Fushimi Inari Taisha is famous worldwide for the vermillion shrine gates that line the paths in the mountain behind it, where its origins lie. Worshippers seeking happiness have visited this sacred ground where the deities rest for centuries. One family prays religiously every month for business prosperity. Another has the divided spirit of the deity protecting their home and business. Kyotoites live for the future, every day in thanks, through the shrine that embodies their unwavering faith.

Noh is one of the oldest, extant performing arts and is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It has been performed in Kyoto some 650 years, and its form remains largely unchanged. Through few moves and props, the plays portray human drama around age-old themes, such as love and parent-child bonds. Protagonists are mostly spirits of the dead telling of their earthly grief and joy. Within the seemingly expressionless masks lies a subtle beauty, drawing spectators into a dream world.

Dynastic culture thrived some 1,200 years ago in Heian-kyo, heavily influenced by mainland Asian, especially Chinese, culture. Over time, it developed its own idiosyncrasies and permeated all aspects of life: clothing, architecture and food. The invention of the kana syllabary spawned waka poetry, essays and novels. For 800 years the Reizei clan has kept the waka traditions and other aristocratic rituals alive. The roots of today's Japanese culture can be seen in elements of dynastic culture.