Kyoto's history is full of contradictions: famine and prosperity, war, peace, calamity and tranquility. Until 710 Japan's capital was moved to a new location with the succession of each new emperor. When it was decided that all this continuous movement was too costly, Nara was chosen as the …
If you go to only one place in all of Japan, Kyoto should be it. Not only is it the most historically significant town in the nation, this former capital was also the only major Japanese city spared from the bombs of World War II. As such, it's rife with temples, shrines, imperial palaces, and …