Article: Kyoto by the book; I found novels to be a more useful guide to Japan than encyclopedic guidebooks.(FEATURES)(TRAVEL)

Byline: Peggy Williams Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

KYOTO, JAPAN -- The first time I encountered "Memoirs of a Geisha," I was enthralled. I felt as though I'd been transported to early 20th-century Kyoto, Japan, with its ancient temples and mysterious back alleys. Arthur Golden took me on a journey I could never have imagined, in a country I never dared hope to visit.

But imagination met reality recently when I had the opportunity to visit my son, who was spending a year studying in Kyoto.

As I perused guidebooks in preparation for my trip, I was overwhelmed by the multitude of temples and shrines, castles, and restaurants- all ...

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