It became the capital city in 794 and remained so until 1868, when the capital was switched to Tokyo. This is a view from Kyoto tower. It is 131 meters high, the third highest in Japan. We are looking east toward the hills. This is a picture of a sumo wrestling tournament in Japan.
Sumo wrestling is a very popular sport in Japan.
Thousands of people attend these tournaments,much like basketball or football games in the United States. Some of the more popular sumo wrestlers, like Akebono, the Grand Champion from Hawaii, become very rich. They earn 1,500 times the points they earn, which is usually around 400-500. Sumo tournaments last about 15 days. The oldest recorded Sumo event was in 469 AD, so it has been around for a very long time.