high peaks of Mt. Fuji and the snow that falls in Kyoto's Pontocho..." It is in the central ward of Kyoto City and is lined with old-fashioned buildings. Recently, there has been an increase in stylish restaurants that make use of old exteriors, and the restaurant in Pontocho that I visited earlier this month, "Robin", was in an old building with a retro-modern atmosphere...it was a very stylish restaurant. Horikawa Sanjo Yasaka Shrine...A branch of Yasaka Shrine, its official name is "Yasaka Shrine Matatabisha"...It is located in the Horikawa Sanjo shopping district and is a shrine that is cherished by the locals. When the summer Tanabata Festival was held this year for the first time in four years, it was very lively. "Mikane Shrine" A very famous shrine that is said to grant benefits for wishes related to money. It is said that if you pray at the golden torii gate for various victories in areas such as asset management and securities trading, your prayers will come true. In fact, the shrine is actually a place where architectural dies, architectural designs, shipbuilding, and other architecture-related dies are offered. They also have golden ginkgo stickers as talismans, which are said to be good to put on your smartphone or put in your wallet. I keep one inside my smartphone case. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was always traveling abroad, and in particular I only went to Kyoto once or twice for day trips because it's just next door, but once you start going there...it's an ancient capital after all...and it's deep. It's only since I started traveling there that I've realized that it's elegant, beautiful, and truly a wonderful city that represents Japan.