Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kinki Region, Japan

Shimogyo Ward is one of the 11 wards that make up Kyoto City. From Shijo Karasuma (Karasuma Dori) to Shijo Kawaramachi (Kawaramachi Dori) on Shijo Dori, which runs along the north side, it is one of the most popular downtown areas in Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City. Kyoto Station, which is located in the same ward, is a terminal around Kyoto City, and commercial facilities are concentrated around it, centering on the Kyoto Tower and Kyoto Station Building.

During the period of high economic miracle, the population became more and more commercialized, and the population decreased sharply. In the 1980s, the number of high-rise condominiums increased, but the population continued to decrease. Since 1995, the population has turned to an increasing trend due to the phenomenon of returning to the city center. During this period, building height regulations were tightened to improve livability. In the census conducted in 2005, it became one of the population growth districts along with the neighboring Nakagyo Ward and Minami Ward.

The main roads in the ward include Shijo-dori, Gojo-dori, Shichijo-dori, and Shiokoji-dori heading east and west, and Nishioji-dori, Senbon-dori, Omiya-dori, Horikawa-dori, Karasuma-dori, and Kawaramachi-dori heading north and south. Tokaido Station of the railway is also under the jurisdiction, and West Japan Railway Tokaido Main Line, Sanin Main Line, Nara Line, Kosei Line, Tokai Passenger Railway Tokaido Shinkansen, Kinki Nippon Railway Kyo Line, and Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line trade here.

History
The current Shimogyo Ward area is divided into Kadono-gun, Atago-gun, and Kii-gun in Yamashiro Province during the era of the province of Japan. At the end of the Heian period, it was called “Shimogyo” from the south side of Kyoto, but gradually it came to be called “Shimogyo”.

It belongs to the newly established Kyoto prefecture after the abolition of the Edo Shogunate in 1868. When Kyoto Prefecture enforced the District, Town and Village Organization Law in 1879, Kamigyo Ward and Shimogyo Ward were established under Kyoto Prefecture. The range of Shimogyo Ward was originally the slopes of Atago-gun, Rokunami, Kenjinji, Sacred Mountains, Daikokucho, Sanjo Nawateji Mansion, Toichicho, Higashihashizumecho, Gojo Higashihashizumecho, Kawarada, Sanjojo Ohashi Higashiju Gokencho, 2nd town, 3rd town, Chioninmon-mae, Gojo Shimojicho, Fukudenjicho, Hiraicho, Kamiosucho, Shijogawara, Gojogawara, Shimogyohata, Sanjoshinhata in Kadono-gun, and a tour of the reception hall.

The city system was implemented in Japan in 1889, and Kamigyo Ward and Shimogyo Ward were added to Kyoto City, but the administrative divisions of Kamigyo Ward and Shimogyo Ward are still on hold. From 1889 to 1931, Imakumano Village, Otagi District, Seikanji Village, Ouchi Village, Kadono District, Shimogyo Village, Suzakuno Village, Yanagihara Town, Kii District, Higashi Kujo Village, Kamitoba Village, and Kisshoin Village were merged into Kyoto City one after another. , Entered Shimogyo Ward. Tonori has decided to establish a new facility in Higashiyama Ward. In 1955, Kyo Station and the Tokaido Main Line were reorganized in the southern area, and Minami Ward was newly established.

Districts
Located on the south side of downtown Kyoto, it borders Higashiyama Ward in the east, Ukyo Ward in the west, Minami Ward in the south, and Nakagyo Ward in the north. Area 6.82 square kilometers. In 1879, before the Kyoto municipal organization, “Kamigyo Ward” and “Shimogyo Ward” were established in Kyoto Prefecture. In 1888, some villages in Otagi-gun were incorporated. In 1889, it became Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City with the enforcement of the Kyoto City System. In 1902 (Meiji 35), 1918 (Taisho 7), and 1931 (Showa 6), some villages in Kadono-gun and Kii-gun were incorporated. During this period, in 1929, some areas in the northern and eastern parts of the ward were separated and incorporated into the newly established Nakagyo Ward and Higashiyama Ward. Since the division of Minami Ward in 1955, it has become the current boundary area. Most of the old village areas of Atago, Kadono, and Kii districts, which were incorporated after the Meiji era, currently belong to Nakagyo Ward, Higashiyama Ward, and Minami Ward.

The Kamo River runs on the east side of the ward to form a ward boundary, and the JR Tokaido Main Line (JR Kyoto Line / Biwako Line) and the Tokaido Shinkansen run on the east side of the ward to form a ward boundary, and Kyoto Station is located in this ward. .. There are other sightseeing spots in the ward such as Kyoto Tower, Higashi Honganji, Nishi Honganji, and Kyoto Railway Museum (Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum).

Historic sites

Kyoto tower
Kyoto Tower is a tower located in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is operated by Keihan Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. of the Keihan Group. It stands in front of the Karasuma Central Exit of Kyoto Station. The height including the Kyoto Tower Building, which is the pedestal, is 131 meters, which is the tallest building in Kyoto City. In 1953 (Showa 28), it was decided that the Kyoto Central Post Office, which was built on the land on the north side of Kyoto Station, would be relocated, and the use of the site after the relocation was being considered. In addition, this land is directly in front of Kyoto Station, the main entrance of Kyoto, an international cultural tourism city, and there was a need for land utilization that is suitable and rich in public nature. The establishment of Bussan Tourism Center Co., Ltd. (later Kyoto Industrial Tourism Center Co., Ltd.) was decided at a round-table conference hosted by the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce, and it was established on April 11, 1959.

Initially, it was considered to build an observatory on the roof, but it was not expected to build a huge tower. However, as a result of the examination, it was found that the tower can be built without affecting the inside of the building so much, and it will be built by the design management of Mamoru Yamada (architect) and the structural design of Professor Ryo Tanahashi, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University. It became a thing. At this time, an elegant design with a white cylinder was adopted, saying that a rugged tower made of mere steel is not suitable for the front entrance of Kyoto. It is said that a carbon dioxide semi-automatic welding machine was used extensively for construction for the first time in Japan.

Due to elevator renovation work and repainting of the outer wall toward the 50th anniversary of the opening of 2014 (Heisei 26), the restaurants in the observation room and pedestal building will be open from December 2, 2012 to 2013. It will be closed until March (2013) and will be reopened from April 1st. Taking this renewal as an opportunity, the restaurant changed its business form to a lounge that also offers coffee shops and light meals. The hotel and souvenir shop were still open during the construction period.

An oval observatory (charged) is installed in the upper part of the tower, and the inside has a two-layer structure. Binoculars are also available and can be used free of charge. As for the exterior, the tower part is based on milky white color, and the observatory and a part of the upper part are red. In addition, the Keihan Electric Railway (Keihan), a group company, has installed advertisements in the tower building section to encourage use from Kyoto Station to Gion and Shimizu via JR Tofukuji Station. There are legal restrictions on the exterior paint color, which is white and red. This is because it corresponds to a building with a height of more than 60 meters above the ground, and if a high-intensity aviation obstruction light is not installed, it must have a red-and-white striped pattern (same as a steel tower or chimney).

Kyoto Station
Kyoto Station is a station of West Japan Railway Company (JR West), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai), Kinki Nippon Railway Company (Kintetsu), and Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau (Kyoto Municipal Subway) in Shimokyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture.

It is an ordinance-designated city, one of the major cities in the Kinki region, and the central station that serves as the gateway to Kyoto City, which accepts a huge number of tourists throughout the year, and serves as a base for sightseeing in Kyoto for domestic and foreign tourists. There is. In addition to all Tokaido Shinkansen trains stopping, limited express trains connecting various places such as Hokuriku, Sanin, Kansai Airport and Nanki, and Kintetsu to Nara, Kashihara Jingu and Ise-Shima depart and arrive. JR is the station with the largest number of departures and arrivals for limited express trains on conventional lines in Japan.

Not only tourists, but also many commuter students in Kyoto city or on each line, and the average number of passengers getting on and off each day is 700,000, which is one of the leading terminal stations in Japan. Selected as one of the 100 best stations in Kinki. The current station building completed in 1997 was designed by Hiroshi Hara, who is known for his works such as the Umeda Sky Building. Many commercial facilities and hotels for tourists are concentrated around the station, but it is far from Shijo Kawaramachi, which is the central downtown area of ​​Kyoto City. Therefore, a large number of fixed-route buses that mainly depart and arrive at the bus terminal in front of the station connect Shijo Kawaramachi and tourist spots scattered throughout the city.

Nishi Honganji Temple
Nishi Honganji is a Buddhist temple located in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City. It is the head temple of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji school. The mountain number is Mt. Tatsuya. The official name is Ryukokuzan Honganji, and the name as a religious corporation is Honganji. The chief priest of Honganji becomes the master of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji school. To distinguish it from “Higashi Honganji” (official name “Shinshu Main Mausoleum”), which is the head temple of the Shinshu Otani school, the head temples of both schools are often called by common names. It is also known by the citizens of Kyoto as Mr. Onishi. It was built in 1272 as the mausoleum of Shinran in the land of Yoshimizu in Higashiyama, Kyoto. After that, the place changed, such as being persecuted by Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei, and moved to the present location from Tenma Osaka with the donation of Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1591 (see the “History” section below for details).

In 1591, the temple was donated by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and the temple was relocated from Tenma Osaka to the current Horikawa Rokujo. The mausoleum moved to Higashiyama Gojozaka Nishi Otani at the beginning of the Edo period and is now the “Otani Hombyo”. In the 7th year of Keicho (1602), Ieyasu Tokugawa set up a retreat (including Mikage-do and Amida-do) in the temple of Honganji Temple by order of Hideyoshi Toyotomi against the background of Emperor Goyosei’s permission, and he was retired to the north. The temple territory was donated to Karasuma Shichijo to Kyonyo (the eldest son of the 11th Kosa), and Honganji was officially divided into the west (Honganji school) and the east (Otani school).

At that time, in the Edo Shogunate, Junnyo (the third son of Kosa) at that time was on the side of the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara, so there was an idea that Kyōnyo would be the master instead of Junnyo, but the power of Shinshu. After all, it was decided to separate from the idea that it was effective in scraping. That said, Kyōnyo originally had his own sect since the Ishiyama War, and the sect was already in a state of division.

At the beginning of the separation, Junnyo’s “Honganji” was called “Honganji”, “Rokujomon Ruins”, “Main Gate”, “Nishimonzeki”, etc., and Kyonyo’s “Honganji” was “Shinjyoin Honganji”, “Honganji Retirement”, ” It was called “Nanajo Honganji”, “Shinmon”, “Higashimonzeki”, etc. For convenience, the Honganji Temple of Karasuma Shichijo on the east side of the Honganji Temple of Horikawa Rokujo was commonly called “Higashi Honganji Temple”, so the Honganji Temple of Horikawa Rokujo was relatively known as “Nishi Honganji Temple”.

Higashi Honganji Temple
Higashi Honganji is the head temple of the Shinshu Otani school (hereinafter referred to as the Otani school) located in Karasuma Shichijo, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. The name of Higashi Honganji is a popular name, and the official name is “Shinshu Honma”. The popular name “Higashi Honganji” comes from the fact that it is located to the east of “Nishi Honganji” (official name “Honganji”) in Horikawa Shichijo.

According to the Otani-ha’s highest standard, “Shinshu Otani-ha Soken” (hereinafter “Soken”), “The Shinsou Honma is a sanctuary centered on Mikage-do and Amida-do, where the true shadows of the ancestral saints are enshrined. Also known as Honganji Temple, it is the center of reverence for the main school and the root dojo for the proclamation of teaching. ” Higashi Honganji Temple (Otani-ha Shrine) is not a unit religious corporation (comprehensive religious corporation) included in the comprehensive religious corporation “Otani-ha” and does not have legal personality. It is a general term for worship facilities (cathedrals) managed by the Otani faction, and is not a temple under the Religious Corporation Law. (For the classification of religious corporations under the Religious Corporation Law, see Religious Corporations # Unit Religious Corporations and Comprehensive Religious Corporations.)

Wataruen
Shosei-en Garden is the precincts of the main temple of the Shinshu Otani school, Shinsou Honma (Higashi Honganji Temple), located in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is located about 150 meters east of Higashi Honganji Temple and forms a square of about 200 meters square. Area 3.4 hectares. It borders Ainomachi-dori in the west, Kawaramachi-dori in the east, Kamitama-dori in the north, and Shimo-dori-dori in the south. The name is named after the poet Tao Yuanming’s “Sonji Joju” in the Six Dynasties of China. In addition, because the shells were planted around it, it is also known as the “house of shells”. In December 1936, it was designated as a national scenic spot.

It is said to be the hometown of Rojo Kawarain, which was created by Emperor Saga’s 12th child, Minamoto no Toru, at the end of the 9th century, imitating the scenery of Oshu and Shiogama. The names of places such as Shiogama-cho and Shiokoji-dori, which are still in the vicinity, are said to be remnants of them. In the 18th year of Kanei (1641), Iemitsu Tokugawa donated to Higashi Honganji Temple. In the 2nd year of Jōō (1653), it was created by Jozan Ishikawa as a Shoin-style strolling garden.

Since then, it has played an important role as an excelave precinct of Higashi Honganji Temple, such as being used as a retreat for the gate and a reception place for foreign guests throughout the early modern period. In addition, from the 6th year of Enpo (1678) to the 4th year of the Horeki (1754), the school dormitory of Higashi Honganji Temple (Fuchigen of Otani University) was placed adjacent to the west. In the park, there are thirteen views of Rai Sanyo, including the vast Ingetsu Pond, which occupies one-sixth of the entire site. There are 3 tea rooms with seats, and the garden hall, which was the Buddhist temple of the 21st generation Kyoyo (Mitsukatsu Otani), and other elegant buildings. Inside the shrine, works by Jozan Ishikawa, Einō Kano, and Shiko Munakata remain.

The garden retains its original appearance, but it was destroyed by two disasters in the 5th year of Ansei (1858) and the 1st year of the Genji era (1864). The current building was rebuilt from the first year of Keio (1865) to the beginning of the Meiji era. A large pond over 7,000 m2 is called “Yin Yue Pond”, and in the olden days, the water of the Takase River was drawn. When the Lake Biwa Canal opened in the Meiji era, hydrophobic water was drawn from the rise by a special iron pipe for the fire protection fountain of Higashi Honganji Temple, and this water was also drawn into the Wataruen Garden.

Bukkoji Temple
Bukkoji Temple is the head temple of the Shinshu Bukkoji Temple in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. The mountain number is Mt. Shibuya (Mt. When the temple was located in Shibuya, Kyoto (late 1300s-early 1400s), it was far more powerful than the Honganji temple of the same Jodo Shinshu sect. It is sometimes written in a new font as “Bukkoji”, but the official notation is “Bukkoji”. In the first year of Jōgen (1205), the devoted Buddha was suspended, and Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu sect, was exiled to Echigo (Jogen’s law).

According to the temple, Shinran returned to Kyoto in the second year of Kenryaku (1212), the year after his pardon, founded Ichiu in Yamashiro Kuniyama Kago, and received a request from Emperor Juntoku for “Prince Shotoku”. It was named “Koryu Shohoji”. This is the later Bukkoji Temple, and it is said that Shinran entrusted this temple to his disciple Shinbutsu, and then set out for the Kanto region to spread the application of Amida Buddha. However, there are few grounds other than the temple tradition for Shinran to build Koshoji Temple in Yamashina, and as a historical fact, the theory that it went directly to the Kanto area from the exile destination Echigo is predominant. In addition, some of the old Shinran folklore paintings at Bukkoji Temple are said to have headed to Kanto after returning to Kyoto (without building Koshoji Temple) and visiting Ise Jingu (described later). There is also a view among the Araki monks that there has been a long tradition of heading to the Kanto region after returning to Kyoto.

Gojo Ohashi
Gojo Ohashi is a bridge built on the Kamo River, a first-class river that flows through Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is used as part of Gojo-dori (National Highway No. 1 and National Highway No. 8). The Kamo River near the bridge is the boundary between Shimogyo Ward and Higashiyama Ward. From the bridge, you can see the mountains of Higashiyama.

From ancient times, it was bridged from Rakuchu to the eastern bank of the Kamo River, especially for visiting Kiyomizu-dera. At that time, it was a wooden bridge that spanned Matsubara Bridge, not the current location, and the folding screen depicting the figure at that time was divided into two bridges via Nakasu, where there is a shrine dedicated to the water god in the center of Kamogawa. The current Gojo Ohashi Bridge was rebuilt in March 1959 due to the widening of Gojo Dori. The balustrade of the bridge is made of stone, but 16 giboshi of the original shape are attached to the left and right.

Kakuya
Sumiya is an ageya (restaurant / feast facility) that was originally open in Shimabara Hanamachi, Kyoto (currently Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto). The building has been designated as a national important cultural property and has been open to the public since 1998 as the “Sumiya Motenashi Cultural Museum”.

The Kakuya building is a two-story wooden structure, and the roof is gabled, stile, moss and copper-roofed. It is built facing the east on the street of Ageya Town. It consists of a front building facing the street and an inner building on the west side of the courtyard, and both are connected at the entrance to form a single building. The front ridge is a lattice structure with a frontage of 31.5 meters. The old part is believed to have been built around Kanei 18 (1641), when Kakuya moved from Rokujo Misuji Town, but it has undergone frequent expansion and renovation since then. At Kakuya, a board drawing from the Enpo era (1673-1680) remains, and it is believed that the main parts of the front and back buildings had been completed by this time. In 1786, the neighboring land was purchased and the building site was expanded to the south, and the “Ogi no Ma” on the 2nd floor was an extension of the 7th year of Tenmei (1787). There are other extensions and remodeling, and the floor plan is complicated.

Wachigai-ya
Wachigai-ya is an Okiya and teahouse in Shimabara, Hanamachi, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is still in business. The company was founded in the first year of Genroku (1688) as an Okiya. The name of the Okiya at the time of its establishment was “Yokaro”. Teahouse side business started in 1872. The current building was rebuilt in Ansei 4 (1857), and in 1871 it became almost its current appearance. It used to have geisha, etc., but now it has only tayu, and it is a place for tayu education and a banquet hall. There is a “viewing abandonment” tag on the table (so-called “reservation-san’s notice” shop).

The building was designated as a tangible cultural property (building) designated by Kyoto City in 1984. The “Umbrella Room”, which is the umbrella used during the Tayu journey, is attached to the fusuma, and the “Autumn Leaves Room,” which is modeled using real autumn leaves and has colored walls, is characteristic. Both were originally the owner’s rooms. The umbrella between the umbrellas contains the letters “high” (to be exact, the same as the “high” font of the Takashimaya mark), which is derived from the fact that the surname of the owner was “Takahashi”. .. The folding screen of Isami Kondo is on the first floor, and the hanging scroll of Kogoro Katsura is on the second floor.

It is famous for Jiro Asada’s novel and the TV drama “Wachigaiya Itosato”, but there is no record that Wachigaiya was in Wachigaiya. It is here that he held “Sakuragi Tayu”, who was said to be the “famous flower of the Meiji Restoration” (the episode in the novel / drama in which Itori becomes “Sakuragi Tayu” is fixed.

Yanagihara Bank
Yanagihara Bank is a private bank established in Yanagihara Town, Kyoto Prefecture (currently Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City) in the Meiji era. It is the only bank in Japan established by the residents of the Buraku people, and has leather dealers as its business partners.

It was founded in 1899 (Meiji 32) by Akashi Minzo, who was also an experienced mayor of Yanagihara Town (Chongjin area). After that, the business area expanded to the entire city of Kyoto, and in 1920 (Taisho 9), the name was changed to Yamashiro Bank. However, during the Showa financial crisis of 1927 (Showa 2), a run on the bank caused a run on the bank and the company was closed, and then went bankrupt. The existing building was converted into a store, etc., and then registered as a tangible cultural property registered by Kyoto City in 1994, and opened as the Bank of Yanagihara Memorial Museum in 1997.

Cultural tradition

Kyoto Railway Museum
The Kyoto Railway Museum is a railway museum that opened on April 29, 2016 in Kankiji-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Transportation Culture Promotion Foundation. A part of the collection of the Modern Transportation Museum, which closed on April 6, 2014, and the collection of the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, which closed on August 30, 2015, are exhibited. , Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum was expanded and renewed, and the grand opening was held on April 29, 2016 (Heisei 28). For the opening work of the Kyoto Railway Museum, a dedicated inspection and repair warehouse (second inspection and repair warehouse) specializing in dismantling inspections and repairs of steam locomotives was newly established. In the second inspection and repair warehouse, a crane that can lift a steam locomotive is installed, and a part of the facility is covered with glass so that the work scenery can be observed from the outside.

The total exhibition area is about 31,000 m2, and at the time of opening, the Railway Museum of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) (Omiya-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture) and the Linear Railway Museum of Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai) (Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture) It is the largest railway museum in Japan in terms of area and number of vehicles on display (Minato-ku, Ichiko-ku) (the largest railway museum in Japan has been surrendered due to the expansion of the railway museum in July 2018). It is also a feature of the museum that many of the first manufactured cars, so-called “top numbers”, are stored in the collection vehicles of the museum. In addition, since the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum era, some of the facilities on the premises also retain the function of a vehicle base (Umekoji Rail Depot). In addition, signs are also installed on the exhibition service line, which is treated as a business line.

Ryukoku University
Ryukoku University is a private university in Japan headquartered in 67 Fukakusa Tsukamotocho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It was installed in 1922. It originates from a school dormitory established in 1639 by Ryōnyo, the 13th sect of Nishi Honganji, as an educational institution for monks north of Motoyama Amitabha. The founding spirit (school lessons, philosophies, scholarship) seeks the truth, lives in the truth, and reveals the truth. In 2012, “You, Unlimited” was established as a university brand slogan.

Ryukoku Museum
The Ryukoku Museum is Japan’s first comprehensive Buddhist museum located in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It opened in 2011 in front of the Mikagedo Gate of the World Heritage Nishi Honganji Temple. Established and operated by Ryukoku University.

As part of Ryukoku University’s 370th anniversary project, it opened on April 5, 2011, the 750th anniversary of Shinran. The theme of the exhibition room on the 3rd floor is “Japanese Buddhism”, and Buddhist-related works including national treasures and important cultural properties owned by Ryukoku University will be exhibited. The theme of the exhibition room on the 2nd floor is “Buddhism in Asia”, and in addition to the collection of the Otani expedition, the corridor of Bezeklik Cave Temple No. 15 in Turfan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will be reproduced in full size with the cooperation of NHK.

Gion Festival
The Kyoto Gion Festival is a festival of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine) in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, and was called the Gion Gion Festival until the Meiji era. It is a summer tradition in Kyoto that has continued since the Jōgan era (9th century).

Festival events are roughly divided into those sponsored by Yasaka Shrine and those sponsored by Yamahocho. In general, the events organized by Yamahocho are often recognized as “Gion Matsuri”, and only the Yamahoko events are designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties. The highlight of the events organized by Yamahocho is divided into two festivals, the pre-festival and the post-festival, depending on when the floats are installed. The Yamahoko events are “Yoiyama” (Yoyama, meaning the eve of the festival. Pre-festival: July 14-16, post-festival: July 21-23), “Yamaho-ko” (pre-festival: July 17) After-festival: July 24th) is famous. The Shinto rituals sponsored by Yasaka Shrine are famous for “Mikoshi Watari Go” (Mikoshi: July 17th, Return: July 24th) and “Mikoshi Washing” (July 10th, July 28th). The Hanagasa tour (July 24) sponsored by “” can also be said to be an event on the Yasaka Shrine side.

Yoiyama is also known as the folding screen festival because treasures such as traditional folding screens are also shown at old houses and long-established stores. In addition, the floats, which are important tangible folk cultural assets decorated with various arts and crafts, travel on public roads, so they can be compared to a “moving museum”. Gion Matsuri is one of the three major festivals. The three major festivals in Kyoto (others are the Aoi festival of Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine, the era festival of Heian Jingu), the three major festivals in Japan (the others are the Tenjin festival in Osaka, the Sanno festival in Tokyo, and the Kanda festival), and the three major Hikiyama festivals in Japan (others). It is one of the Takayama Festival in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, the Chichibu Night Festival in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture), and the three major beauty festivals in Japan (the others are the Takayama Festival and Chichibu Night Festival mentioned above), and is one of Japan’s leading festivals.

One of the great features and charms of Gion Matsuri is that the floats are decorated with various wonderful crafts such as splendid textiles, dyeing, hardware, and sculptures. Take a closer look at the art decorations of the floats, which can be said to be the crystals of the beauty of the east and west, and touch a part of the depth of the Gion Festival.

Natural space

Umekoji Park
Umekoji Park is a municipal city park (general park) that straddles Kankiji-cho, Hachijobomon-cho, and Umekoji-to-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. Based on the designated manager system, it is operated and managed by the Kyoto City Greenery Association. The southern part of the park corresponds to Taira no Kiyomori’s mansion Nishihachijo. A comprehensive park managed by Kyoto Municipal to commemorate the 1200th anniversary of the relocation of the capital to Heian, on the site of the Japan Freight Railway (JR Freight) Umekoji Station (currently Kyoto Freight Station), which was relocated in March 1990. .. The area is 117,133m2, and the park was opened on April 29, 1995 (Heisei 7).

There are facilities such as Lawn Square, Central Square, Forest of Life, Suzaku Garden, Green House, Suzaku Yume Square, and Streetcar Plaza. The vast site may be used for various events (greening fair, circus, Kyoto music expo, etc.). On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, the trains of the Kyoto tram of the Meiji era (guided by the name of “Chinchin train”) are preserved and operated on the railroad track connecting Suzaku Yume Square and the tram open space. In addition to the Kyoto Aquarium on the northeast side of the park, there was the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum operated by JR West on the opposite side of the Sanin Main Line (Sagano Line) on the west side of the park (at the Kyoto Railway Museum described later). The museum was closed on August 30, 2015 for expansion and renovation).

As the closest station to the venue of the “11th National Urban Greening Fair” held in this park, the Greening Fair Umekoji Station was set up only for about two months from September 23 to November 20, 1994. is there.

Kyoto Aquarium
The Kyoto Aquarium is an aquarium in Umekoji Park in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City. It is an inland aquarium that opened on March 14, 2012, and is Japan’s first fully artificial seawater-based aquarium.

It is the first aquarium in Japan that uses artificial seawater with a usage rate of 100%, and is also one of the largest inland aquariums in Japan. It is one of the core facilities of Umekoji Park near Kyoto Station, and ORIX Real Estate manages and operates it as a designated manager by renting a part of the park and the adjacent land from Kyoto City (general management work). ORIX Facilities Corporation, a building management company within the Daikyo Group, will be operated by ORIX Aquarium Corporation).

Approximately 250 species and a total of approximately 15,000 animals, including the giant salamander, a national special natural monument that inhabits the Kamogawa River that flows through the local area, as well as harbor seals and African penguins, are on display. The total capacity of the aquarium is about 3,000 tons. About 90% of the total amount of seawater required will be covered by artificial seawater produced by Taisei Corporation’s high-performance filtration system, which is designed and constructed. The building has 3 floors above ground and 1 floor of a tower, with a building area of ​​5,948.25m2, a total floor area of ​​10,974.29m2, and a maximum capacity of 5,000 people. The construction cost is about 6 billion yen (total investment amount is not disclosed). In the first year, we are aiming for 2 million visitors.