Since the Japanese capital was transferred here in 794, Kyoto has continued to flourish for over 1,200 years as an unsurpassed center of Japanese politics and culture. At the same time, in these unique surroundings, traditional Japanese attitudes to spirituality and nature are still very much alive in people's daily lives. Kyoto is a historic city in the grand sense, filled with a vast heritage of magnificent ancient buildings and other cultural assets that shed light the various periods of the city's past, allowing visitors and locals alike to gain a sense of the immense depth of Japanese history and the splendor of each era's distinct culture.

Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera
Kinkakuji
Kinkakuji
(both photos supplied by the Kyoto Convention Bureau)