Cherry blossom season perfect time to visit ancient city

Maiko (geisha in training) captivate onlookers in the Gion district.

KYOTO, Japan — It is an admirable and inviting capacity, to inhabit past and present so nimbly.

The city is open and international in character, not insular. Yet for all its diversity, its emblems of modern times, Kyoto is rich in ancient mysteries, still the Hana no Miyado (Flowering Capital) of old.

It is a mature but vibrant metropolis, feet planted firmly in the past, though with signposts of the present and future towering above classic machiya houses, two-story structures in which the heart of the city beats.

Kyoto, cultural soul of the nation, is the birthplace of many of the most familiar Japanese traditions: the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, sake brewing, Kabuki and Noh theaters, and more. Major schools of each of these disciplines were first developed here and continue to flourish.

Seventeen UNESCO World Heritage sites reside in Kyoto alone. Two thousand Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples lend their gravity, symbols and splendor. In all, 20 percent of the National Treasures of Japan are here, 15 percent of its Cultural Properties. It is an incomparable repository of the nation's artistic, religious and cultural heritage.

Japan's seventh-largest city with 1.5 million citizens, Kyoto lies, as one poet wrote, "within the mountains as though held in a loving father's embrace." Surrounded on three sides by the Kitayama range of hills, the inland city rests in a basin, which makes for steamy summers. The streams that flow south from Kitayama converge in the Kamogawa (Kamo for short) and Takano rivers. It is along their banks that the profusion of cherry blossoms, so revered in this land, herald the spring, followed by a succession of other flowers in early summer through to a burnished autumn.

Though it smacks of hyperbole, one may circle the globe and not encounter a more courteous people, or a people more appreciative of one's efforts to adapt to and enjoy their customs and tastes. To be sure, there is an unmistakably Americanized quality to the high-rise hotels and office buildings, the mini-marts and upscale shopping districts, despite the pictographic language of the signs. But this rather unwelcome sense of familiarity dissipates quickly. Such signposts of Western influence and intrusion are consumed by the vast sweep of what makes urban Japan so singularly Japanese.

Golden statues glow in dark temples, the clip-clop of wooden geta sandals still echoes down narrow side streets, and immaculate restaurants seduce with irresistible aromas, serving as havens of tradition impermeable by time. Kyoto is Japan, a nation of 8 million deities that captivates by a single inquisitive mortal.

A history in brief

Recorded Japanese history dates only from the late 6th century, and little is known of the country's evolution before that time. Kyoto's own history stretches back 1,200 years. Founded in the 8th century as Heian-Kyo (literally, Capital of Peace and Tranquility), and modeled after the Tang Chinese capital of Chang-an, a grid of long streets intersected by wide avenues, its name was altered to Kyo (residence of the emperors) to (city or metropolis), in the 11th century.

Kyoto assumed the mantle of capital from predecessors Nara (famed as the terminus of the Silk Road) and Nagaoka in 794, and remained the political center of Japan until the imperial government was restored and moved to Edo (modern Tokyo) in 1868, ending 265 years of dominance by the Tokugawa Shogunate and heralding Japan's emergence on the world stage.

That the ancient capitals of Kyoto and neighboring Nara survived World War II owes much to the efforts of then-U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stinson, who intervened to prevent the bombing of these cities and their cultural treasures.

Under the cherry tree

The Japanese tradition of hanami, or "flower viewing," has its origins in the Heian Period (794 to 1191), when it was popularized by the imperial court. Cherry-blossom viewing may be a national obsession throughout Japan from late March to mid-April, but Kyoto is arguably the exemplar of the annual pageant with its backdrop of strikingly beautiful temples and gardens.

The blossom of the ornamental cherry tree, or "sakura," is the national flower of Japan. Visitor or native, one does not merely enjoy the annual Cherry Blossom Festival here; you contemplate the trees' simplicity and grandeur. It's an annual pilgrimage, if only to one's backyard. The quiet explosion of cherry blossoms, in pale pinks or the dominant milky white, suggests renewal, but also a sense of the ephemeral quality of life.

Don't miss the Miyako Odori, or "Cherry blossom Dance," held by the geisha at Gion Corner theater in the fascinating Gion district, the large area of central Kyoto east of the Kamo River. It is in Gion where one is most likely to encounter the graceful, magnificently garbed maiko, or geisha in training, who are every bit as irresistible to Japanese tourists with a camera as they are to Occidental travelers. Together with the Pontocho district, where maiko also glide through the streets, Gion is the city's chief entertainment district.

During daylight hours, the cascade of color that runs the length of the Philosopher's Path on the banks of the Kamo River is a prime viewing spot, as is bucolic Arashiyama Park (a short train ride away).

The Heian Shrine is famed for its unique "weeping" cherry-blossom trees, and at night, there are concerts held at the shrine featuring a dazzling light show. Adjacent to Yasaka Shrine is Maruyama Park, an ideal spot for sun-dappled or lantern-lit picnics under the cherry trees. But there are also numerous streets in Gion — flanking canals, winding narrowly into the night — whose cherry trees are illuminated from above and below, casting a magical spell.

Iconic attractions

Reputedly the first three-story building in Japan, the resplendent Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji temple) is nestled in beautiful gardens by a pond at the foot of the Kitayama hills. The second and third stories are covered in gold leaf within and without. In contrast, the Imperial Palace is the embodiment of the Zen aesthetic of Wabi/Sabi (rusticity and elegance).

Much less ostentatious than the palaces of the west, it was the home of the Imperial family until 1868.

Nijo Castle was begun by the warlord Nobunaga Oda in 1568 and completed in 1603 by the great shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (on whom "Shogun" novelist James Clavell modeled his iron ruler Toranaga). The main court of the castle was destroyed by fire in 1788. All that remains of the original complex is the Ninomanu Palace second court, but what a wonder it is, seeming more like an elaborate residence with its elegant gardens and a sumptuously appointed interior.

Dating from 1164 (rebuilt after a fire in 1249), Sanjusangendo is a Buddhist Temple famed for its phalanx of 1,001 human-sized Kannon, carved statues staggered in 10 rows surrounding the massive figure of the temple's main deity. Around the 124 original statues left untouched by fire stand 28 statues of guardian deities.

Fabled Kiyomizu Temple is one of Kyoto's most popular destinations — and most crowded during the city's many festivals — especially the massive Dancing Stage that provides a panoramic view of the city below.

As for the moss garden at the temple Saiho-ji and the gardens at Kasura Imperial Villa, visits must be arranged weeks or months in advance.

Getting there and around

The JR Haruka Limited express, or bullet train (shinkansen), departs every 30 minutes from Kansai Airport in Osaka en route to Kyoto. Osaka is your introduction to the colossal Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metro area.

Your first sight at journey's end will be Kyoto Station, the futuristic railway nexus that resembles a space ark.

Central Kyoto is ridiculously easy to get around by subway, bus or taxi. Subway and bus stops are clearly marked in Japanese, Chinese and Korean, with stops and connections also announced in English. All bus stops have names. Taxis are plentiful, with the favored company known as MK Taxi. But you will want to spend a good deal of time on foot, especially in Gion. The center city's gridwork, a layout that is very rare in Japan, makes it a snap.

Consider investing at least one day in a guided tour of temples and shrines. Though you may feel a bit rushed, you can always go back to those that most capture your imagination and experience them at your own pace.

Where to stay, dine

Western-style hotels are numerous, but if you can afford the indulgence, reserve a room in a traditional ryokan, handsome inns that are the ultimate in Japanese hospitality. Some are important historical sites in themselves.

As a tourist mecca, restaurants simple and first-rate are flecked throughout Kyoto, with a strong concentration in Gion. Kyo-ryori (Kyoto-style cooking) is marked by subtle flavoring and seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on vegetables. While you can spend a king's ransom, you also may dine like a royal and not break the bank. An extraordinary meal (of great culinary artistry) can be had for $40. Be sure to sample Kyo-kaiseki (or kaiseki-ryori), an array of artfully arranged small courses, often served in a lacquered box or tray of multiple compartments and garnished with leaves or miniature flowers to evoke the season or a poetic image.

You can lunch handsomely for as little as $10-$15. There's also the Nishiki market, brimming with fresh fish and local produce.

One main artery, Shijo-Dori, also leads to the fashionable shopping and dining area centered at Kawaramachi Station, where you should take in the malled avenue Teramachi-Dori and the basement of the Takashimaya department store. A shrine to sweets, it holds dizzying displays of colorful Kyo-gashi confections, a prime example of which is yatsuhashi, a folded triangle of dough with varied fillings.

When to go

Venture there in spring, late winter or the equally enchanting late fall. Summer is Lowcountry-like: hot and humid. Say sayonara to it. Why go halfway round the world to suffer more of the same when you can contemplate the cool in comfort?

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.