Once the Imperial capital of Japan, the city of Kyoto still stands as the heart of Japan. On this 3-hour Introduction to Kyoto tour, we will discover the story of the emperors and the shoguns as we visit important sites such as the Imperial Palace (known as ‘Gosho’) and Nijo Castle. We will get an understanding of Kyoto’s biography and dig through the deep layers of history and traditional culture that overlap in this fascinating city. 

Our Introduction to Kyoto tour begins at the Imperial Palace, the former residence and ruling Palace of the Japanese Emperor. Known as ‘Kyoto’s Central Park’, we will start by exploring Kyoto Gyoen National Garden surrounding the imperial properties. At this green sanctuary, we will soak up the abundance of natural beauty and discuss the aesthetics of the Japanese landscape. Moving onto the inner Palace, we will visit a few buildings within the complex and gain insight on the city’s development, and the Palace’s role as the former political and cultural center of Japan as well as its relation to the Imperial family. 

After leaving the Palace, we will pay a visit to a local confectionery shop that served the Imperial court in the time of Emperor Goyozei between 1568 and 1611. With more than 400 years of history, this shop served the emperor until the 19th century when the Imperial court was relocated to Tokyo. During our time here, we will taste some wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) and learn about the secrets behind the beautiful and intricate design of wagashi and tea ceremony. In addition, we may engage in miso tasting at a local miso shop that also served the emperor until the start of the Meiji Restoration. 

We will then hop in a taxi and continue our tour to Nijo Castle. This UNESCO World Heritage site was the residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first in a line of powerful Tokugawa shoguns that ruled the country for over 200 years. We will take a look into the daily life of a shogun and discuss the rise of the power the shoguns held over the emperor during the Edo period and its influence on the representation of the emperor. 

At the end of our Introduction to Kyoto tour, we will emerge knowing more about Kyoto’s role in developing core cultural and political history in Japan.