Bewitching, elusive Kyoto enchants and often mystifies those who travel to its shores. Lying 228 miles west of Tokyo on the Japanese island of Honshu, Kyoto represents the old Japan tightly woven within a tidy, modern grid.

Stroll around this former imperial capital and you’ll encounter winding stone alleyways leading to centuries-old ryokan (traditional inns), white-faced geisha vanishing behind teahouse screens, and red paper lanterns casting a rosy glow outside restaurants along the Kamo River. Blink and you’ll spot a Starbucks, sleek Western hotels and a modern underground mall. This historic city of 1.5 million has many sides, and often what you see is only half the picture.

While much has changed in Kyoto since I lived there during the late 1980s, much remains the same, including corporate etiquette. Doing business in Kyoto, as with much of Japan, involves slowing down and getting to know the various parties involved. Chances are you’ll have several social encounters in teahouses, restaurants and bars before doing any real business, in order to foster friendships and establish trust — an important value in the Japanese culture. While these social gatherings may seem casual, they play a vital role, revealing how you think and behave in a variety of situations.

Although Japan claims the world’s fourth-largest economy, the county struggled with deflation ever since the massive property bubble burst in the 1990s. Consumer prices have been relatively flat largely due to sales tax increases and higher commodity prices.

More recently, however, things have started to look up, thanks to “Abenomics.” In 2012, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party won control of the lower house of Parliament, returning Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to office. According to The Economist, Abe courted investors with a convincing message about Japan’s rising economic prospects, causing the central bank to loosen its traditional fiscal hold and flood the economy with money and support for the yen. As a result, the stock market is up three-fifths since Abe came into power, and real estate prices have started to rise.

Kyoto’s leading industries include information technology, electronics and manufacturing. Tourism also greatly adds to the economy, with nearly 50 million visitors per year.

Thanks to President Roosevelt’s decision to avoid bombing the city during World War II, more than 2,000 ancient temples and shrines remain intact. You’ll also see many beautiful old homes, along with dark wood shops dedicated to making traditional goods like tofu, tea sweets, wooden combs and reed baskets. The city boasts myriad gardens composed of pebbles, moss and clipped shrubs and plants, as well as 17 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites including Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion).

Kyoto Train Station © Tupungato | Dreamstime.com

While Kyoto has no airport, the futuristic train station, opened to the public in 1997, serves as the city’s transportation center, with Japan Railways, Kintetsu Railways and the Karasuma Subway line under its roof. You can take a taxi from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto, although taxis are extremely expensive in Japan. A smarter option, the Kansai Airport Express Haruka operated by West Japan Railway Co., zips you from the airport to Kyoto Station in approximately 75 minutes. You can find the Kyoto Tourist Information Center on the station’s second floor.

If possible, spend at least one night in a traditional Japanese inn, where you’ll find a select number of guestrooms with private garden views; tatami straw mat flooring; fragrant cedar baths; cotton futon bedding; and exquisite multicourse, seasonal dinners called kaiseki, a specialty of Kyoto. Of the 80,000 or so ryokan in Japan, Kyoto’s Tawaraya Ryokan is arguably the finest and most centrally located. Run by the same family for 300 years, it offers impeccable service and beauty, which explains why it has housed nobility, celebrities and presidents since it opened. Every guestroom features unique Japanese antiques and offers a special garden view. The artwork throughout the inn changes monthly to reflect the seasons, and the kaiseki dinner served in your room is an edible masterpiece itself.

For modern accommodations, you can’t go wrong at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto. It features all the business amenities you’ll need in a sleek, elegant setting with superb service. You can dine with clients at any one of the hotel’s venues or request a coveted table at Kikunoi, a Michelin 3-star kaiseki restaurant in the Gion-Maruyama district, where the sound of trickling water from a private garden creates a soothing backdrop to Kyoto specialties like mountain potato topped with sweet octopus and wasabi jelly.

Another fine choice is Ryozanpaku, a Michelin 2-star restaurant serving modern kaiseki dishes like grilled amberjack and smoked tofu over mandarin segments. Since Kyoto is famous for its buttery, grilled glazed eel, enjoy it fresh from the barrel at Kane-yo, a no-frills spot serving crisp-skinned conger to devotees for more than a century. For a casual lunch of silky buckwheat soba noodles, a Kyoto specialty, book a table at Honke Owariya, favored by the imperial family and temple monks since 1465. (Note: Tips are not expected anywhere in Japan, including restaurants, bars and hotels.)

Since the Japanese are so hospitable, during your visit to Kyoto you’ll likely be invited to enjoy drinks, dinner and some sort of evening entertainment, whether it’s music, song or kabuki theater. As many establishments act almost like private clubs, conducting business exclusively with certain locals, it’s best to let your host choose the venue, even if you are treating.

If you have some downtime, head to the culinary nirvana at Nishiki Market, “the kitchen of Kyoto,” where the city’s premier chefs buy their supplies from 126-plus food stalls and shops along a stone alleyway. Should you wish to savor a snack, meal or cup of tea, you’ll find plenty of places inside the market. To purchase what’s considered the finest tea in Kyoto — a great gift for tea lovers — go to nearby Ippodo, a dark wood shop founded in 1717 to serve the imperial household.

From the moment you set foot in Kyoto, you’ll realize how proud the locals are of their city, and rightly so. It offers all the conveniences of a modern, global metropolis yet all the charm and character of its historic past.

Read more about geisha and maiko.