 Kyoto
(京都市, Kyōto-shi) - A city in the central part of
the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to
1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is
now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part
of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.
Kyoto was 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 1000 meters
above sea level. This interior positioning results in hot
summers and cold winters. There are three rivers in the
basin, the Ujigawa to the south, the Katsuragawa to the
west, and the Kamogawa to the east. Kyoto City takes up 1.9%
of the land in the prefecture with an area of 827.9 km².
The original city was arranged in accordance with
traditional Chinese geomancy following the model of the
ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). The
Imperial Palace faced south, resulting in Ukyō (the right
sector of the capital) being on the west while Sakyō (the
left sector) is on the east. The streets in the modern-day
wards of Nakagyō, Shimogyō, and Kamigyō still follow a grid
pattern.
Today, the main business district is located to the south of
the old Imperial Palace, with the less-populated northern
area retaining a far greener feel. Surrounding areas do not
follow the same grid pattern as the center of the city,
though streets throughout Kyoto share the distinction of
having names.
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.
Although ravaged by wars, fires, and earthquakes during its
eleven centuries as the imperial capital, Kyoto was spared
from the firebombing of World War II. With its 2000 Buddhist
temples and 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 Ryōan-ji, famous for its rock garden. The
Heian Jingū 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 Sento Imperial
Palace, homes of the Emperors of Japan for many centuries;
Katsura Imperial Villa, one of the nation's finest
architectural treasures; and Shugaku-in Imperial Villa, one
of its best Japanese gardens.
Other notable sites in Kyoto include Arashiyama and its
picturesque lake, the Gion and Pontochō geisha quarters, the
Philosopher's Walk, and the canals which 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), Kyō-ō-Gokokuji (Tō-ji),
Kiyomizu-dera, Daigo-ji, Ninna-ji, Saihō-ji (Kokedera),
Tenryū-ji, Rokuon-ji (Kinkaku-ji), Jishō-ji (Ginkaku-ji),
Ryōan-ji, Hongan-ji, Kōzan-ji and the Nijo Castle, primarily
built by the Tokugawa shoguns. 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 (kyōyasai 京野菜).
 Japan's
television and film industry has its center in Kyoto. Many
jidaigeki, action films featuring samurai, were shot at Toei
Uzumasa Eigamura. 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 Kyoto International Manga Museum is also situated in
Kyoto. For an entrance fee visitors are able to view
exhibitions and read as much manga as they desire. It is
trying to acquire every manga ever published and so far
houses approximately 200,000 titles.
Information source: “Kyoto.” wikipedia.org. Article date: 4
Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2008 <Kyoto>.
Video - The following is a JR commercial showing
Kyoto. |
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