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| Thursday, April 13, 2006 |
| Kyoto - An Introduction |
I was lucky enough in my 18 months in Japan to do quite a bit of travelling and Kyoto was one of my favourite places. I’ve been there 3 times and have seen most of the major tourist attractions there. If you had one day to spend in Japan I would recommend this place, it is the cultural heart of Japan and many areas have remained for hundreds of years. Rather than post a mile long rant I will post a series of short articles on the places I have been to and things I have done there in the hope to give you some useful information on this amazing place.
Before I wrap up I’ll give you some brief history and info about Kyoto. Kyoto was originally Japans capital city with the imperial family living there from 794. They later moved to Edo now known as Tokyo in 1868 during the Meiji restoration. It was spared the ravages of WWII and was thankfully never bombed. Rumour has it one high ranking American officer had lived there as child and requested it be spared because he felt too much culturally would be lost. I would hate to think of how much could have been lost if it had happened. Kyoto is famous for having over 2000 shrines and temples. I will cover a handful of the most famous ones I visited in future posts, some of them have been seen in the American movies The Last Samurai and Memoirs of a Geisha. Speaking of Geisha, if you are really, really luck you may catch a glimpse of a one in Gion on Pontocho. I was lucky enough to not only spot one but 5 together of various ranks, mama san down to maiko, photo’s and more information about that later.
The best times to travel in Kyoto are around spring or autumn; March – May and September – November respectively. Be warned this is also when it’s at its most crowded, especially in hanabi (cherry blossom) season in April. Late July through to August is best avoided as it is one of the hottest and most humid places in Japan around this time. Trust me I’ve learnt from experience. Unless you don’t mind the heat then you’ll find most attractions peacefully quiet. If you don’t mind the cold then the winter season is as equally quite, again from experience, it snows a little but the cold makes all the walking easier to endure. If you want to try an onsen (hot spring) then maybe winter is the best time to go. I tried an onsen early September when it was still quite hot and it is something I would not recommend unless heart palpitations, dizziness and high blood pressure are your kind of thing.
Stay tune for more about Kyoto. |
posted by ramen_lover @ 6:33 PM  |
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Name: Burado
About this site:Each week I'll will bring you the latest news, web sites, travel info,interesting links and entertainment about Japan and it's culture.
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