Kyōto

Kyoto is a prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, home to the city of Kyoto, the imperial capital for over a thousand years and the cultural soul of the nation. Renowned for its temples, gardens, geisha districts and traditional crafts, it preserves classical Japan like nowhere else.

Kyoto Prefecture stretches from the Sea of Japan coast in the north to the historic basin city of Kyoto in the south, surrounded by forested mountains. The terrain is largely hilly and wooded. The climate is humid subtropical, with hot summers and cool winters.

Kyoto is the heart of traditional Japanese culture, famed for its Zen gardens, tea ceremony, kaiseki cuisine, kimono and the geisha of the Gion district. It holds an extraordinary concentration of temples, shrines and historic architecture.

Founded as Heian-kyo in 794, Kyoto was the capital of Japan until 1868 and the seat of the imperial court for over a millennium. Spared from wartime bombing, it retains thousands of cultural treasures.