KYOTO CULTURE
 Kyoto
Culture - brief overview of the culture of Kyoto the former capital
of Japan.
Although ravaged by
wars, fires, and earthquakes during its eleven centuries as the
imperial capital, Kyoto was spared from the firebombing of World War
II. With its 2000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, as well as
palaces, gardens and architecture intact, it is one of the best
preserved cities in Japan. Among the most famous temples in Japan
are Kiyomizu-dera, a
magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a
mountain; Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the
Golden Pavilion; and Ginkaku-ji,
the Temple of the
Silver Pavilion; and
Ryōan-ji, famous for its rock garden. The
Heian Jingū is a Shinto shrine
celebrating the Imperial family (built in 1895) and commemorating
the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto.
Three special sites have connections to the imperial family:
Kyoto Imperial Palace, home
of the Emperors of Japan for many centuries;
Katsura Imperial Villa,
one of the nation's finest architectural treasures; and Shugaku-in
Imperial Villa, one of its best Japanese gardens.
Other notable sites in and around Kyoto
include Arashiyama and its
picturesque lake, the Gion and Pontochō
geisha quarters, the Philosopher's Walk, and the canals which line
some of the older streets.
The "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto" are listed by the UNESCO
as a World Heritage Site. These include the Kamo Shrines (Kami and
Shimo), Kyō-ō-Gokokuji (Tō-ji), Kiyomizu-dera, Daigo-ji, Ninna-ji,
Saihō-ji (Kokedera), Tenryū-ji, Rokuon-ji (Kinkaku-ji), Jishō-ji (Ginkaku-ji),
Ryōan-ji, Hongan-ji, Kōzan-ji and the Nijo Castle, primarily built
by the Tokugawa shoguns. Other sites outside the city are also on
the list.
Kyoto is renowned for its abundance of
delicious Japanese foods and cuisine. The special circumstances of
Kyoto as a city away from the sea and home
to many Buddhist temples resulted in the development of a variety of
vegetables peculiar to the Kyoto area (kyōyasai 京野菜).
Japan's television and film industry has its center in
Kyoto. Many jidaigeki, action films
featuring samurai, were shot at Toei Uzumasa Eigamura[1]. A film set
and theme park in one, Eigamura features replicas of traditional
Japanese buildings which are used for jidaigeki. Among the sets are
a replica of the old Nihonbashi (the bridge at the entry to Edo), a
traditional courthouse, a Meiji Period police box and part of the
former Yoshiwara red-light district. Actual film shooting takes
place occasionally, and visitors are welcome to observe the action.
The Kyoto International Manga Museum is also situated in
Kyoto where for an entrance fee you are able
to view exhibitions and read as much manga as you desire it is
trying to get hold of every manga ever published and so far houses
approximately 200,000 titles.
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(Article
based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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