About this episode
This episode explores the rich history and cultural significance of Kyoto, Japan's imperial heart.
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. History’s Greatest Cities is produced by HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Listen to our other podcasts History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, History’s Greatest Scandals, History’s Greatest Battles, HistoryExtra Long Reads and the HistoryExtra podcast at historyextra.com/podcast. For more fascinating stories from the past head to HistoryExtra.com. We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to…
People in this episode
Host: Paul Bloomfield
Guest: Lesley Downer
Topics covered
- Japanese history
- cultural heritage
- Buddhism
- architecture
- modernization
- temples and shrines
Keywords
- Kyoto
- Japanese culture
- Buddhism
- history
- architecture
- geisha
- modernization
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: HistoryExtra, HistoryExtra Plus
Places: Kyoto
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