NISHIYAMA RYOKAN Established in 1953

We are going to have KOTO concert at our Lobby on friday night(not every friday). The KOTO is a tradditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from chinese zithers. Koto makes sounds very beautiful and elegant . last year there are many guest come for this concert after the concert you can tough the KOTO and try to play! The charge is free and everyone can come and join the concert. The concert is not every friday nights so please ask to the recetion. next concert is 12th and 19th for this September we hope many people enjoy japanese traditional music in Japan.

As we wrote last time, we enjoyed Daimonji on 16th night. Thank you for joining us and we hope our guests enoyed it! We had more guests attending a meeting than we excepcted. The guide started to explain about Daimonji at 19:00, then more and more guests joined! They enjoyed talking with the guide also with other guests. After the meeting, we went up the roof to watch Daimonji. Many people came there, not only the guests staying at our ryokan but also the guests staying at another ryokan. These letters are to be able to watch from our roof. It was too far to take pictures. The real one is closer. It used to be able to watch 2 more letters but more high buildings have been built now a days, so we cannot watch them very much. Even though I felt summer in Kyoto. How about our gusts? I hope they did!

daimonji okuribi is a fire lit to send the souls of deceased ancestors on their way after they have returned to this world for the bon festival. In the Daimonji okuribi festival ,5 mountains are used as the stage for an okuribi of huge proportions. The festival starts at 8:00pm. Our hotel guests can enjoy this Daimonji okuribi from our Hotel roof. we can watch 3 okuribi also we are going to have English speaker interpreter at our lobby from 18:00pm. so If you do not know about this festival he can teach you in English and after that you can go up to our hotel roof and enjoy Daimonji Okuribi .

August 1st was one of our guests' birthday. He has been staying here for almost one month! He is in Kyoto to study Japanese going to school. We meet him every day and practice Japanese with him sometimes. Now, we feel like he is our friend. He is probably the first one staying with us such a long period. We appreciate him for choosing our ryokan. What I like is to talk with our guests. I am interested in where our guests come from, what is their city like... I also like to help them and hope to make their trip unforgettable. If you come to Hotel Nishiyama, please do not hesitate to speak to us!

YAKINIKU is one of very popular dishes in Japan . it is japanese grilled beef ! Japanese beef is very different from another beef. Japanese beef include very delicious fat so it is called marbled beef. the fat taste very sweet and delicious ! one of very popular japanese beef is Matsuzaka beef. Matsuzaka beef is very expencive and delicious because When they have no appetite, they are fed beer to stimulate their eating, and they also receive regular massages with straw brushes after being sprayed with japanese whiskey and are taken for daily afternoon walks. They take care Matsuzaka cattle very well to make good quality of beef! I have one favorite YAKINIKU restaurant in Kyoto. The name is HIRO they have own meat shop so it is reasonable price and serve very good quality japanese beef . sometimes hard to reserve seat but I am sure you can enjoy delicious japanese beef !

We've renewed our dining room on 1st floor recently. These are new tables and new chairs. A high dining table or a chair are usually not put on Tatami mat. Japanese style is sitting on tatami and using low dining table for eating. But our guests from foreign countries don't get used to sitting on floor. Then, we thouht that it might be unconfortable for them. Not only for them but also for aged Japanese people. That's why we switched the style like this! This might not be real Japanese style but it is not bad, isn't it? We hope that you enjoy eating dinner or breakfast with our garden! *Dining room is not always 1st floor. If it is full, 2nd floor will be provided.

Gion festival is renowned as one of Japan's three great festivals on 17th of July. There are about 32 floats on the street of downtown. Kyoto's downtown area is closed for pedestrian traffic only on the three nights leading up to the massive parade . These nights are known as Yoiyama (宵山) on July 16th, Yoiyoiyama (宵々山) on July 15th, and Yoiyoiyoiyama (宵々々山) on July 14th. The streets are lined with night stalls selling food and games. I like walking around this area at evening with wearing YUKATA. This festival climax is the procession of 32 floats,held on July 17. Each float is ornately decorated with exquisite tapestries about 12,000kg and height is about 25m. This is very beautiful parade. I went to Yoiyoiyama on 14th of July evening. I could get into one of the float It was my first time! I could really enjoy different view from the float! there are many people walking on the street and I could watch them from there! It is Parade tomorrow. If you are in Kyoto now Please enjo...