City in the Kansai region of Japan
Designated city in Kansai
Kyoto
京都市
|
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Flag
Seal
|
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Kyoto (Asia)
Show map of Asia
Kyoto (Earth)
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Coordinates:
35°0′42″N
135°46′6″E
/
35.01167°N 135.76833°E
/
35.01167; 135.76833
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Country
|
Japan
|
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Region
| Kansai
|
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Prefecture
| Kyoto Prefecture
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Founded
| 794
|
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|
? Type
| Mayor?council
|
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? Body
| Kyoto City Assembly
|
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? Mayor
| K?ji Matsui
|
---|
|
?
Designated city
| 827.83 km
2
(319.63 sq mi)
|
---|
Highest elevation
| 971 m (3,186 ft)
|
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Lowest elevation
| 9 m (30 ft)
|
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|
?
Designated city
| 1,463,723
|
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? Rank
| 9th, Japan
|
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? Density
| 1,800/km
2
(4,600/sq mi)
|
---|
?
Metro
| 3,783,014
|
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Time zone
| UTC+9
(
Japan Standard Time
)
|
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- Tree
| Weeping Willow
,
Japanese Maple
and
Katsura
|
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- Flower
| Camellia
,
Azalea
and Sugar
Cherry
|
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Website
| city.kyoto.lg.jp
|
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Kyoto
(
;
[3]
Japanese
:
京都
,
Ky?to
[k?o?ːto]
ⓘ
), officially
Kyoto City
(
京都市
,
Ky?to-shi
,
[k?oːto??i]
ⓘ
)
, is the capital city of
Kyoto Prefecture
in the
Kansai region
of
Japan
's largest and most populous island of
Honshu
. As of 2020
[update]
, the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the
ninth-most populous
city in Japan. More than half (56.8%) of Kyoto Prefecture's population resides in the city. The city is the cultural anchor of the substantially larger
Greater Kyoto
, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people. It is also part of the even larger
Keihanshin metropolitan area
, along with
Osaka
and
Kobe
.
Kyoto is one of the oldest municipalities in Japan, having been chosen in 794 as the new seat of Japan's imperial court by
Emperor Kanmu
. The original city, named
Heian-ky?
, was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese
feng shui
following the model of the ancient Chinese capitals of
Chang'an
and
Luoyang
. The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869. It was the scene of several key events of the
Muromachi period
,
Sengoku period
, and the
Boshin War
, such as the
?nin War
, the
Honn?-ji Incident
, the
Kinmon incident
, and the
Battle of Toba?Fushimi
. The capital was relocated from Kyoto to
Tokyo
after the
Meiji Restoration
. The modern municipality of Kyoto was established in 1889. The city was spared from large-scale destruction during
World War II
and, as a result, its prewar cultural heritage has mostly been preserved.
Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan and is a major tourist destination. The
agency for cultural affairs
of the national government is headquartered in the city. It is home to numerous
Buddhist temples
,
Shinto shrines
, palaces and gardens, some of which have been designated collectively as a
World Heritage Site
by
UNESCO
. Prominent landmarks include the
Kyoto Imperial Palace
,
Kiyomizu-dera
,
Kinkaku-ji
,
Ginkaku-ji
, and
Kyoto Tower
. The internationally renowned video game company
Nintendo
is based in Kyoto. Kyoto is also a center of higher learning in the country, and its institutions include
Kyoto University
, the second-oldest university in Japan.
Name
[
edit
]
In Japanese, Kyoto was previously called
Ky?
(
京
),
Miyako
(
都
),
Ky? no Miyako
(
京の都
), and
Keishi
(
京師
)
. After becoming the capital of Japan at the start of the
Heian period
(794?1185), the city was often referred to as
Heian-ky?
(
平安京
, "Heian capital"), and late in the Heian period the city came to be widely referred to simply as "Ky?to" (
京都
, "capital city"). After the seat of the emperor was moved to the city of
Edo
and that city was renamed "
T?ky?
" (
東京
, meaning "eastern capital"), Kyoto was briefly known as "Saiky?" (
西京
, meaning "western capital"). As the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868, Kyoto is sometimes called the
thousand-year capital
(
千年の都
).
Historically, foreign spellings for the city's name have included
Kioto
and
Miaco
or
Meaco
.
[4]
[5]
History
[
edit
]
Origins
[
edit
]
Ample
archeological
evidence suggests human settlement in the area of Kyoto began as early as the
Paleolithic
period,
[6]
although not much published material is retained about human activity in the region before the 6th century, around which time the
Shimogamo Shrine
is believed to have been established.
During the 8th century, when powerful
Buddhist
clergy became involved in the affairs of the imperial government,
Emperor Kanmu
chose to relocate the capital in order to distance it from the clerical establishment in
Nara
. His last choice for the site was the village of Uda, in the Kadono district of
Yamashiro Province
.
[7]
The new city,
Heian-ky?
(
平安京
, "tranquility and peace capital")
, modeled after Chinese
Tang dynasty
capital
Chang'an
,
[8]
became the seat of Japan's imperial court in 794, beginning the
Heian period
of
Japanese history
. Although military rulers established their governments either in Kyoto (
Muromachi shogunate
) or in other cities such as
Kamakura
(
Kamakura shogunate
) and
Edo
(
Tokugawa shogunate
), Kyoto remained Japan's capital until the transfer of the imperial court to
Tokyo
in 1869 at the time of the
Imperial Restoration
.
Middle Ages
[
edit
]
In the
Sengoku period
, the city suffered extensive destruction in the
?nin War
of 1467?1477, and did not really recover until the mid-16th century.
[9]
During the war, battles between samurai factions spilled into the streets, and came to involve court nobility (
kuge
) and religious factions as well. Nobles' mansions were transformed into fortresses, deep trenches dug throughout the city for defense and as firebreaks, and numerous buildings burned. The city has not seen such widespread destruction since.
In the late 16th century,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
reconstructed the city by building new streets to double the number of north?south streets in central Kyoto, creating rectangle blocks superseding ancient square blocks. Toyotomi also built earthwork walls called
odoi
(
御土居
)
encircling the city.
Teramachi Street
in central Kyoto is a Buddhist temple quarter where Toyotomi gathered temples in the city.
- Gallery
-
Rakuch? rakugai zu
, a 16th-century depiction of central Kyoto including
Gion Matsuri
floats (center) and
Kiyomizu-dera
(upper right)
Early modern period
[
edit
]
Throughout the
Edo period
, the economy of the city flourished as one of three major cities in
Japan
, the others being
Osaka
and Edo. At the end of the period, the
Hamaguri rebellion
of 1864 burned down 28,000 houses in the city, which showed the rebels' dissatisfaction towards the Tokugawa Shogunate.
[10]
- Gallery
-
Scenes in and around Kyoto (
c.
1615
)
-
Map of Heian-ky?, 1696
-
Modern period
[
edit
]
At the start of the
Meiji period
, the emperor's move from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869 weakened the economy of Kyoto. The modern city of Kyoto was formed on April 1, 1889. The construction of
Lake Biwa Canal
in 1890 was one measure taken to revive the city. The population of the city exceeded one million in 1932.
[11]
- Gallery
-
View of Kyoto from beside the Hond? of Kiyomizudera ? 1870s
[12]
-
Nanzenji aqueduct
Contemporary history
[
edit
]
There was some consideration by the
United States
of targeting Kyoto with an
atomic bomb
at the end of
World War II
because of the possibility that the city's importance was great enough that its loss might persuade Japan to surrender.
[13]
In the end, at the insistence of
Henry L. Stimson
, Secretary of War in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the city was removed from the list of targets and replaced by
Nagasaki
. The city was largely spared from conventional bombing as well, although small-scale air raids did result in casualties.
[14]
During the occupation, the
U.S. Sixth Army
and
I Corps
were headquartered in Kyoto.
[15]
As a result, Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities that still have an abundance of prewar buildings, such as the traditional townhouses known as
machiya
. However, modernization is continually breaking down traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as the
Ky?to Station
complex.
Kyoto became a
city designated by government ordinance
on September 1, 1956. In 1994,
17 historic monuments in Kyoto
were inscribed on the list as
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
. In 1997, Kyoto hosted the conference that resulted in the
protocol on greenhouse gas emissions
(
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
).
Geography
[
edit
]
Terrain
[
edit
]
Kyoto is located in a valley, part of the Yamashiro (or Kyoto) Basin, in the eastern part of the mountainous region known as the Tamba highlands. The Yamashiro Basin is surrounded on three sides by mountains known as Higashiyama, Kitayama and Nishiyama, with a maximum height of approximately 1,000 meters (3,281 ft)
above sea level
. This interior positioning results in hot summers and cold winters. There are three rivers in the basin, the
Uji River
to the south, the
Katsura River
to the west, and the
Kamo River
to the east. Kyoto City takes up 17.9% of the land in Kyoto Prefecture and has a total area of 827.9 square kilometers (319.7 sq mi).
Kyoto sits atop a large natural water table that provides the city with ample freshwater wells. Due to large-scale urbanization, the amount of rain draining into the table is dwindling and wells across the area are drying at an increasing rate.
Climate
[
edit
]
Kyoto has a
humid subtropical climate
(
Koppen
Cfa
), featuring a marked seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation. Summers are hot and humid, but winters are relatively cold with occasional snowfall. Kyoto's
rainy season
begins around the middle of June and lasts until the end of July, yielding to a hot and sunny latter half of the summer. Kyoto, like most of the Pacific coast and central areas of Japan, is prone to typhoons during the summer and autumn.
Climate data for Kyoto (1991?2020 normals, extremes 1880?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
19.9
(67.8)
|
22.9
(73.2)
|
25.7
(78.3)
|
30.7
(87.3)
|
34.9
(94.8)
|
36.8
(98.2)
|
39.8
(103.6)
|
39.8
(103.6)
|
38.1
(100.6)
|
33.6
(92.5)
|
26.9
(80.4)
|
22.8
(73.0)
|
39.8
(103.6)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
9.1
(48.4)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
14.1
(57.4)
|
20.1
(68.2)
|
25.1
(77.2)
|
28.1
(82.6)
|
32.0
(89.6)
|
33.7
(92.7)
|
29.2
(84.6)
|
23.4
(74.1)
|
17.3
(63.1)
|
11.6
(52.9)
|
21.1
(70.0)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
4.8
(40.6)
|
5.4
(41.7)
|
8.8
(47.8)
|
14.4
(57.9)
|
19.5
(67.1)
|
23.3
(73.9)
|
27.3
(81.1)
|
28.5
(83.3)
|
24.4
(75.9)
|
18.4
(65.1)
|
12.5
(54.5)
|
7.2
(45.0)
|
16.2
(61.2)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
1.5
(34.7)
|
1.6
(34.9)
|
4.3
(39.7)
|
9.2
(48.6)
|
14.5
(58.1)
|
19.2
(66.6)
|
23.6
(74.5)
|
24.7
(76.5)
|
20.7
(69.3)
|
14.4
(57.9)
|
8.4
(47.1)
|
3.5
(38.3)
|
12.1
(53.8)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?11.9
(10.6)
|
?11.6
(11.1)
|
?8.2
(17.2)
|
?4.4
(24.1)
|
?0.3
(31.5)
|
4.9
(40.8)
|
10.6
(51.1)
|
11.8
(53.2)
|
7.8
(46.0)
|
0.2
(32.4)
|
?4.4
(24.1)
|
?9.4
(15.1)
|
?11.9
(10.6)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
53.3
(2.10)
|
65.1
(2.56)
|
106.2
(4.18)
|
117.0
(4.61)
|
151.4
(5.96)
|
199.7
(7.86)
|
223.6
(8.80)
|
153.8
(6.06)
|
178.5
(7.03)
|
143.2
(5.64)
|
73.9
(2.91)
|
57.3
(2.26)
|
1,522.9
(59.96)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
5
(2.0)
|
7
(2.8)
|
1
(0.4)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
2
(0.8)
|
15
(5.9)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.5 mm)
|
8.1
|
8.9
|
11.2
|
10.6
|
10.8
|
13.2
|
12.6
|
9.3
|
11.1
|
9.4
|
7.4
|
8.2
|
120.8
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
67
|
65
|
61
|
59
|
60
|
66
|
69
|
66
|
67
|
68
|
68
|
68
|
65
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
123.5
|
122.2
|
155.4
|
177.3
|
182.4
|
133.1
|
142.7
|
182.7
|
142.7
|
156.0
|
140.7
|
134.4
|
1,793.1
|
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
[16]
|
Cityscape
[
edit
]
Kyoto contains roughly 2,000 temples and shrines.
[17]
The main business district is located to the south of the
Kyoto Imperial Palace
. In the center of the city, there are several
covered shopping arcades
only open to pedestrian traffic, such as
Teramachi Street
and
Shinky?goku Street
.
The original city was arranged in accordance with traditional
Chinese
feng shui
following the model of the ancient Chinese capital of
Chang'an
/
Luoyang
. The
Imperial Palace
faced south, resulting in Uky? (the right sector of the capital) being on the west, while Saky? (the left sector) is on the east. The streets in the modern-day wards of Kamigy?-ku, Nakagy?-ku, and
Shimogy?-ku
still follow a grid pattern. Areas outside of the city center do not follow the same grid pattern, though streets throughout Kyoto are referred to by name, a practice that is rare in most regions of Japan.
Administrative divisions
[
edit
]
In the 1870s, the city was divided into a northern ward (Kamigy?-ku) and a southern ward (Shimogy?-ku), each working as individual administrative divisions of Kyoto Prefecture. The modern municipality was created by the unification of these wards into the city of Kyoto in 1889.
Due to the creation of new administrative districts and a number of
municipal mergers
that took place between the 1920s and the 1970s, the contemporary city of Kyoto is divided into eleven
wards
(
?
,
ku
)
. The central wards, located to the west of the Kamo River, are small and densely populated. The city hall is located in
Nakagy?-ku
, and the Kyoto prefectural offices are located in present-day
Kamigy?-ku
.
Wards of Kyoto
|
|
Place name
|
|
|
|
Map of Kyoto
|
R?maji
|
Kanji
|
Population
[18]
|
Land area in km
2
|
Pop. density per km
2
|
|
1
|
Kita-ku
|
北?
|
117,165
|
94.88
|
1,230
|
|
2
|
Kamigy?-ku
|
上京?
|
83,832
|
7.03
|
11,900
|
3
|
Nakagy?-ku
(administrative center)
|
中京?
|
110,488
|
7.41
|
14,900
|
4
|
Shimogy?-ku
|
下京?
|
82,784
|
6.78
|
12,200
|
5
|
Minami-ku
|
南?
|
101,970
|
15.81
|
6,450
|
6
|
Nishiky?-ku
|
西京?
|
149,837
|
59.24
|
2,530
|
7
|
Uky?-ku
|
右京?
|
202,047
|
292.07
|
690
|
8
|
Saky?-ku
|
左京?
|
166,039
|
246.77
|
670
|
9
|
Higashiyama-ku
|
東山?
|
36,602
|
7.48
|
4,890
|
10
|
Yamashina-ku
|
山科?
|
135,101
|
28.70
|
4,710
|
11
|
Fushimi-ku
|
伏見?
|
277,858
|
61.66
|
4,510
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1873
| 238,663
| ?
|
---|
1889
| 279,165
| +17.0%
|
---|
1900
| 371,600
| +33.1%
|
---|
1910
| 470,033
| +26.5%
|
---|
1920
| 736,462
| +56.7%
|
---|
1925
| 860,878
| +16.9%
|
---|
1930
| 987,777
| +14.7%
|
---|
1935
| 1,117,439
| +13.1%
|
---|
1940
| 1,127,870
| +0.9%
|
---|
1945
| 1,041,700
| ?7.6%
|
---|
1950
| 1,130,185
| +8.5%
|
---|
1955
| 1,229,808
| +8.8%
|
---|
1960
| 1,295,012
| +5.3%
|
---|
1965
| 1,374,159
| +6.1%
|
---|
1970
| 1,427,376
| +3.9%
|
---|
1975
| 1,468,833
| +2.9%
|
---|
1980
| 1,473,065
| +0.3%
|
---|
1985
| 1,486,402
| +0.9%
|
---|
1990
| 1,461,103
| ?1.7%
|
---|
1995
| 1,470,902
| +0.7%
|
---|
2000
| 1,467,785
| ?0.2%
|
---|
2005
| 1,474,811
| +0.5%
|
---|
2010
| 1,474,015
| ?0.1%
|
---|
2015
| 1,475,183
| +0.1%
|
---|
2020
| 1,463,723
| ?0.8%
|
---|
Source:
[11]
|
Kyoto was the largest city in Japan until the late 16th century, when its population was surpassed by those of
Osaka
and
Edo
.
[19]
Before World War II, Kyoto vied with
Kobe
and
Nagoya
to rank as the fourth or fifth largest city in Japan. Having avoided most wartime destruction, it was again the third largest city in 1947. By 1960 it had fallen to fifth again, and by 1990 it had fallen to seventh. As of January 2022
[update]
, it was the ninth largest city in Japan by population and had led the country in population decrease for two consecutive years.
[20]
However, the population of the city rises during standard working hours, and Kyoto ranks seventh in Japan in terms of
daytime population
.
[21]
Approximately 55% of the total population of
Kyoto Prefecture
is concentrated in the city of Kyoto, which is the highest ratio among the prefectures of Japan.
Government
[
edit
]
The city of Kyoto is governed by the mayor of Kyoto and the Kyoto City Assembly, a
municipal council
.
Kyoto City Assembly
[
edit
]
The legislative city assembly has 67 elected members, and terms are four years in length. As of 2024, the assembly is controlled by a coalition of members affiliated with the
Liberal Democratic Party
,
Komeito
, and the Democratic Civic Forum.
List of mayors
[
edit
]
Between the founding of the modern city and 1898, the
governor of Kyoto Prefecture
also acted as the mayor of the city of Kyoto. From 1898 through the Second World War, mayors were nominated by the Kyoto City Assembly and appointed by the
Minister of Home Affairs
.
Since 1947, mayors of Kyoto have been chosen by
direct election
to four-year terms. As of 2024, there have been ten mayors elected using this system. While some mayors have resigned or died in office, no mayor has lost a reelection bid in the postwar period. In the
2024 Kyoto mayoral election
, independent candidate
Koji Matsui
was elected for the first time, supported by the
Liberal Democratic Party
,
Komeito
, the
Constitutional Democratic Party
, and the
Democratic Party for the People
.
#
|
Name
[23]
|
Entered office
[23]
|
Left office
[23]
|
1
|
Masao Kambe (神?正雄)
|
April 7, 1947
|
January 6, 1950
|
2
|
Giz? Takayama (高山義三)
|
February 10, 1950
|
February 4, 1966
|
3
|
Seiichi Inoue (井上?一)
|
February 5, 1966
|
January 8, 1967
|
4
|
Kiyoshi Tomii (富井?)
|
February 28, 1967
|
February 25, 1971
|
5
|
Motoki Funahashi (?橋求己)
|
February 26, 1971
|
July 26, 1981
|
6
|
Masahiko Imagawa (今川正彦)
|
September 1, 1981
|
August 29, 1989
|
7
|
Tomoyuki Tanabe (田邊朋之)
|
August 30, 1989
|
January 29, 1996
|
8
|
Yorikane Masumoto
(?本?兼)
|
February 26, 1996
|
February 24, 2008
|
9
|
Daisaku Kadokawa
(門川大作)
|
February 25, 2008
|
February 24, 2024
|
10
|
Koji Matsui
(松井孝治)
|
February 25, 2024
|
present
|
Economy
[
edit
]
GDP (PPP) per capita
[24]
[25]
Year
|
US$
|
1975
|
5,324
|
1980
|
9,523
|
1985
|
13,870
|
1990
|
20,413
|
1995
|
23,627
|
2000
|
26,978
|
2005
|
32,189
|
2010
|
36,306
|
2015
|
41,410
|
Information technology
and electronics are key industries in Kyoto. The city is home to the headquarters of
Nintendo
,
Intelligent Systems
,
SCREEN Holdings
,
[26]
Tose
,
Hatena
,
Omron
,
[27]
Kyocera
,
Shimadzu
,
[28]
Rohm
,
[29]
Horiba
,
[30]
Nidec Corporation
,
[31]
Nichicon
,
[32]
Nissin Electric
,
[33]
and
GS Yuasa
.
Domestic and international
tourism
contributes significantly to Kyoto's economy. In 2014, the city government announced that a record number of tourists had visited Kyoto.
[34]
As a result of a sharp decline in tourism during the
COVID-19 pandemic
, the mayor acknowledged in 2021 "the possibility of bankruptcy in the next decade" and announced job cuts in the administration and cuts in social assistance, including reductions in funding for home care.
[35]
Traditional
Japanese crafts
are also a major industry of Kyoto; Kyoto's
kimono
weavers are particularly renowned, and the city remains the premier center of kimono manufacturing.
Sake
brewing is another prominent traditional industry in Kyoto, and the headquarters of major sake brewers
Gekkeikan
and
Takara Holdings
are found in Kyoto.
Other notable businesses headquartered in Kyoto include
Aiful
,
Ishida
,
Nissen Holdings
,
Gyoza no Ohsho
,
Sagawa Express
,
Volks
, and
Wacoal
.
Education
[
edit
]
Colleges and universities
[
edit
]
Home to 40 institutions of
higher education
, Kyoto is one of the academic centers in Japan.
[36]
Kyoto University
is often ranked first or second among
national universities
nationwide. Influential private universities such as
Doshisha University
and
Ritsumeikan University
are also located in the city, and the
Kyoto Institute of Technology
is considered to be among the best universities in the country for architecture and design.
The
Consortium of Universities in Kyoto
is a Kyoto-based higher education network consisting of three national universities, three public (prefectural and municipal) universities, 45 private universities, five other organizations, and representatives from the city government. The Consortium does not offer its own degree, but allows students to take courses at other participating universities.
[37]
In addition to Japanese universities and colleges, educational institutions from other countries operate programs in the city. The
Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
(KCJS) is a group of 14 American universities that runs overseas academic programs in Japanese language and cultural studies for university students.
[38]
Similarly, the
Associated Kyoto Program
runs a study-abroad academic program with a focus on cultural, language, and historical learning in and around the Kansai metropolitan area.
Transportation
[
edit
]
Railways
[
edit
]
Kyoto is served by rail transportation systems operated by several different companies and organizations. The city's main gateway terminal,
Ky?to Station
, connects the
Tokaido Shinkansen
bullet train line with five
JR West
lines, a
Kintetsu
line, and a municipal subway line.
The
Keihan Electric Railway
, the
Hankyu Railway
, and other rail networks also offer frequent services within the city and to other cities and suburbs in the
Kinki
region. Although Kyoto does not have its own commercial airport, the limited express
Haruka
operated by
JR West
carries passengers from
Kansai International Airport
to Ky?to Station in 73 minutes.
[39]
The
Kyoto Railway Museum
in
Shimogy?-ku
, operated by JR West, displays many steam, diesel, and electric locomotives used in Japan between the 1880s and the present.
High-speed rail
[
edit
]
The
Tokaid? Shinkansen
, operated by
JR Central
, provides
high-speed rail
service linking Kyoto with
Nagoya
,
Yokohama
, and
Tokyo
to the east and with nearby
Osaka
to the west. Beyond Osaka, many trains boarding at Kyoto continue on the
San'y? Shinkansen
route managed by JR West, providing access to cities including
Kobe
,
Okayama
,
Hiroshima
,
Kitakyushu
, and
Fukuoka
. The trip from Tokyo to Kyoto takes around 2.5 hours, and the trip from
Hakata Station
in Fukuoka to Kyoto takes just over three hours by the fastest train service
Nozomi
. All Shinkansen trains stop at Ky?to Station, including
Hikari
and
Kodama
trains.
Conventional lines
[
edit
]
- West Japan Railway Company
(JR West)
-
- Hankyu Railway
-
- Keihan Electric Railway
-
- Kintetsu Railway
-
- Sagano Scenic Railway
-
Subways
[
edit
]
The
Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau
operates the
Kyoto Municipal Subway
consisting of two lines: the
Karasuma Line
and the
T?zai Line
. The two lines are linked at
Karasuma Oike Station
near Kyoto's central business district.
The Karasuma Line runs primarily north to south between the terminal of
Kokusaikaikan Station
and
Takeda Station
, and takes its name from the fact that trains run beneath
Karasuma Street
between
Kita?ji Station
in Kita-ku and
J?j? Station
in Minami-ku. The Karasuma Line connects to the
Hankyu Kyoto Main Line
at the intersection of Shij? Karasuma in Kyoto's central business district and to
JR lines
and the
Kyoto Kintetsu Line
at Ky?to Station. In addition, the Transportation Bureau and
Kintetsu
jointly operate through services which continue to
Kintetsu Nara Station
in
Nara
, the capital city of
Nara Prefecture
.
The T?zai Line runs from the southeastern area of the city towards the center, then east to west (
t?zai
in Japanese) through the Kyoto downtown area where trains run beneath the east?west streets of
Sanj? Street
,
Oike Street
, and
Oshik?ji Street
[
ja
]
. The
Keihan Keishin Line
has been integrated into this line, and thus Keihan provides through services to
Hama?tsu
in the neighboring city of
?tsu
, the capital of
Shiga Prefecture
. Within the city of Kyoto, the T?zai Line also connects to the Keihan lines at
Yamashina Station
,
Misasagi Station
, and
Sanj? Keihan Station
, and to the
Keifuku Electric Railroad
at the terminal of
Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station
.
Tramways
[
edit
]
- Keifuku Electric Railroad
(Randen)
-
- Keifuku Arashiyama Main Line
- Keifuku Kitano Line
- Eizan Electric Railway
(Eiden)
-
- Eizan Main Line
- Eizan Kurama Line
Buses
[
edit
]
Kyoto's
municipal bus network
is extensive. Private carriers also operate within the city. Many tourists join commuters on the public buses, or take tour buses. Kyoto's buses have announcements in English and electronic signs with stops written in the Latin alphabet. Buses operating on routes within the city, the region, and the nation stop at
Ky?to Station
. In addition to Ky?to Station, bus transfer is available at the intersection of
Shij? Kawaramachi
,
Sanj? Keihan Station
, and the intersection of Karasuma Kita?ji near
Kita?ji Station
.
Roads and waterways
[
edit
]
Because many older streets in Kyoto are narrow, there are a significant number of one-way roads without sidewalks.
Cycling
is a common form of personal transportation in the city, although there are few areas set aside for bicycle parking and bicycles parked in restricted areas are impounded.
Kyoto has fewer toll-highways than other Japanese cities of comparable size. There are nine national highways in the city of Kyoto:
Route 1
,
Route 8
,
Route 9
,
Route 24
,
Route 162
,
Route 171
,
Route 367
,
Route 477
, and
Route 478
.
The city is connected with other parts of Japan by the
Meishin Expressway
, which has two interchanges in the city:
Kyoto-higashi Interchange
(Kyoto East) in Yamashina-ku and
Kyoto-minami Interchange
[
ja
]
(Kyoto South) in Fushimi-ku. The
Kyoto J?kan Expressway
connects the city to the northern regions of Kyoto Prefecture. The
Second Keihan Highway
is another bypass to Osaka.
Traditionally, trade and haulage took place by waterway, and there continue to be a number of navigable rivers and canals in Kyoto. In contemporary Kyoto, however, waterways are no longer commonly used for transportation of passengers or goods, other than for limited sightseeing purposes such as excursion boats on the
Hozu River
and
cormorant fishing
boats on the
?i River
.
Culture
[
edit
]
Although ravaged by wars, fires, and earthquakes during its eleven centuries as the imperial capital, Kyoto suffered only minor damage in
World War II
. It was removed from the atomic bomb target list (which it had headed) by the personal intervention of Secretary of War
Henry L. Stimson
, as Stimson wanted to save this cultural center, which he knew from his honeymoon and later diplomatic visits.
[40]
[41]
Kyoto has been, and still remains, Japan's cultural center.
[42]
[43]
About 20% of Japan's
National Treasures
and 14% of
Important Cultural Properties
exist in the city proper. The government of Japan relocated the
Agency for Cultural Affairs
to Kyoto in 2023.
[44]
With its 2,000 religious places ? 1,600
Buddhist
temples and 400
Shinto shrines
, as well as palaces, gardens and architecture intact ? it is one of the best preserved cities in Japan. Among the most famous temples in Japan are
Kiyomizu-dera
, a magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a mountain;
Kinkaku-ji
, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion;
Ginkaku-ji
, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion; and
Ry?an-ji
, famous for its
rock garden
. The
Heian Jing?
is a Shinto shrine, built in 1895, celebrating the imperial family and commemorating the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto. Three special sites have connections to the imperial family: the Kyoto Gyoen area including the
Kyoto Imperial Palace
and
Sent? Imperial Palace
, homes of the
emperors of Japan
for many centuries;
Katsura Imperial Villa
, one of the nation's finest architectural treasures; and
Shugakuin Imperial Villa
, one of its best
Japanese gardens
. In addition, the temple of Sennyu-ji houses the tombs of the emperors from
Shij?
to
K?mei
.
Other sites in Kyoto include
Arashiyama
, the
Gion
and
Ponto-ch?
geisha
quarters, the
Philosopher's Walk
, and the canals that line some of the older streets.
The "
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
" are listed by the
UNESCO
as a
World Heritage Site
. These include the
Kamo Shrines
(Kami and Shimo),
Ky?-?-Gokokuji
(T?-ji), Kiyomizu-dera,
Daigo-ji
,
Ninna-ji
,
Saih?-ji
(Kokedera),
Tenry?-ji
,
Rokuon-ji
(Kinkaku-ji),
Jish?-ji
(Ginkaku-ji),
Ry?an-ji
,
Hongan-ji
,
K?zan-ji
, and the
Nij? Castle
, primarily built by the
Tokugawa sh?guns
. Other sites outside the city are also on the list.
Kyoto is renowned for its abundance of delicious Japanese foods and cuisine. The special circumstances of Kyoto as a city away from the sea and home to many Buddhist temples resulted in the development of a variety of vegetables peculiar to the Kyoto area
(
京野菜
,
ky?-yasai
)
. The oldest restaurant in Kyoto is
Honke Owariya
which was founded in 1465.
[45]
Japan's television and film industry has its center in Kyoto. Many
jidaigeki
, action films featuring samurai, were shot at
Toei Uzumasa Eigamura
.
[46]
A film set and theme park in one, Eigamura features replicas of traditional Japanese buildings, which are used for
jidaigeki
. Among the sets are a replica of the old
Nihonbashi
(the bridge at the entry to
Edo
), a traditional courthouse, a Meiji Period
police box
and part of the former
Yoshiwara
red-light district. Actual film shooting takes place occasionally, and visitors are welcome to observe the action.
The
dialect
spoken in Kyoto is known as
Ky?-kotoba
or
Ky?to-ben
, a constituent dialect of the
Kansai dialect
. Until the late Edo period, the Kyoto dialect was the
de facto
standard Japanese, although it has since been replaced by
modern standard Japanese
. Traditional Kyoto expressions include the polite copula
dosu
, the honorific verb ending
-haru
, and the greeting phrase
okoshi-yasu
.
Festivals
[
edit
]
Kyoto is well known for its traditional festivals which have been held for over 1,000 years and are a major tourist attraction.
[47]
The first is the
Aoi Matsuri
on May 15. Two months later (July) is the
Gion Matsuri
known as one of the 3 great festivals of Japan, culminating in a massive parade on July 17. Kyoto marks the
Bon Festival
with the
Gozan no Okuribi
, lighting fires on mountains to guide the spirits home (August 16). The October 22
Jidai Matsuri
, Festival of the Ages, celebrates Kyoto's illustrious past.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
[
edit
]
The
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
includes fourteen temples, shrines, and castles in Kyoto dating from between the sixth century (
Shimogamo Shrine
, though extant structures are more recent) and the seventeenth century (
Nij? Castle
). The sites were designated as World Heritage in 1994.
Museums
[
edit
]
Sports
[
edit
]
Kyoto has been the site of many annual sporting events, ranging from the 400-year-old
T?shiya
archery exhibition held at the
Sanj?sangen-d? Temple
to the
Kyoto Marathon
and the
Shimadzu All Japan Indoor Tennis Championships
.
Several sports teams are based in Kyoto, including professional
football
and
basketball
teams. In football, Kyoto has been represented by
Kyoto Sanga FC
, a club which won the
Emperor's Cup
in 2002 and rose to
J. League
's Division 1 in 2005. Kyoto Sanga began as an amateur non-company club in the 1920s, making it the J. League team with the longest history, although it was only after professionalization in the 1990s that it was able to compete in the Japanese top division. Until 2019, Kyoto Sanga used
Takebishi Stadium Kyoto
in Uky?-ku as its home stadium, but home matches were moved to the city of
Kameoka, Kyoto
in 2020. There are also several amateur football clubs based in Kyoto. The amateur clubs AS Laranja Kyoto,
Ococias Kyoto AC
, and Kyoto Shiko Soccer Club compete in the regional
Kansai Soccer League
.
Another professional team based in Kyoto is the
Kyoto Hannaryz
, a men's basketball team in the First Division of the
B.League
that plays its home games at the
Kyoto City Gymnasium
in Uky?-ku. Kyoto has also been the home of other professional teams that have subsequently moved or been disbanded. Between 1949 and 1952, the
Central League
professional baseball team
Shochiku Robins
played home games at Kinugasa Ballpark in Kita-ku and Nishi-Ky?goku Baseball Park (now known as Wakasa Stadium) in Uky?-ku. This team eventually became the
Yokohama DeNA BayStars
. Kyoto also hosted two teams in the
Japan Women's Baseball League
before the league folded in 2021.
Company teams
in Kyoto include two rugby squads, the
Mitsubishi Motors
Kyoto Red Evolutions and the
Shimadzu
Breakers, which compete in the Kansai regional rugby league
Top West
. In baseball, company teams have competed in the regional JABA Kyoto Tournament annually since 1947.
Kyoto Racecourse
in Fushimi-ku is one of ten racecourses operated by the
Japan Racing Association
. It hosts notable horse races including the
Kikuka-sh?
, Spring
Tenno Sho
, and
Queen Elizabeth II Cup
.
International relations
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? Sister cities
[
edit
]
The city of Kyoto has
sister-city
relationships with the following cities:
[48]
- Boston
, United States (since June 1959)
- Cologne
, Germany (since May 1963)
- Florence
, Italy (since September 1965)
- Guadalajara
, Mexico (since October 1980)
[49]
- Kyiv
, Ukraine (since September 1971)
- Prague
, Czech Republic (since April 1996)
[50]
- Xi'an
, China (since May 1974, friendship city)
- Zagreb
, Croatia (since October 1981)
Partner cities
[
edit
]
In addition to its sister city arrangements which involve multi-faceted cooperation, Kyoto has created a system of "partner cities" which focus on cooperation based on a particular topic. At present, Kyoto has partner-city arrangements with the following cities:
[51]
- Brussels
, Belgium (since April 2006)
- Hu?
, Vietnam (since February 2013)
- Istanbul
, Turkey (since June 2013)
- Jinju
, South Korea (since March 1999)
- Konya
, Turkey (since December 2009)
- Paris
, France (since June 1958)
[52]
- Qingdao
, China (since August 2012)
- Quebec City
, Canada (since May 2016)
- Tainan
, Taiwan (since June 2021)
- Varanasi
, India (since August 2014)
[53]
- Vientiane
, Laos (since November 2015)
- Yilan City
, Taiwan (since August 2018)
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
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[Prague - Twin Cities HMP].
Portal "Zahrani?ni vztahy" [Portal "Foreign Affairs"]
(in Czech). July 18, 2013. Archived from
the original
on June 25, 2013
. Retrieved
August 5,
2013
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- ^
"Partner Cities of Kyoto City"
. City of Kyoto.
Archived
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. Retrieved
April 15,
2018
.
- ^
"Paris et Kyoto celebrent leurs soixante ans d'amitie"
.
Archived
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2020
.
- ^
"MoUs with Japan"
.
Archived
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. Retrieved
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2019
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Fieve, Nicolas (ed.) (2008)
Atlas historique de Kyoto. Analyse spatiale des systemes de memoire d'une ville, de son architecture et de ses paysages urbains
. Foreword Koichiro Matsuura, Preface Jacques Gernet, Paris, Editions de l'UNESCO / Editions de l'Amateur, 528 pages, 207 maps et 210 ill.
ISBN
978-2-85917-486-6
.
- Fieve, Nicolas and Waley, Paul. (2003). Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power and Memory in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo. London: Routledge. 417 pages + 75 ill.
ISBN
978-0-7007-1409-4
- Lone, John. (2000).
Old Kyoto: A Short Social History.
Oxford:
Oxford University Press
.
ISBN
0-19-590940-2
.
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A. B. (1956).
Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794?1869.
Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society.
- Ropke, Ian Martin.
Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto.
273pp Scarecrow Press (July 22, 1999)
ISBN
978-0810836228
.
External links
[
edit
]
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also a
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eligible for core city status but not yet nominated;
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to become core cities
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1,000,000?1,999,999
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200,000?499,999
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