Overview of Kyoto City

 Located in a basin surrounded by mountains in three directions, Kyoto is a city of scenic beauty with a culture that has developed over more than 1,200 years. With its long history as an incubator of various cultural elements amid colorful seasonal changes, the city can be called the “spiritual home of the people of Japan.” While about three-fourths of its area, extending from north to south, is covered by forests, the city embraces 14 components of a cultural site inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List, including Nijo-jo Castle, and over 2,000 shrines and temples.

 Kyoto is not only a historic city but also a globally-renowned destination for international cultural tourism, a city of universities with many higher-education institutions and research institutes, and a pioneer in environmental commitment to being a carbon neutral, sound material-cycle city. Thus Kyoto has strong appeal from various viewpoints.

 The history of Kyoto as a city dates back to 794, when the Heian-kyo imperial capital was established. Modeled after Chang’an, the Tang Dynasty capital, the city featured an orderly, grid-like layout of streets running in parallel from north to south and from east to west. This ancient pattern has remained the prototype for Kyoto’s townscape up to the present day.

 During its long history, Kyoto was sometimes plunged into great turmoils of war. However, in every such crisis, it was saved and recovered from the ravages of wartime by local citizens called “machishu.” Their spirit and energy of autonomy have been handed down to the current generations.

 The Meiji Restoration and the relocation of the capital to Tokyo in 1869 deprived Kyoto of its status as the capital in both nominal and real terms and consequently halved its population of 400,000. In response, various urban development initiatives collectively called the “Kyoto Policy” were implemented, including the construction of Lake Biwa Canal, the establishment of water supply utilities, and the start of streetcar service operation. In this way, Kyoto was given new life as a modern city.

 Although World War II devastated Japan, Kyoto fortunately did not suffer any major air raids. Nevertheless, during the war, many of its houses were demolished, and numerous resources and people left the city.　

 After the war, various initiatives were pursued to revive Kyoto, including the resumption of once-discontinued traditional events. Today, the government of Kyoto City promotes the Kyoto Revitalization initiative, based on the three pillars of landscape, culture and tourism, to conserve and cherish all the most attractive features of Kyoto as treasures of Japan and to hand them down to the next generation. We are continuing to take positive steps to make Kyoto a global city that can contribute to the realization of a peaceful and sustainable world.

 For more details on the history of Kyoto after the establishment of its municipality, see “History of Kyoto City ".(※Only available in Japanese)

 Since the Heian era, citizens in Kyoto have enjoyed each of the four seasons in various aspects of daily life, including customs, culture, cuisine and annual events. For example, in the scorching heat of summer, people practice “uchimizu,” that is, watering the streets in front of their entrances to cool down the road surfaces. Traditional Kyoto-style houses called “Kyo-machiya” are also designed to be airy so that residents can spend the sweltering summer in Kyoto as comfortably as possible.

 Kyoto is also home to various traditional festivals held in different areas and associated with different periods, including the Gion Festival, the Aoi Festival and the Jidai Festival, which are known as the three major festivals in Kyoto, as well as Gozan Okuribi Bonfires, a long-established event featuring bonfires that send off the spirits of ancestors back to the other world at the end of the Bon Festival period. Some festivals, such as the Jizobon Festival, celebrated within local neighborhoods, play a role in cementing ties between the members of each local community.

Kyoto as a City of History

Kyoto as a Cultural Capital of the World 

Kyoto as a Sustainable City

Kyoto as a Home to Universities and Innovations

Kyoto City General Planning Bureau General Policy Office Kyoto Revitalization Section

mail: [email protected]　

Tel:+81-75-222-3375 ※Only available in Japanese