Kyoto Information - hotels, restaurants, golf, weather, maps & more

The beautiful city of Kyoto boasts a population of just over one and a half million people, but it feels much larger and is far more interesting than most cities of its size. If it is the history of Japan you want, the city of Kyoto should be your destination. Even with the breakneck modernization that the city, and the rest of the country, has gone through in the last fifty years, you can still hunt down shimmering pearls of Japan’s history, whether it be in the form of a shrine, temple or ruin around every corner. In fact, it is this hunt for the past among so much of the present that makes traveling to Kyoto so much fun. So grab your sense of adventure, your desire for incredible food and, of course, your camera and go explore this amazing Japanese city.

If you were paying attention in history class, you remember that for centuries, the city of Kyoto was actually the capital of Japan, which showcases how important the city has been to Japan and for how long. Tied forever with the history of Kyoto is the history of disaster and loss. The entire isle of Japan is a very strong earthquake zone, and since so much of ancient Japanese construction was done in wood, the city has been shaken to its foundation and burned to the ground so many times even historians argue about the number of times Kyoto, and countless other cities here, have been rebuilt. From those ruins, however, comes an even stronger and more vibrant culture; one that always seems to be rushing headlong into the future, but with one eye on the past.

According to some records, the Imperial Palace here burned down an amazing 14 times over a 122 year span during the 1200’s. So is the story of Kyoto as it has evolved from the past to today. Earthquakes and natural disasters are still a part of every day life here, the recent earthquake in Kobe serves as a reminder, but Japan now sports some of the safest earthquake proof buildings in the world, so you can concentrate on trying some of the amazing restaurants here instead of worrying about the ground moving under your feet.

And what dining Kyoto has. One of the magical things about Japanese cooking is that you could go to 10 restaurants 10 nights in a row, order the exact same thing and end up with 10 completely different meals. It seems that every restaurant here, from the mom and pop traditional style places to the celebrity chef inspired spots all have their own take on Japanese favorites, and we haven’t even talked about Chinese, American and European influences. It is hard to dine here and not be adventurous, and besides, you have to have a nice story to tell when you get back home, anyway.

Kyoto is truly magical land that has dealt with centuries of tragedy, but manages to constantly reinvent itself, always moving towards the future.