If you go to only one place in all of Japan, Kyoto should be it. Not only is it the most historically significant town in the nation, this former capital was also the only major Japanese city spared from the bombs of World War II. As such, it's rife with temples, shrines, imperial palaces, and traditional wooden homes. In nearby Nara, another former capital -- one even more ancient than Kyoto -- is Japan's largest bronze Buddha and more historic temples.

Even though its well-preserved architecture and relics are what put Kyoto on the sightseeing map, I've always felt that its scenes from daily life are what make the city exceptional. As you walk its narrow streets and along its tiny canals, you'll be struck by images of yesterday: An old woman in kimono bent over her "garden," a couple of gnarled bonsai beside her front door. An open-fronted shop where a man makes tatami, the musty smell of the rice mats reminiscent of Earth itself. A geisha shuffling to her evening appointment in Gion, where the sounds of laughter and traditional Japanese music waft past shoji screens and down the narrow alleyways. Couples enjoying a warm summer evening on the banks of the Kamo River, which cuts through the heart of the city. And spread throughout, an incredible 1,700 Buddhist temples and 300 Shinto shrines. Kyoto is home to 20% of Japan's national treasures. It is also home to the nation's greatest concentration of craft artisans, making Kyoto famous for its shops dealing in textiles, dyed fabrics, pottery, bambooware, cutlery, metalwork, fans, umbrellas, and other goods.

As your Shinkansen bullet train glides toward Kyoto Station, however, your first reaction is likely to be great disappointment. There's Kyoto Tower looming in the foreground like some misplaced spaceship. Kyoto Station itself is strikingly modern and unabashedly high tech, looking as though it was airlifted straight from Tokyo. Modern buildings and hotels surround the station on all sides, making Kyoto look like any other Japanese town.

In other words, as Japan's seventh-largest city with a population of about 1 1/2 million people, Kyoto hasn't escaped the afflictions of the modern age. Yet it has always led a rather fragile existence, as a look at any of its temples and shrines will tell you. Made of wood, they've been destroyed through the years by man, fire, and earthquake and have been rebuilt countless times. Come and explore -- you'll soon understand why I consider Kyoto to be Japan's most romantic city despite modernization. No one who comes to this country should miss the wealth of experiences this ancient capital has to offer.