Tom Slaughter, age 14, of Lake Charles, La., for his question:

WAS KYOTO BOMBED DURING WORLD WAR II?

Kyoto, one of Japan's largest cities, was the only major Japanese city which escaped bombing during World War II. It is one of Japan's most important cultural centers.

Kyoto is also an important religious center with many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. They house priceless works of art.

One of Kyoto's most beautiful sights is the Golden Paviilion which was built in 1394 and rebuilt in the 1950s.

The Imperial Palace, which was first erected in A.D. 794, was rebuilt in 1855.

Deputies of the Tokugawa shoguns lived in Nijo Castle from the 1600s to the 1800s.

Kyoto has many institutions of higher education including the government controlled Kyoto University and Doshisha University, a Protestant Christian school.

Emperor Kammu established Japan's capital at Kyoto in A.D. 794 and called it Heianka, meaning "capital of peace and tranquility."

Tokyo replaced Kyoto as the capital of Japan.in 1868.