Kyoto

Kyoto is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the Imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, it is now the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture located in the Kansai region. As of 2018, the city had a population of 1.46 million.

History

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over a millennium, and carries a reputation as its most beautiful city. However, visitors may be surprised by how much work they will have to do to see Kyoto’s beautiful side. Most first impressions of the city will be of the urban sprawl of central Kyoto, around the ultra-modern glass-and-steel train station, which is itself an example of a city steeped in tradition colliding with the modern world.

Geography

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 height just above 1,000 meters above sea level.

Climate

Kyoto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen 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 rain 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.

Economy

Kyoto's economy is mainly supported by the tourism and high-tech industry. The traditional industries of Kyoto that are defined by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as the businesses that "carry on the tradition and techniques of the culture and art of Kyoto over the years" include textile, tea, sake brewing, and craftwork industries.

Culture

Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan and a major tourist destination. It is home to numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and gardens, many of which are listed collectively by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

See also

• Tokyo
• Osaka
• Nara
• Japan

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Kyoto Travel Guide - From the Kyoto City Tourism Association

Kyoto Resources
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