#kyoto

#kyoto

But the best things to do in Kyoto represent not only a city of preservation-this has also long been a place of innovation: bamboo harvested here helped Thomas Edison fashion the filament for the first light bulb; Japan's first streetcar rattled to life on Kyoto's avenues; and Nintendo grew from a small playing-card company into a global powerhouse in its backstreets.

Gion's quiet streets lined with lanterns are now filled with foreign tourists who treat the area like an amusement park, disrupting local life and culture.

In Kyoto, the intersection of ancient crafts and modern innovation fosters a vibrant community of artisans, blending traditional techniques with contemporary design.