From an editorial in The Japan Times of Sept. 23, 2007:

 

"Beautifying Kyoto, at last.  In early September, the Kyoto city government began enforcing regulations against ugliness in the city. Yes, ugliness. The mayor of Kyoto, Yorikane Masumoto, and his municipal government found the political will to think beyond the immediate concerns of day-to-day business demands, and to consider how Kyoto, once one of the world's most beautiful cities, could look a lot better.

 

"Part of the need for beautifying is the realization that Kyoto's future, and Japan's as well, may well depend upon tourism. No one goes to Kyoto to shop at discount stores, stare at tangled wires or photograph concrete high-rises. They go for tea ceremonies, kaiseki meals, traditional shops and long walks along pretty streets. When the 'borrowed scenery' behind the walls of Kyoto's magnificent temple gardens consists of unsightly apartment blocks and objectionable office buildings, the flavor of the whole city is diluted. World tourism numbers show that few people travel to ugly places."   

 

 

Kyoto the beautiful:  school, covered bridge, residence

 

 

 

 

Kyoto the ugly:  photos taken less than a kilometer away, including the street of the local train station