Fast Facts on Kyoto
Daigo Shrine, Kyoto (art print, AllPosters.com).
| Location: | Middle-western area of Honshu, the main island of Japan |
| Orientation: | 140 minutes on the bullet train from Tokyo (four hours by kodama train) |
| Prefecture: | Kyoto Prefecture (capital) |
| Area: | 610.22 km² |
| Population: | 1,466,163 (2003) |
| Language: | Japanese, Kyoto-ben dialect |
| Currency: | Yen (¥) |
| Major industries: | Tourism; kimonos; headquarters of Nintendo, Kyocera and Daihatsu |
| Sister cities: | Boston, Paris, X'ian, Florence, Cologne, Zagreb, Guatalajara |
| Closest airport: | Kansai International Airport (72 minutes by train from Kyoto) |
| Closest train station: | Kyoto Station |
| Claims to fame: | Over 1000 surviving Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines; geishas; was once the capital of Japan. |
| Sacred sites: | Many Buddhist temples (esp. Zen and Pure Land) and Shinto shrines. |
| Other attractions: | Katsura Villa, Path of Philosophy |
| Festivals: | Aoi Matsuri, Gion Matsuri, Jidai Matsuri, Gozan Okuribi |
| Official website: | Kyoto City Web |
