Kyoto - Part 1 • VIARAMI

Kyoto is a city of around 1.5 million inhabitants in Japan. From 794 to 1868 it was the capital of the Asian country. Today Tokyo is the capital of Japan, but Kyoto is still the capital of the Prefecture of the same name.

Takano River in Kyoto, Japan, with a bridge, houses, and mountains in the background.

Kyoto is located in the Kansai region on the main Japanese island of Honshū.

The city is surrounded by mountains in three directions. Three rivers flow through the Yamashiro (or Kyoto) Basin. The Kamo River with its wide riverbanks is a popular walking spots for residents and visitors.

Person on bicycle on bridge over river in Kyoto, Japan.

River path in Kyoto, Japan with distant mountains.

Traditional Japanese house with dark wood siding and a gray tiled roof.

In 794 ◼Heian-kyō, the then name of Kyoto, was chosen as the new capital by the then Emperor Kanmu. Before that the nearby Nagaoka-kyō was the seat of the Emperor for 10 years.

Following the example of the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an, today Xi’an, the city centre of the new capital was designed. We worked according to the principles based on Chinese Feng shui. The layout of Heian-kyō was plotted as a square city.

◼Heian-kyō

Heian-kyō is one of the many names and nicknames Kyoto has had over the centuries. Heian-kyō respectively 平安京 literally translates as “tranquility and peace capital”.

Kyoto bus stop with schedule and a chair.

Quiet residential street in Kyoto, Japan, with a school zone sign.

Blue bicycle parked by political posters in Kyoto, Japan.

Person biking on paved path beside stone retaining wall and residential buildings in Kyoto, Japan.

Two people walking on a paved path along a river in Kyoto, Japan, with a bridge in the background.

Kyoto house with a scooter parked in front.

Three men in suits stand outside a 7-Eleven in Japan.

Woman walking past a Kyoto dental clinic with a bamboo screen.

Woman with child in bike basket passing Pizza Hut in Kyoto, Japan.

Woman biking past traditional Japanese houses in Kyoto.

White Japanese pickup truck loaded with cardboard boxes and other recycling.

Two workers unloading a white van parked on a city street in front of a modern building.

Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan; ornate black gate with gold accents.

Gate of the Nijō Castle in Kyoto

The Nijō Castle from outside

The Nijō Castle is a flatland castle in downtown Kyoto. It has a surface area of 275,000 square meters. The palace is surrounded by two rings consisting of a wall and a wide moat filled with water.

The flatland castle was built 1603 as the Kyoto residence of the first shogun of the Edo Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is one of the seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto.

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