Episode Details

Kyoto stands as Japan’s thousand-year imperial heart, in which courtly ritual, Buddhist thought, and architectural artistry crystallised into the nation’s cultural centre. In this episode, travel writer and history buff Paul Bloomfield is joined by historian and author Lesley Downer to trace the city’s story. Together, they explore Kyoto’s temples and shrines, bamboo groves and geisha haunts – and meet people who played major roles in the city’s story, from its settlement to the era of modernisation that swept Japan in the mid-19th century.

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