Kyoto Local Quiz Practice: Questions and Explanations

Correct answer794

In 794 (Enryaku 13), Emperor Kanmu moved the capital from Nagaoka-kyō to Heian-kyō. Kyoto then remained Japan's capital for over a millennium, until the seat of government shifted to Tokyo. Among the other choices, 710 marks the move to Heijō-kyō and 1603 the founding of the Edo shogunate.

Source:京都観光Naviぷらす「平安京は『たいらのみやこ』？ 成り立ちと歴史をおさらいしよう!」

Correct answerTrue

Kiyomizu-dera is one of the 17 component sites of the World Heritage listing "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto," inscribed in 1994. The sites span Kyoto, Uji, and Ōtsu — home of Enryaku-ji — and range from temples and shrines to Nijō-jō Castle, tracing the capital's history from Heian to Edo times.

Source:京都市 世界遺産「古都京都の文化財（京都市、宇治市、大津市）」

Correct answerFushimi Inari-taisha

Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the roughly 30,000 Inari shrines said to exist across Japan, worshipped for prosperous business and rich harvests. Its Senbon Torii — tunnels of vermilion gates on Mount Inari — grew gate by gate from worshippers' dedications, each one an offering of prayer or thanks.

Source:伏見稲荷大社 公式「ご由緒」

Correct answerTogetsu-kyō

Togetsu-kyō, the "Moon-Crossing Bridge," is Arashiyama's signature sight, spanning the stretch of the Katsura-gawa known here as the Ōi-gawa. The name is said to come from a verse by retired Emperor Kameyama in the Kamakura period, likening the moon's path to a crossing of the bridge — a view that still frames Arashiyama in every season.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「渡月橋」

Correct answerJuly

Gion Matsuri is the festival of Yasaka-jinja, tracing back to a Heian-period goryō-e rite against plague. Events run the full month of July, from the 1st through the 31st, with the yamaboko float processions of July 17 and 24 as the centerpiece — and the lantern-lit evenings before the processions as Kyoto's signature summer scene.

Source:八坂神社 公式「祇園祭」

Correct answerElegant, bright, and gorgeous

"Hannari" is a Kyoto expression, likely derived from "hana ari" ("having bloom"), describing something elegant and bright with a gorgeous quality. It remains in everyday use around Kyoto and Osaka.

Source:はんなり（京都の方言）の意味・変換 - 全国方言辞典

Correct answerGion

The district before the gates of Yasaka-jinja grew into Gion, its lattice-fronted teahouse streets a byword for Kyoto atmosphere. Beyond Gion, Kyoto is home to several other historic hanamachi that survive today.

Source:五花街の紹介｜京都をつなぐ無形文化遺産（京都市）

Correct answerDai (大)

Gozan no Okuribi sends off the spirits of Obon on the night of August 16. The "Dai" character on Nyoigatake in Higashiyama is the most famous, joined across the city by Myō-Hō at Matsugasaki, the boat shape, the Left Daimonji, and the torii shape. Its origins are debated, though the rite was established by the Edo period.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「京都五山送り火」

Correct answerGold leaf

The Kinkaku is the reliquary hall of Rokuon-ji, which began as Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's Kitayama villa; gold leaf sheathes the upper two of its three stories. Destroyed by fire in 1950 and rebuilt in 1955, the pavilion stacks three architectural styles — palace, samurai house, and Zen — one per floor.

Source:金閣寺について｜臨済宗相国寺派

Correct answerKyoto

Nintendo began in Kyoto in 1889 as a maker of hanafuda playing cards and still keeps its headquarters in the city's Minami Ward. From cards it moved through toys into video games, giving the world Mario and The Legend of Zelda — one of Kyoto's homegrown global companies.

Source:任天堂株式会社 会社概要

Correct answerHeian-jingū

The Jidai Matsuri is the festival of Heian-jingū, founded to mark the 1,100th anniversary of the capital's move to Heian-kyō, and one of Kyoto's three great festivals. Around October 22 each year, its costumed procession walks from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the shrine, moving backward through history from Meiji to Heian.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「時代祭」平安神宮 公式「由緒・歴史」

Correct answerAoi Matsuri

The Aoi Matsuri (Kamo Festival), held every May 15, is the festival of the two Kamo shrines and one of Kyoto's big three. Its procession in Heian court dress travels from the Imperial Palace via Shimogamo to Kamigamo Shrine, preserving the shape of an ancient courtly rite. Jidai Matsuri, the third of Kyoto's big three, is held in October.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「葵祭」

Correct answerKitano Tenman-gū

Kitano Tenman-gū enshrines Sugawara no Michizane and is said to have been founded in 947 — the birthplace of Tenjin worship and one of the head shrines of some 12,000 Tenman-gū nationwide (Dazaifu Tenman-gū in Kyushu also claims the title). Famed for plum blossoms dear to Michizane, it draws students praying for exam success.

Source:北野天満宮 公式「北野天満宮について」

Correct answerUji City

Uji, in southern Kyoto Prefecture, is Japan's byword for fine tea; since the first plantings in the Kamakura period it has stood at the heart of the country's tea culture. The city is also home to Byōdō-in and Ujigami-jinja, both component sites of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto — tea fields beside Heian-era monuments.

Source:宇治茶の歴史 - 宇治市公式ホームページ

Correct answerA flat fare that doesn't change no matter the distance ridden

On most of its routes (the flat-fare zone), the Kyoto City Bus charges the same fare regardless of how far you ride. Outside that zone (the adjusted-fare zone), the fare varies by distance.

Source:京都市交通局：運賃・乗車券について

Correct answerNijō-jō

In October 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu gathered domain retainers at the Ninomaru Palace of Nijō-jō and announced the return of power to the Emperor. Built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the castle thus staged both the beginning and the end of the shogunate; it is now a World Heritage component site.

Source:歴史｜世界遺産・元離宮二条城

Correct answerTetsugaku-no-michi

The Philosopher's Path follows a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal for about 1.5 km between Nyakuōji-bashi and Ginkaku-ji-bashi. It is named for the philosopher Nishida Kitarō and his colleagues, who walked it deep in thought; in spring its canal-side cherry trees make it one of Kyoto's loveliest walks.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「哲学の道」

Correct answerMinami-za

The Minami-za descends from the playhouses licensed at Shijō-gawara in the early Edo period, giving it one of the longest histories of any theater in Japan. The present 1929 building at the east end of Shijō-ōhashi is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, and its December Kaomise season, announced by wooden maneki signboards, rings in Kyoto's year-end.

Source:南座｜松竹 公式サイト

Correct answerSenmai-zuke

Senmai-zuke is Kyoto's winter pickle: Shōgoin turnip shaved paper-thin with a plane-like blade and pickled with kombu. The Shōgoin turnip, one of Japan's largest round turnips, is a traditional Kyoto vegetable said to have first been grown in the Shōgoin district. With suguki and shibazuke it completes Kyoto's three great pickles.

Source:京の伝統野菜・京のブランド産品／京都府ホームページ

Correct answerTenryū-ji

Tenryū-ji was founded in 1339 by Ashikaga Takauji, with Musō Soseki as founding abbot, to console the spirit of Emperor Go-Daigo. Soseki's Sōgen-chi garden borrows Arashiyama's slopes as its backdrop and is designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty; the temple is also a World Heritage component site.

Source:京都府 世界遺産（古都京都の文化財）

Correct answerNinna-ji

Ninna-ji was completed in 888 by Emperor Uda, who took up residence there after abdicating — hence its name, the former Omuro Imperial Palace. Its low, late-blooming Omuro cherries, beloved since the Edo period, are a designated Place of Scenic Beauty, and the temple is a World Heritage component site.

Source:京都府 世界遺産（古都京都の文化財）

Correct answerDaigo-ji

Daigo-ji, head temple of the Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism, is said to have been founded by the monk Shōbō in the early Heian period; its five-story pagoda, a National Treasure, dates from that era. In spring 1598 Toyotomi Hideyoshi held his celebrated "Daigo no Hanami" blossom viewing here, near the end of his life.

Source:京都府 世界遺産（古都京都の文化財）

Correct answerNishiki Market / Shin-Kyōgoku Shopping Street

Nishiki Market and Shin-Kyōgoku Shopping Street are both arcade shopping streets in Kyoto City. Ameyoko is in Ueno, Tokyo, and Kuromon Market is in Osaka.

Source:京都市

Correct answer11 wards

Kyoto is a government-designated city of 11 wards. It began with just two — Kamigyō and Shimogyō — when the modern municipal system was introduced, growing through mergers and subdivisions into today's eleven wards.

Source:京都市：京都市のあらまし（行政区）

Correct answerYoiyama

Yoiyama is the evening before the float processions, when lanterns are lit and Gion-bayashi music fills each float district — the liveliest scene of Gion Matsuri. Crowds in summer yukata stroll the float neighborhoods, and old merchant houses open their treasures to the street for the "byōbu matsuri" (folding-screen festival), adding to the evening's charm.

Source:八坂神社 公式「祇園祭」

Correct answerThe relocation of the capital to Heian-kyō → The construction of the Golden Pavilion (Rokuon-ji) → The Ōnin War → The Taisei Hōkan (restoration of imperial rule)

Oldest first: the move to Heian-kyō (794), the building of the Golden Pavilion (c. 1397, at Yoshimitsu's Kitayama villa), the Ōnin War (1467–77), and the Taisei Hōkan (1867). Together they bracket Kyoto's story — the capital's birth, Muromachi splendor, the war that burned the city, and the shogunate's end.

Source:京都観光Naviぷらす「平安京は『たいらのみやこ』？ 成り立ちと歴史をおさらいしよう!」京都市 世界遺産「古都京都の文化財（京都市、宇治市、大津市）」

Correct answerDaimonji → Myō-Hō → Funagata → Hidari Daimonji

The fires are lit on the night of August 16 in the order Daimonji → Myō-Hō → Funagata → Hidari Daimonji → Toriigata (the last omitted in this question). Since 2014 they have been spaced at five-minute intervals, so the five mountainsides flare up one after another within the hour, sending off the spirits of Obon.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「京都五山送り火」京都市 文化史30「大文字五山の送り火」

Correct answerMinazuki

Minazuki is a Kyoto confection of uirō dough topped with adzuki beans and cut into triangles, eaten on June 30 for Nagoshi no Harae — purging half a year's impurities and praying for health in the half to come. The triangle is said to evoke ice from the court's icehouses, the beans protection from evil.

Source:水無月 (和菓子)（Wikipedia）

Correct answerMinistry of the Environment

Kyoto Gyoen is the roughly 65-hectare national garden surrounding the Kyoto Imperial Palace, managed by the Ministry of the Environment and open to all. The palaces within are the Imperial Household Agency's charge, and the State Guest House the Cabinet Office's. Until Meiji times the grounds were a town of court nobles' residences.

Source:京都御苑｜国民公園｜環境省

Correct answerKatsura-gawa (also Ōi-gawa / Hozu-gawa)

The river at Arashiyama is the Katsura-gawa, spanned by the Togetsu-kyō bridge. Upstream toward Kameoka it is called the Hozu-gawa, and near Arashiyama it has long been known as the Ōi-gawa — all names for one and the same river, whose gorge boat runs and scenic railway lead straight into Arashiyama's famous views.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「渡月橋」

Correct answerAbout 24 m

The great torii of Heian-jingū stands about 24 m tall and 18 m wide — a reinforced-concrete gate completed in 1929 to commemorate Emperor Shōwa's enthronement ceremonies. Straddling Jingū-michi at the heart of the Okazaki cultural district, it is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Source:平安神宮大鳥居 - 文化遺産オンライン

Correct answerNaginata-boko

The Naginata-boko is a "kuji-torazu" float, exempt from the lottery that sets the procession order, and always leads the parade. It is named for the great naginata blade at its tip, said to cut away plague and evil, and it is the only float that still carries a living chigo, whose severing of the sacred rope opens the procession.

Source:【京都市公式】京都観光Navi「祇園祭」

Correct answerKōgetsudai

In Ginkaku-ji's garden, the truncated cone of white sand is the Kōgetsudai, the "moon-viewing platform," and the rippled expanse beside it the Ginshadan, "sea of silver sand." Their present forms are thought to date from the late Edo period; one account has the sand casting moonlight onto the Silver Pavilion itself.

Source:臨済宗相国寺派 銀閣寺 公式「銀閣寺について」

Correct answerKeifuku Electric Railroad

"Randen" is the nickname for the Keifuku Electric Railroad's two lines: the Arashiyama Main Line from Shijō-Ōmiya to Arashiyama and the Kitano Line from Kitano-Hakubaichō to Katabiranotsuji. Stretches of the main line run in the street itself, keeping a streetcar scene alive in Kyoto.

Source:京福電気鉄道（Wikipedia）

Correct answerGion Kōbu

The Miyako Odori began in 1872 as an attraction of the Kyoto Exposition and remains Gion Kōbu's spring dance, famous for its opening cry of "yōiyasā." Each of the five hanamachi stages its own production: Pontochō the Kamogawa Odori, Kamishichiken the Kitano Odori, and Miyagawachō the Kyō Odori.

Source:五花街の紹介｜京都をつなぐ無形文化遺産（京都市）

Correct answerSenmaizuke / Suguki / Shibazuke

Kyoto's three great pickles are senmaizuke, suguki, and shibazuke: thin-shaved Shōgoin turnip; the tart, lactic-fermented suguki greens of Kamigamo; and Ōhara's red-shiso pickle of cucumber and eggplant. Each is rooted in a traditional Kyoto vegetable. Moriguchizuke, the odd one out, belongs to Aichi and Gifu.

Source:京の伝統野菜・京のブランド産品／京都府

Correct answerKyocera / Shimadzu / Murata Manufacturing

Kyocera (Fushimi Ward) grew from fine ceramics into a major electronic-components maker; Shimadzu (Nakagyō Ward) builds precision measuring and medical instruments; and Murata Manufacturing (Nagaokakyō) holds a world-leading share in ceramic capacitors. Nintendo, by contrast, is a games company that began with hanafuda cards.

Source:京セラ（Wikipedia）島津製作所（Wikipedia）村田製作所（Wikipedia）

Correct answerKamigamo-jinja / Shimogamo-jinja / Ujigami-jinja

Kamigamo and Shimogamo — the two Kamo shrines — and Ujigami-jinja in Uji are the shrines among the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto; only three of the 17 component sites are shrines, and Ujigami-jinja's main hall is held to be among the oldest shrine buildings still standing. Kasuga-taisha belongs to Nara's World Heritage listing.

Source:京都府 世界遺産（古都京都の文化財）

Correct answer1994

The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto were inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site in December 1994 — fittingly, exactly 1,200 years after the capital moved to Heian-kyō. The listing comprises 17 properties across Kyoto, Uji, and Ōtsu, from Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji to Nijō-jō Castle.

Source:京都府 世界遺産（古都京都の文化財）

Correct answerFive-story pagoda of Tō-ji → Five-story pagoda of Daigo-ji → Great torii of Heian-jingū

Tallest first: Tō-ji's five-story pagoda (about 55 m), Daigo-ji's pagoda (about 38 m), then Heian-jingū's great torii (about 24 m). Tō-ji's tower, Japan's tallest surviving wooden pagoda, is the fifth on the site — funded by shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu after lightning and fire claimed four predecessors.

Source:東寺 公式「五重塔」