Kyoto Facts

As the ancient and spiritual capital of Japan, Kyoto affords visitors a microcosmic view of the country as a whole. Like hustling, bustling Tokyo, there are parts of the city that resemble any other Japanese metropolis, especially the downtown area, where you will find a throng of huge department stores in the vicinity of Shijo, a congregation of fine hotels around Kyoto Tower, and exciting nightlife and entertainment spots at Pontocho in the Gion district. There is, however, an important historical fact that sets Kyoto apart from other urban centers: It was never bombed during World War II. For this reason, it is possible to wander the older streets of the city and get a good idea of how life...

...should be it. Beyond the nondescript high-rises around Kyoto Station hides the Japan of your imagination: a place where you'll see geisha glide past 17th-century teahouses in Gion's narrow alleys; where you can imagine the lives of court nobility at the Imperial Palace; where you can seek contemplation in Ryoanji's Zen rock gardens and under billowing cherry trees on the Philosopher's Path. If Tokyo is the door to Japan's future, Kyoto is a window on its mysterious past.

Things to Do

Slip back to Kyoto's age of empires, wandering the moat-ringed gardens of the Imperial Palace and contemplating Nijo Castle's delicate cypress-wood carvings. The spirit of old Kyoto seeps through UNESCO-listed...