Kyoto articles
Kyoto local-knowledge explainers with sources. Prep for "Kyoto Expert Quiz".
- Kyō-yasai basics and key itemsKamo eggplant, Kujō leek and more: a guide to kyō-yasai, from Kyoto's official definitions to each item's traits and origins.
- Kyoto's Three Great Festivals & the Gozan no OkuribiKyoto's three great festivals — Aoi, Gion, and Jidai Matsuri — plus the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires: when, where, and why each began.
- 8 Hard-to-Read Kyoto Place NamesWhy Kyoto reads 太秦 as Uzumasa, 先斗町 as Pontochō and 一口 as Imoarai: eight baffling place names, their readings and origins explained.
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (World Heritage)Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto: 17 sites incl. Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku, Ginkaku and Nijō-jō, listed in 1994 across Kyoto, Uji and Ōtsu.
- Kyoto Street Names and the GridWhy are Kyoto addresses so long? Learn the grid, the "Maru-Take-Ebisu" street-name song, and the agaru/sagaru direction system.
- What is a "Kyotokko"? Kyo-suzume & kyo-kotoba"Kyotokko" means a Kyoto native. The old words "kyo-suzume" and "kyo-warabe," and why locals say "kyo-kotoba," not a dialect.