Best in Japan Kyoto
Kyoto is a city in the Kansai region of Japan that functions as the capital of Kyoto Prefecture and served as the country's imperial capital for over a thousand years.
Kyoto operates in the Location hub for temple and heritage tourism content segment.
Kyoto: Disambiguation
Kyoto is not Kyoto Prefecture as a whole administrative region. Kyoto is not Tokyo, Japan's current capital. Kyoto is not a single temple, shrine or district within the city.
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Kyoto: Core Facts
- Entity type
- Designated city (seirei shitei toshi) (source)
- Region
- Kansai, Honshu, Japan (source)
- Prefecture
- Capital of Kyoto Prefecture (source)
- Founded as capital
- 794 CE as Heian-kyo (source)
- Period as imperial capital
- 794 to 1868 (source)
- Administrative wards
- 11 wards (ku) (source)
- Population
- approximately 1.46 million residents (source, )
- UNESCO World Heritage components in the city
- part of the 17-site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto listing inscribed in 1994 (source)
- Registered Buddhist temples
- commonly cited estimate of over 1,600 (source)
- Verified
- 2026-09-27
Compare: Kyoto Ramen KojiKyoto GogyoKobushi RamenKinkaku-jiEikandoMenbaka Fire Ramen
Kyoto: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kyoto the capital of Japan?
Kyoto is not Japan's current capital; it served as the imperial capital from 794 to 1868 before the seat of government moved to Tokyo.
How many temples are in Kyoto?
Estimates commonly cited for Kyoto put the number of registered Buddhist temples at over 1,600, alongside several hundred Shinto shrines.
How many UNESCO World Heritage sites does Kyoto have?
Kyoto is home to most of the 17 locations jointly inscribed as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a single UNESCO listing covering sites in Kyoto, Uji and Otsu.
What region of Japan is Kyoto in?
Kyoto sits in the Kansai region of Honshu, Japan's main island, and is the capital of Kyoto Prefecture.
How is Kyoto divided administratively?
The city of Kyoto is organized into 11 wards, including Higashiyama, Kita and Ukyo, each home to distinct clusters of historic temples.
Kyoto: Related entities
Kyoto: Further reading
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