A fresh breeze blows across a wood deck with sweeping views of Lake Biwa. It feels quite cooling and refreshing. Even the drone soaring higher into the clear sky seemed to be enjoying it.

The "Biwako Terrace" opened in 2016 at "Biwako Valley" in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, located in the Hira Mountain range. Biwako Terrace has a mountain resort theme and its cafes and restaurant offer an incredible sense of openness. This summer, a north-facing terrace newly opened at the main facilities, located on Mount Uchimi whose peak is 1,108 meters above sea level. Visitors can now enjoy the scenery of northern Lake Biwa as well.

Upon reaching the summit via ropeway, it is approximately seven degrees Celsius lower than the urban area. If conditions are good, the terrace affords views of Mount Haku which extends between Ishikawa and Gifu Prefectures, and even Mount Gozaisho which extends between Shiga and Mie Prefectures.

Due to the increasing popularity of outdoor leisure in recent years, a record high of 470,000 people visited last year. The feeling of natural coolness gently enveloped visitors who had been feeling the unprecedentedly fierce heat.

Unauthorized drone video-shooting over shrines, temples, public facilities, urban districts and other places is prohibited.

The Kyoto Shimbun uses drones to shoot videos with special permission and with due consideration for safety in the vicinity.