Kyoto

Kyoto Trips

With over 2000 temples, shrines and gardens, Kyoto is a treasure house of Japan's cultural heritage and is one of the most fascinating cities in Asia. Unlike many other Japanese towns, it escaped the ravages of both the Second World War and modern urban development, thereby keeping intact much of the spirit and architecture of traditional Japan. From the impressive Nijo Castle, built in 1603 as a residence for the Tokugawa shoguns, to the famous Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion, built in 1397 as a summer villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (and immortalised in Mishima Yukio's novel, 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion'), there is a wealth of sites to indulge in.

The famous geisha districts are also must-sees during Kyoto trips. Packed with bars, restaurants and traditional teahouses, Gion and Pontocho are at their most atmospheric in the early evening, when the lanterns are lit and apprentice geisha will flit about the back streets on their way to their appointments.