• Kyoto was established in 794 and was the Imperial capital of Japan for over 1000 years.

• With 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines it is one of the best preserved cities in Japan.

• For centuries Kyoto has been the cultural heart of Japan. All of the well-known arts, such as ikebana (flower arrangement), sumie ink painting, noh theatre, tea ceremony and garden design developed here.

• Kyoto is known as the City of Gardens, where the genius of the Japanese garden designers reached its peak.

• About 20% of Japan's National Treasures and 14% of its Important Cultural Properties are in the city.

• Kyoto has a humid subtropical climate with significant seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation. Summers are hot and humid and winters are quite cold with occasional snowfall. Kyoto's rainy season begins in the middle of June and lasts until the end of July, giving way to a hot and sunny latter half of the summer. Kyoto is prone to typhoons during September and October.

• Kyoto is what the Japanese call "bonchi" (bowl city), as it lies in a basin surrounded on all sides by mountains.

• The population of the city is almost 1.5 million, however in 2013 over 51 million people visited Kyoto according to municipal figures.