Kyoto was Japan’s capital for more than 1,000 years and is considered the most beautiful city in the country
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for more than 1,000 years and is considered the most beautiful city in the country. Its ancient streets have been preserved through the centuries with wooden houses, more than 1,500 Buddhist temples and several hundred Shinto shrines. Kyoto is a unique place where one can visit annual Geisha festivals, hear the unique dialect and try the local delicacies. Kyoto is a favorite with tourists from all over the world.
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for more than 1,000 years and is considered the most beautiful city in the country. Its ancient streets have been preserved through the centuries with wooden houses, more than 1,500 Buddhist temples and several hundred Shinto shrines. Kyoto is a unique place where one can visit annual Geisha festivals, hear the unique dialect and try the local delicacies. Kyoto is a favorite with tourists from all over the world.
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion - Kinkaku-ji - is one of Japan’s architectural treasures, widely known for its elegant walls. It was built in the 14th century for a shogun obsessed with religion and art. After his death, the pavilion became a Buddhist temple.
In Kyoto one can still meet authentic geishas, whose role is often misunderstood outside Japan. A geisha’s most precious talents are dancing, playing the samisen, a traditional three-stringed musical instrument, keeping up small talk and singing ancient ballads during tea ceremonies.
Ryoan-ji (Temple of the Peaceful Dragon) Zen Temple in Kyoto is celebrated for its elegant simplicity. It was constructed 500 years ago but the builder is unknown. The temple is built of stone and white gravel so that at least one of fifteen rocks is hidden from sight. He who manages to see all the rocks will come closer to enlightenment.
Kiyomizu-dera is dedicated to the Japanese goddess of mercy, Kannon. Kiyomizu means pure water and a three-streamed spring gushes from the ground in the gorge at the base of the temple. It is believed the first stream gives wisdom, the second health, and the third longevity.
Endless Japanese red gates constitute vast corridors on the slopes of the hills near the Shinto shrine Fushimi Inari-taisha. The gates are called torii and are considered a roost for Sunbird. Each gate serves as a donation from individuals, organizations and companies, whose names are scratched on the vertical columns.
In the evenings, Kyoto temples are lit with paper lanterns hung under the eaves.
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