Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s topic is the World Heritage in Japan. We tell you about historic monuments of ancient Kyoto. Many of our students learning Japanese on both Ogori and Ohashi campuses visit Kyoto during holidays, and always say, “It was very beautiful, Sensei.”



In ancient Japan, the imperial captial was often transferred to a new place because they believed that land became unclean when an emperor died or plagues bacame prevalent. But after the capital was moved to Kyoto, emperors stayed there for over 1,000 years. This is the reason why Kyoto has as many as 17 temples and shrines registered as World Heritage sites.

One of our students asked us why there are so many cultural properties remaining in Kyoto.
Answer: Kyoto lost many cultural porperties such as temples, shrines and even the ole imperial palace because it was the main battlefield in the Onin War starting in 1467. But after since then, it has not experienced any major wars, and even in the Second World War it was not bombed seriously, thought it was on the candidat list for the atomic bombing. That is why a lot of cultural assets including 20% of the national treasures in Japan are now left in Kyoto.



March 12 News, from NILS Japanese language school.