About ILOVEKYOTO.COM & Me

"Togetsu-kyo" bridge - Staple of Arashiyama tourism

I was in the US for about 10 years until 7 years ago - I was running a French inspired restaurant in Seattle, WA. From time to time then, I used to cook in the kitchen as owner chef. It was a lot of fun having been in the kitchen because I loved and still love cooking for my guests and for myself. Due to my family issue, I had to come back to Japan for good, so I sold the restaurant and settled in Kyoto after returning to Japan. Although I am originally from Tokyo, I was not very interested in going back to Tokyo because I thought living in Tokyo would be hectic for those who experienced life in a more relaxing and rich-in-nature city like Seattle.

In Fushimi (one of the 3 major Sake brewing areas in Japan), we can enjoy 17 different Sake tasting

I have been fascinated with beauty of Kyoto, and its culture, foods and the history. So, I became a licensed national tour guide 4 years ago. Tourism in Kyoto (and in other parts in Japan) has been miserably damaged by the spread of Covid-19 in the last two years, but I believe tourists will come back to Japan as the pandemic calms down and the things get back to normal. I can't wait for the day when I can take guests from all over the world to local tours in Kyoto (and adjacent prefectures including Osaka, Nara, etc.).

I launched ILOVEKYOTO.COM in 2015 and kept adding places to visit and where to eat. Although most of the cultural and historical sites/properties remain unchanged (many of them have been here for hundreds of years), some privately owned small restaurants and bars were closed permanently because of the pandemic. On the other hand, there have been new places to eat/drink in Kyoto and many of them are awesome ! I will continue to eat/drink at such places and am posting my great experiences in ILOVEKYOTO.COM so visitors from abroad would read them before deciding on where to dine.

Ichiro