Kyoto is the heart of traditional Japan. Kyoto, the capital of Japan for over a thousand years, will be the center of Japanese tradition and culture forever. Seventeen of the castles, temples, and gardens in Kyoto have been acknowledged as World Heritage Sites, and about 1 in 5 of national treasures of Japan are here as well. Tea ceremony, flower arrangement, kimono, geisha - all of these have their cultural center in Kyoto..