Visit Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is the Japan of the imagination: a city of grand palaces, Shinto shrines and exquisite gardens, mercifully spared from the bombing of World War II that razed other Japanese cities. While Kyoto is an undeniably modern city, pockets of historic Japan linger here, where kimono-clad geisha still shuffle along narrow, lamp-lit streets.

Having been the capital of Imperial Japan for over 1,000 years, Kyoto has built up an impressive collection of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. In southern Kyoto, Fushimi Inari Shrine has so many red torii gates — each one donated — that they create vermillion tunnels between individual shrines and the honden (prayer hall).

To the north, Kinkaku-ji (golden pavilion) is a Zen Buddhist temple set in a traditional strolling garden. The top two tiers are covered in a thick layer of gold leaf that glows yellow against the surrounding greenery. Nearby you can visit Ginkaku-ji (silver pavilion). Modelled on its gilded cousin, it was built by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa as his retirement villa. Without a slither of silver in sight, it’s thought that he ran out of money, but it’s also suggested that at night rays of moonlight hit the pavilion, making it shine silver.

Many temples sit in carefully curated gardens, an art form that was refined in Kyoto. So much so that the definition can be questioned at Ryoanji Temple’s Zen garden. Here, you can sit and reflect while resting your gaze on an arrangement of rocks and raked gravel.

If you like your gardens green, Joruri-ji is a short train ride away in Nara. This 11th-century paradise garden is a concept from Pure Land Buddhists, who built the gardens around a pond which represents the ocean separating birth from death. As you walk the neatly-raked paths, you’ll pass ancient juniper trees, lichen-stained rocks and boughs of wisteria.

The refinement of arts, crafts and pastimes has made Kyoto Japan’s cultural hub, bringing together artists, academics, geisha and artisans. The Women’s Association of Kyoto have established a range of short introductions to various aspects of Japanese culture, craft and cookery that invite visitors to visit a Japanese home and try their hand at traditional skills. Courses are run by women eager to share their hobbies with visitors, including ikebana flower arranging, calligraphy, paper crafts and the tea ceremony.

The tea prepared during a tea ceremony is likely to come from Uji, in south Kyoto. You can visit a tea factory to learn more about the process — the revered matcha tea is grown under three layers of shade to encourage chlorophyll production.

For a stronger tipple, some of the breweries in the Fushimi Sake District offer tastings. Attracted by the clear-flowing Horikawa River, some have been here since the 17th century and still brew in huge timber barns. The Gekkeikan brewery also has a museum which shows the brewing process through glass-sided vats.