Kyoto

Kyōto, or sometimes Kyouto (京都市; -shi lit. capital city) iscityJapan that haspopulation1.5 milliontime zone UTC + 9 hours. It was oncecapitalJapannow iscapitalKyoto prefecture.

Tablecontents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Culture 5 Economy 6 Collegesuniversities 7 Festivals 8 Transportation 9 Miscellaneous topics 10 External link

History

Kyoto wascapital or Heian KyoJapan from 794 untiltransfer ofgovernmentTokyo1868 attime ofImperial Restoration. Located onmiddle-western portion ofislandHonshucitysurrounded by mountains.

Though archaeological evidence placesfirst human settlement onislandsJapanapproximately 10,000 BC,Kyoto area was not settled until7th century byHata clan from Korea. During8th century, whenpowerful Buddhist clergy became meddlesome inaffairs ofImperial government,Emperor choserelocatecapital toregion far fromBuddhist influence.

Because ofnumberpriceless cultural heritagesKyoto,city was not bombed during World War II. Today,isonly major cityJapan that still has an abundanceprewar buildings, although modernizationcontinually breaking downtraditional Kyotofavornewer architecture, such ascontroversial Kyoto Station complex.

Geography

The city was laid out inlogical grid patternaccordancetraditional Chinese geomancy. Today,main business districtlocated insouthcentretown withless populated northern area retainingfar greener feel.

Because Kyotosurrounded by mountains on all sides, itinfamousits stifling summer nightsno air movement.

Kyoto has following wards: Fushimi-ku, Higashiyama-ku, Kamigyo-ku, Kita-ku, Minami-ku, Nakagyo-ku, Nishikyo-ku, Sakyo-ku, Shimogyo-ku, Ukyo-kuYamashina-ku.

Demographics

As2003,city has an estimated population1,466,163 anddensity2,402.68 persons per km². The total area610.22 km².

Kyoto people speakdialect called Kyotoben,slightly archaic versionOsakaben (the Osaka dialect). Itmost noticeable inunique Kyotoben word"thank you" - "ookii-ni".

Culture

Kyotorenownedits abundancedelicious foodstuffs. Unlikevolcanic Kanto regionrich soilKyoto allows forcultivation ofvarietyvegetables, andvarious bodieswater provide ample fishing.

Kyotoconsideredcultural centerJapan. During World War II when firebombing was conducted throughoutcountry Kyotoits 1600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines, palaces, gardensarchitecture was spared. The Kyoto area has some ofmost famous templesJapan, including:

• Uji's Byodoin (the world's oldest wooden structure, which appears on5 yen coin);
• Kiyomizudera,magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars offslope ofmountain;
• Kinkaku-ji,Golden Pavilion;
• Ginkaku-ji,Silver Pavilion;
• Heian Jingu, arguably Japan's most famous Shinto shrine.
• Ryoan-ji, famousits rock garden

Other notable sites inaround Kyoto include Arashiyamaits picturesque lake,Philosopher's Walk, andcanals which line some ofolder streets.

The "Historic MonumentsAncient Kyoto"listed byUNESCO as World Heritage Sites.

Economy

Kyotohome tomain headquartersNintendo, as well as its domestic division, NintendoJapan.

The car manufacturer Daihatsu operatesplantKyoto.

KyotoalsoheadquartersKyocera (Kyoto Ceramic).

Collegesuniversities

• Doshisha University
• Kyoto University
• Ritsumeikan University

Festivals

Jidai Matsuri

Transportation

Kansai International Airport60 minutes from Kyoto by train. Most foreign visitorsKyoto arrive by Shinkansen from Tokyo, which takes about two hours. Therealso regular JR, Keihan Railway,Kintetsu servicesother cities inKansai region.

The subwaybus systems (see Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau)fairly extensive. Most tourist points incity, however,fairly easyreach on foot.

Miscellaneous topics

It issister cityBoston, Paris, Cologne, Florence, Kiev, Xian, GuadalajaraZagreb.

In 1997, Kyoto wassite ofKyoto conference that resulted inKyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.

External link

• www.city.kyoto.jp - Official siteKyoto City (in english).