Once the Imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto has witnessed the country's evolution through the ages as Japan transformed from a monarchy to government rule. Over 1600 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines are hidden in the mountains surrounding the city - from the splendid 14th-century Kinkaku-ji decorated with a shimmering patina of gold leaf to the 17th-century cherry-blossom wreathed Honen-in Temple. Food is sublime here, and kaiseki restaurants offer sumptuous course-by-course meals in the traditional style. Honed over thousands of years under royal rule, Japanese art takes center stage in Kyoto, and the city's artisans are famed for their skill in kimono making, paper-making and ceramics. A city with a refined soul, Kyoto offers a glimpse of a Japan very different from the neon-lit skyscrapers of Tokyo, where time seems to flow at a slower pace and geisha culture is elevated to an art form.