Kyouto is basically tons of Japanese cultural history sandwiched amongst modern concrete buildings. For 1100 years, Kyoto served as the more-or-less capital of Japan. Many times during that history the real power lay elsewhere; however, the emperor's residence was in the city from the 700s up to the late 19th century when Emperor Meiji moved to Tokyo. Unlike Tokyo, however, Kyoto emerged from WWII unscathed. The American military decided not to bomb it (although it was on the nuke "short list" as we found out) in the interest of making post-war Japan somewhat friendlier (destroying an entire people's cultural history tends to make them upset). We saw so many things that there isn't room for them all on one page. Please click the links below and enjoy screenloads of Japanese history!