Kyoto: Why is it important to preserve our cultural values and traditions?
Just weeks before the US dropped the most powerful weapon mankind has ever known, Nagasaki was not even on a list of target cities for the atomic bomb. In its place was Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto.
Kyoto was known as home to more than 2,000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, including 17 World Heritage Sites.
Secretary of War Henry Stimson had visited Kyoto earlier and greatly admired its beauty, art architecture and cultural traditions. He persuaded President Truman to remove the city from the list of target cities. Instead, Nagasaki was chosen to be bombed.
This incident highlights how the culture and traditions of a place are important to project its global identity.
