Kyoto was Japan’s capital city before Tokyo became the nation’s most important administrative centre. As such, Kyoto’s Imperial Palace was the seat of the Emperor and his contingent. As with all of Japan’s palaces ans shrines, Kyoto’s is surrounded by a traditional garden based on water, rocks and trees, the three basic components of nature. A curved wooden arch bridge spans a tranquil and shallow pool, and carved stone shrines sit atop stone rises. It would not have surprised me if there were a school of very large and colourful koi (goldfish) in the water.
