Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is a 2 1/2 hour bullet train ride west of Tokyo and has a population of 1.5 million people compared to Tokyo's 13.6 million. This city was the Imperial Capital of Japan for more than a thousand years. It's a vibrant modern city built around some amazing Japanese palaces, castles and shrines.

Their most famous shrine is the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shinto Shrine, founded in the year 711 AD;

At this shrine, they have over 10,000 torii. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine. The purpose of the gate is to divide our world and the spirit world. But here, there are 10,000 that are built and lined up for kilometres along walkways:

Each of these gates has been donated by a company or organization giving thanks for their prosperity and in hope of good fortune in the future. And as luck would have it, this shrine sits on Mount Imari that rises 233 metres above sea level and takes a little over 2 hours to walk the 4 kilometres up and down the mountain.

Shinto is not an organized religion but the faith of the Japanese people and it is as old as Japan itself, practiced way before Buddhism arrived. It contains the traditional Japanese legends and superstitions and has many gods. When Buddhism arrived, it was practiced together with Shinto.

Speaking of Buddhism, we next stopped at the Kiyomizu-dera, one of the first Japanese Buddhist temples and founded in 780 AD. Many structures have come and gone on this site over the years and the main hall that you see here was constructed in the 17th century and is overhanging a cliff:

This complex is still an active Buddhist temple.

Another beautiful compound preserved through the centuries is the Nijo-jo Castle, originally built in 1603 and the residence of the first Shogun in Japan:

Over the years and the various Shoguns, the size has expanded to its current 70 acres. In 1867, the 15th Shogun returned sovereignty to the Emperor and the castle became the property of the Imperial family.

There is also the Kyoto Imperial Palace, built in the 17th century on an impressive 27 acre parcel of land and many buildings and halls:

The Palace also has beautiful gardens around the many buildings on this property:

We found the temples and shrines not as ornate as what we have seen in other countries yet the simplicity of design is very attractive.