If you go to only one place in all of Japan, Kyoto should be it. Not only isit the most historically significant town in the nation, this former capital wasalso the only major Japanese city spared from the bombs of World War IIAssuch, it's rife with temples, shrines, imperial palaces, and traditional woodenhomes. In nearby Nara , another former capital——one even more ancient thanKyoto —— is Japan's largest bronze Buddha and more historic temples.<br> As your Shinkansen bullet train glidestoward Kyoto Station, however, your firstreaction is likely to be great disappointment.There's Kyoto Tower looming in theforeground like some misplaced spaceship.Kyoto Station itself is strikingly modem andunabashedly high tech, looking as though itwas airlifted straight from Tokyo. Modem buildings and hotels surround the stationon all sides, making Kyoto look like any other Japanese town.<br> In other words, as Japan's seventh largest city with a population of about1.5 million, Kyoto hasn't escaped the afflictions of the modern age. Yet it hasalways led a rather fragile existence, as a look at any of its temples and shrineswill tell you. Made of wood, they've been destroyed through the years by man,fire and earthquake and have been rebuilt countless times. Come and explore-you'll soon understand why Kyoto is considered to be Japan's most romantic citydespite modernization. <br> ……
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