STORIES

KYOTO - BEYOND CONTEMPORARY JAPAN

Delve beneath Japan's modernistic façade and discover a culture and civilisation steeped in ancient rituals and aesthetic ideals. Nowhere is this more tangible than in Kyoto, home to 2000 religious structures, 17 of which are listed under the UNESCO charter. Both the Shinto and Zen branches of Buddhism have inspired abundant shrines, temples and gardens amidst the city which still serve as living places of worship. For each visitor of whatever persuasion, they act also as sanctuaries from the fast-paced metropolis. Remembering to remove your shoes, pass through the paper screen doors of each temple and you enter a bygone era, one far more simple, where the spiritual pervades. Explore the historic cobbled paths of Gion, and you may glimpse a geisha on her way to entertain at an exclusive o-chaya. These are the wonders in store for the traveller keen to penetrate beyond contemporary Japan.

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