Kyoto

The capital of Japan from 794 until 1868, Kyoto is a treasure house of Japanese culture, with more than 2,000 temples and shrines. Among the most celebrated are Kiyomizu-dera, a magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars on the slope of a mountainside; Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion; and Ryoan-ji, famous for its Zen dry garden of raked gravel. Kyoto is set in a bowl of wooded hills and was built on a grid pattern, which makes finding your way around unexpectedly easy. We particularly recommend the “Philosopher’s Path,” an enchanting walkway that skirts the eastern foothills.