Kyoto
was Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until
the Meiji Restoration of 1868 when the capital was moved to
Tokyo. It is now the country's seventh largest city with a
population of 2.6 million people. Kyoto is still considered
the center of Japanese culture and is a city of revered temples
and serene gardens most of which were built for emperors,
shoguns, geishas, and monks during the period of imperial
power.
Over
the centuries, Kyoto was destroyed by many wars and fires,
but due to its historic value, the city was not chosen as
a target of air raids during World War II.
Kyoto
is in the Kansai region of Japan, located near Osaka and Kobe.
It is famous for its 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto
shrines. Kyoto features the famous Ryoan-ji temple's zen garden
and is the place where the Kyoto protocol was developed.
(In 1997, Kyoto hosted the international conference that bears
the city's name, which resulted in issuance of the protocol
on greenhouse gas emissions.)
Nestled
among mountains in Western Honshu, Kyoto has a reputation
worldwide as Japan's most beautiful city, boasting more World
Heritage sites per square inch than any other. However, most
visitors' first impressions will be of the urban sprawl of
central Kyoto, around the ultra-modern glass-and-steel railway
station.
Kyoto
does not have an airport, but it has the Shinkansen (bullet
train) from Tokyo, which is only 2 hours and 14 minutes away.
For connections to nearby cities, you can also take the private
Hankyu or Keihan lines to Osaka, or the Kintetsu line to Nara.
Highlights
of Kyoto include Nijō Castle with its series of ornately-decorated
reception rooms within the Ninomaru complex and its "nightingale
floors" : wooden flooring which makes bird-like squeaking
sounds when stepped on as a result of nail placement in the
floor joists. This was a warning system signaling an intruder
to the resident shogun?s guards. From the donjon of the inner
castle, you can get good views over the castle layout, and
the rest of the city.
The Imperial
Park is a large, peaceful area in the centre of Kyoto, centered
around the Imperial Palace. The Palace itself is only open
to visitors on pre-booked guided tours. Ryōan-ji Temple is
known for its Zen garden, which is considered to be one of
the most notable examples of the "dry-landscape"
style. Surrounded by low walls, an arrangement of fifteen
rocks sits on a bed of white gravel and is said to inspire
contemplation.
The Temple
of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuonji is the
most popular tourist attraction in Kyoto. The pavilion was
originally built as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga
Yoshimitsu in the late 12th century, and converted into a
temple by his son. Rebuilt after a deliberate fire, it has
been embellished with extra layers of gold leaf and fairly
blazes in the sunlight. Visitors follow a path through the
moss garden surrounding the pavilion.
The history
of Kyoto extends over 1200 years, and during this time various
traditional crafts have developed. Today, these traditional
crafts continue to be produced by hand and are being appreciated
and passed on to the next generation. Among these treasured
crafts is the construction of the Kyo-Ningyo, the
Kyoto doll, Kiyomizu pottery, Tegaki Yuzen,
hand dyeing, and Kyo-shikki, Kyoto lacquerware.
Kyoto
has earned a well deserved reputation as a truly vibrant cityrecognized
and appreciated, throughout Japan and the rest of the world
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