Hi Ara. Kyoto is a place that is steep in culture and arts. A large quake and the fire that is sure to follow could destroy a lot of that most of which can never be replaced. It would be a part of Japan that would be lost forever and remembered only in memory.

For over 1,000 years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, the heart of culture and politics. It was one of the few cities in Japan that were untouched by the II World War. This legacy has been recognized by UNESCO, which has designated seventeen separate sites within Kyoto's borders as World Cultural Heritage sites. What other location in the world has that many attractions in one place? Additionally, 20% of Japan's national treasures and 15% of the country's cultural properties can all be found in Kyoto.

When I was there in July of 1997 I attended the Gion Festival. This festival, one of the three largest in Japan, along with the Kanda Festival in Tokyo and the Tenjin Festival in Osaka, lasts for almost a month. With the ceremonial Mikoshiarai (washing of the portable shrines) on the 10th through to the Kankou Festival on the 24th as its centerpiece, it spreads over the whole of Kyoto's Shijo-douri.

This festival began 1129 years ago (876AD) when, as a prayer for the end of the plague, a total of 66 pikes (one for each of the provinces) were made and sent with portable shrines to Shinsen-en.

From the beginning of the modern era, with textile workers based in Nishijin and merchants from Nakagyo gaining power, common culture reached a peak. With their expertise, economic power and virtuous spirit, the dazzling Yamaboko floats were perfected in the Edo era, and may still be seen today.

From the 13th to the 16th of July, the 'kon-chiki-chin' Gion Rhythm (Gion-bayashi) is played in each town where the pikes are made, and the festival reaches its peak on the 17th, with the Yamaboko Float Parade.

A large destructive quake in Kyoto would destroy more then just lives. It would destroy a history that could never be replaced. Take Care…Don in creepy town