景色
Greater Tokyo is the world's most populous metropolitan area and is the center of Japanese culture, finance, and government. A bustling cosmopolitan city, Tokyo is also a major transportation hub and a world economic and industrial center. Tokyo was known as Edo until 1868, when the Japanese imperial family was moved there from Kyoto. Metropolitan Tokyo is generally defined as the four prefectures of Tokyo, Saitaima, Kanagawa, and Chiba. The metropolitan area includes the major cities of Yokohama (the second largest city in Japan), Kawasaki, and Chiba, as well as rural mountain regions west of the city, the Izu Islands outside Tokyo Bay, and the Bonin Islands to the southeast in the Pacific Ocean.Tokyo is the captial of signs. it's a city bent on collecting superlatives, and since the early days of Edo, Tokyo's done everything in its power to stay ahead of the pack, From reclaiming miles of swampland to transforming war-torn moonscapes into shimmering skyscrapers districts. Today, that constant hunger for improvement and change has created a tapestry pf sensorial madness unlike anywhere else in the world.
K Y O T O
For much of its history, Kyoto was japan. Even Today, Kyoto is the place to go to see what japan is all about. Here is where you'll find all those things you associate with japan. It is covered predominantly by the Tamba Mountains, and is the site of the tombs of many famous Japanese; the old imperial palace as well as Nijo Castle (former palace of the shoguns), with their fine parks and gardens, are also in the city. cit In addition, Kyoto is a religious center, noted especially for its ancient Buddhist temples. Western Kyoto is home to one of the most magical places in all japan: the bamboo grove in Arashiyama. The visual effect of the seemingly infinite stalks of bamboo is quite different from any forest one will encounter. Kyoto is also known for the famous Fushimi Inari-taisha, where there is an arcade of thousands of torii (Shinto shrine gates) spread all across the mountains. Indeed, Kyoto is the storehouse of japan's traditional culture, and it's the place where even Japanese go to learn about their own culture. With 176 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than 1600 Buddhist temples and over 400 Shinto shrines, Kyoto is on of the most culturally rich cities of Japan.
N A R A
Japan's first permanent capital, Nara is one of the country's most rewarding destinations. with eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it's second only to Kyoto as a repository of Japan's cultural legacy. Many of Nara's most important sites are located around Nara-koen, a fine park that occupies much of the east side of the city. The park is home to about 1200 deer, dee they roam the park and surrounding areas in search of handouts from tourists. Nara Park, the largest (1,250 acres/506 hectares) city park in Japan, also includes the celebrated Imperial Museum, which houses ancient art treasures and relics. Near the city is wooded Mt. Kasuga, the traditional home of the gods; its trees are never cut. Also nearby is Horyu-ji, founded in 607, the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan, with the grave of Jimmu, the first emperor. empero Nara retains its 8th century chinese style grid pattern of streets. Nara-koen, which contains most of the important sights, is on the mountain Wakakusa-yama. It's easy to cover the city center an major attractions in nearby Nara-koen on foot, although buses and taxis do ply the city.
O S A K A
Japan's third largest city, Osaka is a flat and fertile coast at the mouth of the Yodo River. One of Japan's largest cities and principal industrial and commercial centers, Osaka is the focal point of a chain of industrial cities (called the Hanshin or Kinki) stretching to Kobe, an alternate port for Osaka. Its parks and gardens are noted for their beauty. Landmarks include the Buddhist temple of Shitennoji, founded in 593, and Temmangu, a Shinto shrine founded in 949. The city is the site of imperial palaces as early as the 4th cent, when it became Hideyoshi's seat and grew to be Japan's leading trade center. Hideyoshi's huge castle, reconstructed in 1931, still dominates the city.
O K A Y A M A
Okayama is the largest city in the Chugoku Region after Hiroshima. The city is an important transportation hub, where people can take ferries to islands such as Naoshima, as well as being the location where the Sanyo Shinkansen meets with the only rail connection to Shikoku. The city developed as a castle town during the Edo Period and became a significant regional power. powe Okayama's most famous attraction is Korakuen Garden, which is ranked as one of the three best landscape gardens in Japan. Okayama Castle is located just across from the garden. Naoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea that is known for its modern art museums, architecture and sculptures. The island has a Mediterranean atmosphere, sandy beaches and sunny weather, weathe combined with a laid back, rural feel. It offers some of Japan's best contemporary art in gorgeous natural settings.
H I R O S H I M A
Hiroshima is generally mountainous, with fertile valleys. It is an important industrial center and a market for agricultural and marine products. Founded c.1594 as a castle city on the Ota River delta, Hiroshima is divided by the river's seven mouths into six islands. After 1868, Hiroshima's port, Ujina, was enlarged, and rail lines were built to link it with Kobe and Shimonoseki. During World War II, Hiroshima was the target of the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a populated area; it was dropped by the United States on Aug. 6, 1945. Almost 130,000 people were killed, injured, or missing, and 90% of the city was leveled. Much of the city has been reconstructed, but a gutted section has been set aside as a "Peace City" to illustrate the effects of an atomic bomb. The Peace Memorial Museum is there. Since 1955 an annual world conference against nuclear weapons has met in Hiroshima.