Visiting The Ancient Japanese Capital Of Kyoto

In Tokyo for the Olympics, TODAY senior international correspondent Keir Simmons took the time to visit the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, a city of unparalleled beauty and the cultural heart of the country. He also got a lesson in Zen meditation.

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#Kyoto #Japan #Olympics

[SpinningbacKFisT]

I've always had a mild obsession and huge respect for Asian culture and traditions especially Japan. I've never once been there but feel connected. I also feel they are far more dignified than what I've grown accustomed to here in the United States...

[TokyoNerd]

There are a large number of temples and shrines in the city of Kyoto that have become well known to foreign tourists, so much so that you tend to find more foreigners at some of them than Japanese people. Even so, there are still many temples, shrines, and other historical spots that are unknown to foreign tourists, and that's what I'll always love about Kyoto, many hidden secrets that only the "Japanophiles" know about. Kyoto is a wonderful destination even for someone who has lived in Japan for almost 10 years. This really is a city that pleases all.

[brianchar-bow]

Even as time goes by and the surface of a town changes, nothing changes in the underlying foundation of the unique Japanese culture.
The common root of the creation of originality in Japanese culture is the uniqueness of its geopolitical location and the influence of its natural environment.
Even if they import culture and knowledge from abroad, they are not dominated by it, and after a certain period of time, they select the content, integrate it with their own culture, improve it, and eventually create a new style because of the influence of their unique natural environment.

Japan's original country name "NIPPON”means "the land under the sun", but another name is "YAMATO, WA”, meaning “Peacefull Harmony among People and Nature”.　So Japan's name means “the Land under the Sun” and” the Land of "Great Harmony of People and Nature, ”
The history of Japan is very old, about 2, 000 years since the Emperor's reign, but humans began to live in villages and communities in this island nation about 14, 000 years ago, during “the JOMON pottery” culture.　(That's 30, 000 years ago, if you count the Neolithic period.)

Surrounded on all sides by the sea and geographically isolated from the Eurasian continent in the Pacific Ocean, this island nation has a warm and humid climate, and because it is a volcanic island, it is blessed with abundant underground clear water resources, diverse vegetation, and fishery resources.
For this reason, people have lived here for tens of thousands of years, enjoying the abundant nature and living in peace with nature.
Since ancient times, the people of this land have respected human harmony and have lived in peace by working together as a group.

However, while the natural environment of this island nation is rich to live, it is also harsh to live and has both light and dark sides.
They have shared and enjoyed the blessings of nature by pooling their wisdom and collectively overcoming numerous severe and harsh natural disasters, such as frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, summer typhoons, and heavy snowfall in winter.
This is because this island nation has a harsh natural environment that cannot be overcome by a single person.
Individual power is too weak to face the onslaught of nature, which can destroy the wealth we have built overnight.

Therefore, They believed that many people should suppress their egos, avoiding confrontation, and work together to create a livable environment and maintain public cleanliness, and then work together to prevent disasters before they occur and to restore the environment immediately after they have occurred.
They believed that this is the most wise, efficient, and rational way to maintain peace and freedom in each other's lives, this would bring about better results rather than to create more chaos by insisting on each other's selfishness.
because of the environment in which disasters frequently occur that cannot be resolved by individual power alone. And this thinkings have given rise to Japan's unique teachings, culture, and behavior.

For example, it is fundamentally connected to the Japanese mindset of "Behaving in a way that does not bother others in public places, " "Helping each other if someone is in trouble, " and "Not doing bad things even if no one is watching."
And one of the teachings of the ancient Shinto religion, "Purify yourself (kiyome) by getting rid of Defilement (kegare), " has been taken over today as a basic manner to "Not pollute even in public places, " to “Always keep the environment clean”, and to make everyone, regardless of status or gender, feel comfortable equally.
This is also the wisdom of living in the drastically changing natural environment unique to the island countries.
And this wisdom has been formed into a unique Japanese culture over a long period of time.

The ancient name of Japan, "YAMATO" or "WA" (peaceful harmony between people and nature), represents the wishes and reality of the people who have been trying to survive in the rich and harsh natural environment unique to island countries, which is different from the dry and stable land of the Eurasian continent.
And it is in this ancient Japanese country name "WA, YAMATO" that the essence of Japanese culture, the origin and secret of its unique culture, which is very different from the cultures of other Asian countries on the continent, is hidden.