The good, bad and ugly sides of Kyoto – the centre of traditional Japanese culture
- Ancient meets modern in the former imperial capital, which is home to 1,681 Buddhist temples and 812 Shinto shrines
- But the Japanese obsession with cuteness unfortunately does not seem to extend to modern architecture
The Good
In a few weeks, the annual Gion Matsuri gets under way, bringing central Kyoto to a standstill. The Shinto shindig, which begins on July 1, dates back to the 9th century, when citizens held purification rituals and prayed for relief from a bout of the plague. Today, it is one of Japan’s biggest festivals and has evolved into a month-long celebration.
The Gion district is closed off to traffic on the evenings before the parades, giving locals and visitors the chance to let their hair down. Street parties are enjoyed with gusto and food vendors do a roaring trade selling barbecued chicken, sweets and other festive treats.
Large-scale events are not cheap to organise however, and in recent years the cost of hosting, policing and clearing up after the Gion gathering has been met by crowdfunding campaigns. Average donors receive gifts such as steamed dumplings and branded merchandise.
High rollers who contribute a cool ¥1 million (HK$72,000) to the coffers are invited inside the Yasaka Shrine, where, as one of 50 special guests, they get to attend a worship service and commemorative meal with the city bigwigs. The majority of people visiting Kyoto arrive at the railway station, from where it is a manageable 20-minute walk into town. The centre is relatively flat and a bicycle is a great way to get around the sights.
In excess of 50 million tourists descend on Kyoto annually but escaping the hordes shouldn’t prove too difficult. Japan’s eighth-largest city is home to 1,681 Buddhist temples and 812 Shinto shrines; there are 17 World Heritage sites and more than 200 museums. Fortunately, the herd instinct of tour groups ensures that only a handful of locations are really busy.