Warm Up

1. 🔊 Have you ever been to Kyoto? What was your favorite place?
2. 🔊 What do you think are the differences between people in Tokyo and Kyoto?
3. 🔊 Why do you think Kyoto is such a popular tourist destination?

Listening

1. 🔊 00:14 Just a couple hours outside of Tokyo, is beautiful Kyoto. And this was once the capital of Japan, and once the home to the Japanese Emperor.
2. 🔊 00:24 I’m now at the Nijo Castle, which was built in the 1600s for the first Shogun of the Edo period.
3. [responsivevoice voice="US English Female" buttontext=""]00:36 If you wanted to enter the castle, you had to drop all your records here, so you could enter.
4. 🔊 00:42 Behind the Nijo Castle is this garden. And in the garden is a pond with some wildlife.
5. 🔊 01:02 I’m now are the Kinkaku-ji Temple, which was once the home of the Shogun before he retired into priesthood.
6. 🔊 01:25 I’m not sure why people are throwing coins, and they’re aiming for this black bucket. I think if you get it in, your wish comes true.
7. 🔊 01:33  I’m here at the Heian Shrine, which is a Shinto shrine built in the late 1800s.
8. 🔊 01:42 The green symbolizes eternity.
9. 🔊 01:44 Orange is for prosperity, and the white is for purity.

00:08 – Today, I’m gonna get to see some of Kyoto’s highlights.

00:10 It’s gonna be a good day.

00:12 Let’s go.

00:14 Just a couple hours outside of Tokyo, is beautiful Kyoto.

00:17 And this was once the capital of Japan,

00:20 and once the home to the Japanese Emporer.

00:24 ^ I’m now at the Nijo Castle, which was built in the 1600s

00:27 for the first Shogun of the Edo period.

00:30 And I cannot wait to check this place out.

00:34 Right here was the check in point for the Shoguns.

00:36 If you wanted to enter the castle,

00:37 you had to drop all your records here, so you could enter.

00:42 Behind the Nijo Castle is this garden.

00:44 And in the garden is a pond with some wildlife.

00:47 But the best part, is, I get to be here

00:50 in time to see the cherry blossoms in bloom.

00:54 Many Japanese believed the cherry blossoms,

00:56 also called the sakura, are symbolism

00:58 for the transience of life.

01:02 ^ I’m now are the Kinkaku-ji Temple,

01:03 ^ which was once the home of the Shogun

01:05 before he retired into priesthood.

01:08 – My favorite part of the day

01:10 was to see the Golden Pavilion.

01:12 It was very, very beautiful, very magnificent.

01:14 And I love the reflection of

01:16 the Golden Pavilion in the water.

01:18 – Now this this is where I would like to live.

01:25 I’m not sure why people are throwing coins,

01:26 and they’re aiming for this black bucket.

01:29 I think if you get it in, your wish comes true.

01:33 ^ I’m here at the Heian Shrine, which is a Shinto shrine

01:36 ^built in the late 1800s.

01:38 The colors in here are so bright.

01:40 But they actually all have a meaning.

01:42 The green symbolizes eternity.

01:44 Orange is for prosperity, and the white is for purity.

01:50 This has been such a fantastic day.

01:51 From the temples, to the shrines, to the castles.

01:54 This is the perfect way to see Kyoto.

Listening answers:

1. the shogun 2. Transience of life 3.  your wish comes true