One of Kyoto’s oldest temples, the ‘Clear Water Temple’ has its origins in the activities of Enchin, a priest of the Hosso sect in Nara who arrived in the area in or around 778 AD in answer to a vision in which he was instructed to seek out the clear source of the upper reaches of the Kizu River. Re...
Pontocho is less a neighborhood than a single, long cobbled alley running one block west of the Kamogawa River.
It is, famously, one of Kyoto’s most appealing districts, but really only shows its best face at night, when the cobblestones gleam in the soft light of traditional lanterns, and the na...
Kyoto was home to the Imperial family for over a thousand years. When the family moved its residence to Tokyo during the Meiji era, many of the ancient capital’s citizens naturally felt a bit jilted. In 1895, to celebrate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the city, they built a marvelous sh...
Built in 1964, Kyoto Tower, erupting from the roof of a hotel, marked a new development in the architecture of the city. The Tower’s own literature describes its appearance as reminiscent of a candle, blazing eternally over the ancient city.
At 131 meters, whatever else one makes of the Tower i...
Home to geisha, kabuki, and narrow teahouses, the district of Gion is considered by many in Japan to be the heart and soul of Kyoto.
Stretching west of Yasaka Shrine, called Gion-san by locals, from the middle-ages much of the neighborhood was given over primarily to teahouses for visitors to the...
At Uzumasa Movie Land even the meekest of visitors to Kyoto can, for a modest fee, be transformed into a ninja, that fearsome, shadow-clad assassin of legend. But first, a brief review.
The only thing more shadowy and elusive than a ninja himself is the history of the ninja. No figure from Japan’...
One of the traditional crafts most closely associated with Kyoto is textile dyeing using the yuzen, or paste resist method. In yuzen dyeing, rice paste is applied to fabrics in whatever pattern is desired. When the cloth is dyed, the areas treated with the paste resist the dye and only untreated are...
One of Kyoto’s oldest temples, the ‘Clear Water Temple’ has its origins in the activities of Enchin, a priest of the Hosso sect in Nara who arrived in the area in or around 778 AD in answer to a vision in which he was instructed to seek out the clear source of the upper reaches of the Kizu River. Re...
From Canadian girl-next-door to maiko in just over an hour. At Maica, they'll transform you in to a geisha in the heart of old Gion!
Did you enjoy playing dress-up when you were a child? Are you interested in the culture of the geisha? Have we got a treat for you!
Geisha, or Geiko as they ...
Buddhism had a profound impact on the Japanese diet, and from the 7th century onwards the consumption of animals was subject to a succession of prohibitions. These varied according to time and place but the general effect was that the common diet contained very little meat.
In Kyoto, both the cul...
Kyoto was home to the Imperial family for over a thousand years. When the family moved its residence to Tokyo during the Meiji era, many of the ancient capital’s citizens naturally felt a bit jilted. In 1895, to celebrate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the city, they built a marvelous sh...
To celebrate the 1,100th anniversary of their city, the people of Kyoto built the enormous Heian Jingu. For the 1,200th anniversary they built Kyoto Station. If these are any indication of things to come, it really makes you wish you could be around for the 1,300th anniversary. One can only imagine ...
Less than 35 kilometers long, the physical presence of the little Kamogawa belies its importance to both the geography and history of Kyoto. The original site of Heiankyo, the ‘Tranquil Capital’ that was the forerunner of the modern city, was selected in part according to the arcane principles of fe...
West of downtown, the district known as Arashiyama is incredibly popular with tourists, especially the Japanese who converge on the river twice a year to take in autumn color on the mountainside and the cherry blossoms in spring.
One of the best-loved places for this is the Togetsu-kyo (Moon Cr...
You’ve probably seen the little desktop Zen gardens that are sold as a balm to the harried spirit of the modern corporate warrior. A wooden tray, some white sand, a few rocks and a tiny bamboo rake to make all those wonderfully even lines.
In Kyoto you can see the original, the famous karesansui ...
