Kyoto is located in the central part of the island of Honshu. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the Imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, Kyoto is also known as the thousand-year capital. The original city was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). Historically, Kyoto was the largest city in Japan, later surpassed by Osaka and Edo (Tokyo) towards the end of the 16th century

Kyoto city hall main buildingDesigned by Goiichi Murata,

the main building was completed in 1927

Kyoto city hall main building

It is perhaps the only pre-War building in the city that would not be mourned if it were to meet the omnivorous Kyoto wrecking ball

The Hamaguri rebellion of 1864 burnt down 28,000 houses in the city

The front of the apartments at night

Hotel Royal

Hotel Royal

Hotel Royal

Imperial Palace Kyoto (reconstructed in 1855 after it had burnt down) is the Emperor’s official residence in Kyoto 

The Kamo River in the past was a crucial source of relatively pure drinking water for Kyoto residents

Kawaramachi Catholic Church was first constructed in 1890 during the Meiji Period by Friar Villon, a missionary of the Paris Mission Society, after the edict banning Christianity in Japan was lifted

Cathedral St Francis Xavier

Cathedral St Francis Xavier

Cathedral St Francis Xavier

Archangel Michael St Francis Xavier

The stained glass windows were manufactured by Hans Stockler of Switzerland. They include images of St. Michael, St. Francis Xavier, the 14 Stations of the Cross and the Resurrection. The images are arranged in the shape of the Japanese archipelago with green and purple the dominant colors representing vegetation growing in light and water. Behind the altar is a large stained glass window of the Creation

Cathedral St Francis Xavier

At the rear of the cathedral is a special space dedicated to the Christian martyrs of Nagasaki, 187 men, women and children who died for their faith during the periodic Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa regime crackdowns on Christianity during the late Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573 -1603) and early Edo Period (1603-1868)

The pipe organ comes from Germany and was installed in 1971. It has 1509 pipes and 22 stopsThe basement of the church includes a small chapel used for weekday masses and religious retreats. An historic bronze statue of the Holy Mother dating from the late 19th century is placed here

Cathedral St Francis Xavier

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Public Art Asahi Hall (Teramachi Street)

There was big wall painting of Seiji Togo (1897–1978) on former Kyoto Asahi Kaikan Building

This is miniature of the picture

Teramachi 1957

Public Art

Seiji Togo (1897–1978)

Municipal Museum of Art

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From clothing to used books, from art to food, Teramachi Shopping arcade has it all. Clothing and accessories, books and magazines, food and cooking, music, gifts, tourists can really find anything they can think of at Teramachi Shopping arcade

The northern area offers also a selection of coffee shops and restaurants, for recharging one’s batteries after a long shopping spree. And if shopping until you drop is now what you had in mind, never fear, there are plenty of places to take a load off and watch the crowd

Kyoto features a unique mix

of shopping, where modern, high end

fashion shops can be found alongside stores

with centuries of history selling

traditional Kyoto crafts or specialty foods

Nishiki Market branches off Teramachi about 100 meters north of Shijo StreetMarket Stalls in Food Market

Sushi is the Japanese preparation and serving of cooked vinegared rice combined with varied ingredients, chiefly seafood, vegetables, meat (usually fish), and occasionally tropical fruits

Tempura are pieces of lightly battered, deep fried seafood and vegetables

Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station Municipal Subway Tōzai Line

The yellow lines are called “Tactile Ground Surface Indicators” (TGSI). They are designed to be used by blind people or who have vision impairment as a guide to navigate streets, intersections, road crossing, entrance to stairs, subway and train platforms, and so on

The Tozai Line is useful for getting from the center of the city to sightseeing districts like Higashiyama in the east and Nijo Castle in the West

Kyoto's subway system has two lines: the north-south Karasuma Line (green) and the east-west Tozai Line (red)

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Nicoleta Leu InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

Sound: Shigeru Umebayashi - Fearless Lullaby; Kokuhaku (Sorekara Epilogue) 2017