Kyoto : stroll in the ancient capital of Japan

While Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and especially the economic center of the Japanese archipelago, Kyoto remains for the people of Japan the "capital" of the cultural Empire of the Rising Sun. A simple walk around the streets of Kyoto allows any tourist to understand the richness of Japanese heritage preserved in this city of 1.4 million inhabitants. There is at least one temple, if not two, at all street corners. In total, the Japanese Ministry of Tourism recognizes 1600 temples, Shinto shrines and 400 200 sacred gardens in Kyoto. Twenty percent of the national treasures of the archipelago and many places listed as World Heritage by UNESCO are located in this discreet and symbolic city. Kyoto is a true living museum.

Connected every five minutes to Tokyo by Shinkansen (fast train), the journey takes only half past two, visitors usually arrive by Central Station located in the downtown city. They then discover a modern station testifying that Kyoto is not just an old city, but it grows, like the rest of Japan. The hall of the central station, a set of "aerodynamic" slender spaces, stairs and walkways, was designed by the Japanese architect Koji Hara and completed in 1997, offers visitors - yet come to Kyoto to find temples and shrines - a futuristic access. The total absence of traditional elements has been widely criticized. This station-like tech is also a shopping center where young people spend their yen clothing and gadgets. It is also in this station that foreign visitors are invited to head to tourist office for information on museums, temples and shrines to visit, hotels and transportation.
Just blocks from downtown and south of the station, Toji Temple (Kyo-o-Gokoku) is famous for its highest pagoda in the world. Each must have its Japanese temple pagoda. Over the temple is, the larger is the high pagoda and comprises of stages. That Toji has four and is 55 meters high. Built in 1644, this pagoda is considered the highest "wooden structure" in Japan. It contains statues of four Buddhas and their disciples. 
It is in the Temple Toji that religious foundations were laid in the city. In the Kodo (conference room), visitors can see 21 statues, dating back 1,200 years, forming a three-dimensional mandala, the center of which stands Dainichi Nyorai (the cosmic Buddha, author of the first esoteric teachings).
Not far from downtown, but about fifteen minutes by bus to the east of the station, the districts of Gion and Higashiyama Kyoto are the places most visited. Gion is the famous geisha district and in the eyes of the Japanese "male", the symbol of all that is good in life: sake, good food, women and karaoke. Gion is Kyoto's Latin Quarter where we live at night and sleeps during the day. It was after sunset we came across maiko (apprentice geisha) powdered, ghosts from another era still present in the hearts of the Japanese. Just a little east of Gion, Yasaka Shrine, with its large torii (symbolic gate) vermilion, is the door on the Higashiyama district (Mountains of the East). This area deserves an entire day walk  because it is the heart and lungs of the "capital city" where many temples are located. Several temples and shrines enrich the neighborhood mountainside: the Chion-in temple with his colossal temple door and Shoren-in with his tea house, the Otani Mausoleum with its golden gate and the shrine Ryoze Kwan-on and his colossal statue of 24 meters tall. Higashiyama district is also famous for its narrow streets and alleys of another age.
In the northwest of the ancient capital, there are other iconic temples and shrines in Kyoto. The most famous of all is undoubtedly the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). This pavilion monument was restored after an arson attack in 1950 that inspired the famous Japanese author Mishima Yokio in his novel The Golden Pavilion, and in 1987, its gold hedging was redone. A shaded path leads to a beautiful garden surrounding a pond in which are hunting great blue herons. Thousands of tourists are discovering the true replica of the legendary pavilion. The graceful structure of Kinkaku-ji is completely covered in gold leaf and surmounted by a phoenix also covered with gild. This monument is the most visited of Kyoto - perhaps Japan - and we must choose its time to get there, usually early morning or late afternoon to avoid being jostled ... or be walked on !
Japanese cuisine is well represented there: sashimi and sushi, yakitori, tempura, okonomiyaki, yaki-udon, soba and other dishes as delicious as each other. It's hard to starve in Japan. Kyoto is part of the Kansai region, which occupies a prominent place among Japanese regional cuisines. Kansai products are recognized for their high quality. However, this region being inland, seafood and other fish are not present in the kyotoïte culinary arts. Great Kyoto leaders therefore created many dishes based on the delicious tofu, famous throughout the archipelago.

Kyoto is the place to visit for those who wish to enter the soul of the Japanese. Kyoto, like Tokyo, a very safe city and opened to tourists thanks to public transportation and impressive number of cheap hotels.

Source : www.lapresse.ca