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     | Osaka is Japan's oldest city, 
    having been an Imperial capital in 645 A.D. That said, it is still likely 
    that you will spend your sightseeing time in Kyoto or elsewhere. Kyoto is 
    only a half hour from Osaka by train, and Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 
    about 1,000 years. It is Kyoto that, in spite of the city's entrenchment, 
    has preserved some of the most impressive elements of early and beautiful 
    Japan. Besides temples, gardens, and palaces, there is the elegant Golden 
    Pavilion, pictured below left. It is set in a forest that belies its 
    presence in a large city. | 
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