Friday, December 27, 2024
Our train slid into Kyoto Station just after dusk on Friday. The central station was an ant farm of activity with half a million passengers per day buzzing through tunnels and down escalators to platforms, restaurants, and shops.
Becoming Japan's capital in 794 CE, Kyoto was a planned city modeled on the Tang-dynasty capital of China, Chang’an (modern Xi’an). Streets were planned on a grid system with a wide central avenue. The palace sat to the north. Powerful temples guarded the city from demons in the northeast.
Early Kyoto invented Japanese high culture. It ran on ritual and etiquette, not military power. The city was dominated by aristocrats and monks who wrote poetry, refined cuisine, and defined aesthetics. The Tale of Genji—often considered the first novel—was written in Kyoto by noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century.
After Tokyo (Edo) became the capital in 1869, Kyoto remained the cultural heart of Japan. The Imperial Palace remained in Kyoto as did coronations and major rites, making it the spiritual capital, as well.
Today, Kyoto is Japan's ninth largest city with 3.8 million people. It is the home of Nintendo, Kyocera, and Omron, as well as dozens of universities and museums. It blends history and heritage with technology and modernity. It's typical to see an ancient temple sandwiched between souvenir shops and cafés.
We dragged our rolling luggage out of the station and into a light rain, grabbed a car and rode to our hotel.