When I was young, I liked watching Japanese films especially those which featured the Samurai and their unique martial arts skills, that involved using swords to fight enemies.

The Samurai started as archers and used a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol was the sword.

The movies, which I have watched many years ago, came back to my mind when I met a Samurai at the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in Yokohama, Japan recently.

The conference is held every three years since 2013 and convenes African heads of state and government representatives to engage in bilateral and multilateral talks with the Asian nation.

I also wanted to understand how the Samurais act in films after I saw a Samurai building in Kyoto while touring one of the oldest cities in Japan.

My visit to Japan was not only an opportunity to visit the Asian nation but also my first time to fly on an airplane. I was among over 30 African journalists who were selected to tour the country by the Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry.

For years, I had read about how Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world and I was eager to see all these new technologies.

While Tokyo and Osaka are considered Japan’s capital and commercial cities respectively, Kyoto is regarded as the Asian country’s religious tourism hub.

Once the capital of Japan for over a millennium (794-1868), Kyoto is a city located on the island of Honshu in Kyoto Prefecture. It is considered as the cultural capital of Japan and a major tourism destination.

A young woman pays respect at a shrine. / Eddie Nsabimana

The city is famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, imperial palaces, and gardens, many of which are listed collectively by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site.

It has a population of 1, 46 million, according to statistics released this year.

The emperor, who traditionally rules Japan, lived in Kyoto until he and the Royal Family moved out to their new imperial home in Tokyo after it was named the new capital city of Japan.

We traveled for two hours from Yokohama, the host city of TICAD7, on a train only to reach Kyoto City.

The rock inside the Shimogamo shrine where people leave offerings. / Eddie Nsabimana

Railroad transport has become a common public transport in Japan since the country embraced it for the first time in 1964.

One pretty crucial thing that I realized was that, if there is something Japan values a lot, it is tourism based on its traditional heritage.

The shrines

Shinto and Buddhism are Japan’s two major religions. Shinto is as old as the Japanese culture, while Buddhism was imported from the mainland in the 6th century. Since then, the two religions have been co-existing relatively harmoniously and have even complemented each other to a certain degree.

As a Christian, it surprised me that some people worship gods and also make offerings to.

Kyoto pegs its uniqueness on religious tourism which continues to attract many tourists who mainly come to see old shrines and temples in the city. These are the two most precious religious places where thousands of Japanese visit every day to pay respect to the gods.

Some infrastructures, though, are replicas built to replace the original ones which were put down after Kyoto was burned to ashes during civil wars that shaped Japan in the past years.

The Shimogamo and Kinkakuji Shrines are the most famous shrines in Kyoto and the imperial culture flourished in the city during the Heian period (794-1185) and the Shimogamo shrine.

A special garden around which the monks sit for meditation. / Eddie Nsabimana

The 124 000 m2 shrine was the city’s most prosperous during the reign of Emperor Saga (809-823). Many of the shrine’s elaborate architectural designs and traditions come from this time.

Emperor Saga was the first to dedicate one of his daughters as a Sai-in, or maiden of the shrine, following a similar custom established at the Isle shrine.

At the entrance lies a big stone which means a lot in the ‘Kimigayo, Japanese National Anthem in tribute to the longevity and prosperity of the royal family.

To enter the former shrine, you have to wash your hands at a well known as ‘Chouzou’ to purify yourself of sins before the god.

The author in front of one of the several shrines in Kyoto. / Courtesy

Kinkakuji Shrine, on the other hand, is well known to be home to tea festivals. It is covered by waters, a golden traditional building, which is a replica of the original shrine.

Temples

I had a chance to tour Ryoanji Zen Temple, which is one of over a thousand temples built in Japan, with over half of the population being Buddhists. 

Buddism is the main religion in the Asian nation which records less than 10 percent of Christians.

"I am also a Buddhist,’ said our escort during the visit.

The temple is the site of Japan’s most famous rock garden and one of the touristic places that attract thousands of tourists from across the globe.

The author poses before the Shimogamo shrine. / Courtesy

Inside the temple is a special garden around which the royal monks sit and meditate. Japanese, however, visit it for touristic reasons because it is too old to be a worshiping venue. 

Maca, a Japanese tea ceremony

After witnessing the tea festival at Kinkakuji shrine, I had a chance to go for a tea ceremony in one of the tea exhibition spaces in the city.

I like tea, but to be honest, Maca tea did not sit down well with me. After trying it, I pretended to be so excited by its taste but I would not bring myself to taking any more of it.

I visited amazing touristic sites in Japan, from the Mount Fuji to the TeamLab Planets in Tokyo tec museum, but Kyoto was my favorite.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com