Kyoto Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture (京都府) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 and has a geographic area of 4612 km2. Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture to the east, Mie Prefecture to the southeast, Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture to the south, and Hyōgo Prefecture to the west.

Kyoto is the capital and largest city of Kyoto Prefecture, with other major cities including Uji, Kameoka, and Maizuru. Kyoto Prefecture is located on the Sea of Japan coast and extends to the southeast towards the Kii Peninsula, covering territory of the former provinces of Yamashiro, Tamba, and Tango. Kyoto Prefecture is centered on the historic Imperial capital of Kyoto, and is one of Japan's two "prefectures" using the designation fu rather than the standard ken for prefectures. Kyoto has made Kyoto Prefecture one of the most popular tourism destinations in Japan for national and international tourists, and 21% of the prefecture's land area was designated as Natural Parks. Kyoto Prefecture forms part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area, the second-most-populated region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP.

History


Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Kyoto Prefecture was known as Yamashiro.

For most of its history, the city of Kyoto was Japan's Imperial capital. The city's history can be traced back as far as the 6th century. In 544, the Aoi Matsuri was held in Kyoto to pray for good harvest and good weather.

Kyoto did not start out as Japan's capital. A noteworthy earlier capital was Nara. In 741, Emperor Shōmu moved the capital briefly to Kuni-kyo, between the cities of Nara and Kyoto, in present-day Kyoto Prefecture. In 784, the capital was moved to Nagaokakyō, also in present-day Kyoto Prefecture. In 794, Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to Heian-kyō, and this was the beginning of the current-day city of Kyoto. Even today, almost all of the streets, houses, stores, temples and shrines in Kyoto exist where they were placed in this year.

Although in 1192 real political power shifted to Kamakura, where a samurai clan established the shogunate, Kyoto remained the imperial capital as the powerless emperors and their court continued to be seated in the city. Imperial rule was briefly restored in 1333, but another samurai clan established a new shogunate in Kyoto three years later.

In 1467, a great civil war, the Ōnin War, took place inside Kyoto, and most of the town was burned down. Japan plunged into the age of warring feudal lords. A new strong man, Tokugawa Ieyasu, established the shogunate at Edo (today's Tokyo) in 1603.

In the 15th century AD, tea-jars were brought by the shōguns to Uji in Kyoto from the Philippines which was used in the Japanese tea ceremony.

The Meiji Restoration returned Japan to imperial rule in 1868. Emperor Meiji, who was now the absolute sovereign, went to stay in Tokyo during the next year. The imperial court has not returned to Kyoto since then. During the instigation of Fuhanken Sanchisei in 1868, the prefecture received its suffix fu. The subsequent reorganization of the old provincial system merged the former Tango Province, Yamashiro Province and the eastern part of Tanba Province into today's Kyoto Prefecture.

Although many Japanese major cities were heavily bombed during World War II, the old capital escaped such devastation. During the occupation, the U.S. Sixth Army and I Corps were headquartered in Kyoto.

Geography
Kyoto Prefecture is almost in the center of Honshu and of Japan. It covers an area of 4612.19 km2, which is 1.2% of Japan. Kyoto is the 31st largest prefecture by size. To the north, it faces the Sea of Japan and Fukui Prefecture. To the south, it faces Osaka and Nara Prefectures. To the east, it faces Mie and Shiga Prefectures. To its west is Hyōgo Prefecture. The prefecture is separated in the middle by the Tanba Mountains. This makes its climate very different in the north and south.

21% of the prefecture's land area was designated as Natural Parks, namely Sanin Kaigan National Park; Biwako, Kyoto Tamba Kogen, Tango-Amanohashidate-Ōeyama and Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Parks; and Hozukyō, Kasagiyama, and Rurikei Prefectural Natural Parks.

Municipalities

 * Cities

Fifteen cities are located in Kyoto Prefecture: Kansai Science City is located in the southwest.

These are the towns and villages in each district:
 * Towns and villages

Religion
According to Agency for Cultural Affairs research in 2020, over 60% believe in Shinto and Buddhism.

Politics
The current governor of Kyoto is Takatoshi Nishiwaki, a former vice minister of the Reconstruction Agency. He has been elected in April 2018.

The previous governor of Kyoto is former Home Affairs Ministry bureaucrat Keiji Yamada. He has been reelected to a fourth term in April 2014 with support from the major non-Communist parties against only one JCP-supported challenger.

The prefectural assembly has 60 members from 25 electoral districts and is still elected in unified local elections (last round: 2019). As of September 2020, it was composed as follows: Liberal Democratic Party 30, Japanese Communist Party 12, Democratic Party 11, Kōmeitō 5, Japan Restoration Party 2.

Kyoto's delegation to the National Diet consists of six members of the House of Representatives and four members (two per election) of the House of Councillors. After the national elections of 2016, 2017 and 2019, the prefecture is represented by four Liberal Democrats and two Democrats in the lower house, and two Liberal Democrats, one Democrat and one Communist in the upper house.

Prefectural symbols
The prefectural flower of Kyoto is the weeping cherry. The Kitayama Sugi is the official tree, and the streaked shearwater the bird that symbolizes the prefecture.

Defense facilities
On 1 August 2013, prefectural and municipal authorities gave consent for a USFJ missile monitoring station to be set up in the city of Kyōtango. It will be co-located with a JASDF facility already based in the city. At least initially, its primary sensor will be a mobile X-band radar used to gather data on ballistic missile launches which will then be relayed by the station to warships equipped with Aegis air defense systems and to ground-based interceptor missile sites. A hundred and sixty personnel will be based at the station.

Economy
Kyoto prefecture's economy is supported by industries that create value that is unique to Kyoto, such as the tourism and traditional industries supported by 1,200 years of history and culture, as well as high-technology industries that combine the technology of Kyoto's traditional industries with new ideas.

Northern Kyoto on the Tango Peninsula has fishing and water transportation, and midland Kyoto has agriculture and forestry. The prefecture produces 13% of the domestic sake and green tea. Japan's largest vertical farm is located in the prefecture.

The Kyoto-based manufacturing industry holds shares of Japan's high-technology product markets and others. As of 2021, eight Forbes Global 2000 companies were located in Kyoto prefecture: Nintendo, Nidec, Kyocera, Murata Manufacturing, Omron, Rohm, Bank of Kyoto, SCREEN Holdings. Takara Holdings, GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi Logisnext, Maxell, and Kyoto Animation are also based in the prefecture.

the minimum wage in the prefecture was ¥937 per hour.

Colleges and universities

 * Bukkyo University
 * Doshisha University
 * Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts
 * Doshisha Women's Junior College
 * Hanazono University
 * Heian Jogakuin University
 * Ikenobo College
 * Kacho College
 * Kyoto Bunkyo University
 * Kyoto Bunkyo Junior College
 * Kyoto City University of Arts
 * Kyoto College of Economics
 * Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics
 * Kyoto College of Medical Science
 * Kyoto College of Nursing
 * Kyoto Institute of Technology
 * Kyoto Junior College of Foreign Languages
 * Kyoto Kacho University
 * Kyoto Koka Women's University
 * Kyoto Koka Women's College
 * Kyoto Notre Dame University
 * Kyoto Pharmaceutical University
 * Kyoto Prefectural University
 * Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine
 * Kyoto Saga Art College
 * Kyoto Saga University of Arts
 * Kyoto Sangyo University
 * Kyoto Seika University
 * Kyoto Seizan College
 * Kyoto Tachibana University
 * Kyoto University
 * Kyoto University of Advanced Science
 * Kyoto University of the Arts
 * Kyoto Arts and Crafts University
 * Kyoto University of Education
 * Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
 * Kyoto Women's University
 * Meiji University of Integrative Medicine
 * Ōtani University
 * Otani University Junior College
 * Ritsumeikan University
 * Ryukoku University
 * Ryukoku University Faculty of Junior College
 * Shuchiin University
 * University of Fukuchiyama

Railways

 * JR Central
 * Tōkaidō Shinkansen—Kyōto Station
 * JR West
 * Kyoto Line
 * Biwako Line
 * Kosei Line
 * Nara Line
 * Kansai Line (Kizu-Kamo)
 * Sagano Line
 * Sanin Line
 * Fukuchiyama Line
 * Maizuru Line
 * Obama Line
 * Keihan
 * Keihan Line
 * Uji Line
 * Keishin Line
 * Outou Line
 * Hankyu
 * Kyoto Line
 * Arashiyama Line
 * Kintetsu
 * Kyoto Line
 * Kyoto Municipal Subway
 * Karasuma Line
 * Tōzai Line
 * Sagano Scenic Railway (Arashiyama-Kameoka)
 * Kyoto Tango Railway
 * Miyafuku Line
 * Miyamai Line
 * Miyatoyo Line

City Tram

 * Randen
 * Arashiyama Line
 * Kitano Line
 * Eiden
 * Eizan Line
 * Kurama Line

SeaPorts

 * Maizuru Port - Mainly international container terminal and ferry route to Hokkaido (Otaru and Tomakomai).

Expressways

 * Meishin Expressway
 * Shin-Meishin Expressway
 * Second Keihan Highway (Daini-Keihan Road)
 * Keiji(Kyoto-Shiga) Bypass
 * Maizuru Wakasa Expressway
 * Keinawa(Kyoto-Nara-Wakayama) Expressway
 * Kyoto-Jukan Expressway
 * San'in Kinki Expressway

National highways

 * Route 1 (Route 8)
 * Route 9 (Kyoto-Fukuchiyama-Tottori-Yonago-Izumo-Hamada-Yamaguchi)
 * Route 24 (Kyoto-Nara-Kashihara-Hashimoto-Wakayama)
 * Route 27 (Tanba-Maizuru-Tsuruga)
 * Route 162
 * Route 163
 * Route 171 (Kyoto-Takatsuki-Minoo-Itami-Nishinomiya)
 * Route 173
 * Route 175 (Akashi-Nishiwaki-Fukuchiyama-Maizuru)
 * Route 176 (Osaka-Sanda-Sasayama-Fukuchiyama-Miyazu)
 * Route 178
 * Route 307
 * Route 312
 * Route 372 (Kameoka-Sasayama-Kasai-Himeji)
 * Route 423
 * Route 426
 * Route 429
 * Route 477
 * Route 478

Culture
Kyoto has been, and still remains, Japan's cultural center. For over 1000 years it was Japan's capital. When the capital was changed to Tokyo, Kyoto remained Japan's cultural capital. The local government proposes a plan to move the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto and to regard Tokyo as the capital of politics and economy and Kyoto as the capital of culture. See Culture of Japan.

Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Kyoto.


 * Football (soccer)
 * Kyoto Sanga F.C. (J1 League)
 * Ococias Kyoto AC (Kansai Soccer League)
 * AS. Laranja Kyoto (Kansai Soccer League)


 * Basketball
 * Kyoto Hannaryz (B.League)


 * Rugby
 * Mitsubishi Motors Kyoto Red Evolutions (Top West)
 * Shimadzu Breakers (Top West)
 * Unitika Phoenix (Top West)

Tourism
Kyoto City is one of the most popular tourist spots in Japan, and many people from far and wide visit there. Along with Tokyo, Kyoto is a favorite location for the graduation trip of Junior High and High schools.

Some of the festivals held in Kyoto are Aoi Matsuri from 544, Gion Matsuri from 869, Ine Matsuri from the Edo-era, Daimonji Gozan Okuribi from 1662, and Jidai Matsuri from 1895. Every shrine and temple holds some sort of event, and many of them are open for public viewing.

Sister Autonomous Administrative division
Kyoto Prefecture has sister relationships with these places:


 * Shaanxi Province, China
 * 🇮🇩 Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia
 * 🇺🇸 Oklahoma, United States
 * 🇷🇺 Leningrad Oblast, Russia
 * Edinburgh, Scotland
 * 🇫🇷 Occitanie, France
 * 🇨🇦 Quebec, Canada

These relationships are distinct from those of cities in Kyoto Prefecture with other cities.