This is my second visit. It has a slightly deep and intimidating vibe, but the atmosphere is nice. I bought a CD of the nostalgic artist Asakawa Maki.

I went to Kyoto, and I couldn't leave without listening to Ayako Ono's piano! And guess what, there was a performance by Yuka Nishimura Quartet on that day! So, I walked all the way from Shijo, up along Takano River, and went there. JAZZ Cafe Muraitsu was one of the places I always wanted to visit! I used to live nearby, but I didn't know about this place. It had a very Kyoto-like atmosphere. The small interior was packed with people, it was a full house! The live performance was intense! The chiffon cake with ice cream for 400 yen was delicious! I was soothed by Nishimura's mature sound and satisfied by Ono's beautiful yet powerful piano playing that never fails. On the way back, a customer sitting next to me kindly gave me a ride to Kyoto Station. It's wonderful how you can connect through music with people you meet for the first time, even though you came from afar! I really love the atmosphere of live performances in Kansai!

I visited several jazz cafes in Kyoto based on a jazz spot map from the magazine "Swing Journal" and online searches. One of the cafes I visited was "Jazz Cafe Mura," located about a 10-minute walk from Keihan Demachiyanagi Station. They have live piano performances almost every day. During my visit, the performers were Takashi Otomo on piano and Hisao Yamamoto on bass, playing mostly standard jazz songs. Despite not being familiar with many of the songs, I enjoyed their deep interpretations. Both musicians were young and incredibly talented. Otomo, who is only 25 years old, mentioned that he usually performs in the Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka area. I was impressed by their skills and look forward to seeing them perform again. The cafe also had a pet arowana fish, which seemed to be a mascot of the place. The owner joked that they would fillet the fish for 150,000 yen, but I doubt they would actually do it even for 1 million yen. Overall, it was a pleasant experience with good coffee.