In 1868, samurai from the two remote southern domains of Satsuma and Choshu seized the imperial palace in Kyoto, declared the restoration of the Meiji emperor and brought to a sudden end two-and-a-half centuries of rule by the Tokugawa shogunate.

ECONOMIST: Japan

The bass, as they always do, proliferated--either moved by migrating birds or fishing enthusiasts--and are now found in lakes from the capital to Kyoto, and even in eight of the 13 moats that surround Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

FORBES: Long Reach Of The Largemouth

The Spiral building was financed by Wacoal, a staid old Kyoto lingerie maker that also raised eyebrows with its Tokyo branch office, on prime land near the Imperial Palace.

CNN: AFTER THE BANG