Hello and welcome to the History of Japan podcast.

Episode 4, the Golden Age of Hayan.

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The decision in 794 AD to move the capital to the city of Hian Kyo marks one of the turning points in Japanese history. That city,

which is today known as Kyoto, became the focal point of Japanese aristocratic culture. And even today,

more than a thousand years after it lost

all political relevance, it remains the cultural heart of Japan. As many a Japanese friend

has said to me, when I want to feel truly Japanese, I go to Kyoto. Incidentally, the change

...