The NY Times describes 36 hours in Kyoto, the imperial capital of Japan

Miyagawachō: contrasts 4 (Kyoto, 29 March 2008)
Originally uploaded by dlumenta

The NY Times travel story by Jaime Gross opens thusly -

KYOTO, the former imperial capital of Japan, is a vibrant mash-up, an ancient city electrified by the breathtakingly new. Cruise the futuristic food halls of a department store, gaping at the perfect fruit and glistening sea creatures, before zipping up to the traditional floor, with its kimonos and tea ceremony implements.

See 2,000 ancient temples and shrines, then dine at a sleekly modern restaurant. Glimpse a geisha gliding down a cobblestone lane, bracketed by wooden machiya houses, and feel yourself catapulted to the 18th century — until you see her duck into a very 21st-century taxi, with a passenger door that opens and shuts automatically.

See more here.