Kyoto was the capital city of Japan for over 1,000 years. Numerous cultural assets cultivated throughout its long history remain all over the city, while traditional artisan techniques and traditional culture, such as the tea ceremony and flower arrangement, have been passed down through the ages to the modern era.
Kyoto is a city where you can come into contact with and learn about Japanese cultural history in your daily life.

Kyoto offers a truly extensive range of studies, from cutting-edge research that have been awarded Nobel prizes to animation and Zen studies. There are about 50 universities, Japanese language schools and vocational institutes which offer a rich selection of study options, each with its own unique curriculum. There are also many courses that you can take in English, so you are bound to find a form of overseas study that suits you in Kyoto.

1 out of 10 people in the Kyoto city area is actually a university student (approximately 150,000 students), by far the highest in Japan in terms of the proportion of students in its population. There are also about 12,000 students from all over the world who are studying in Kyoto. The city is extremely convenient for students, with many restaurants and stores for students throughout the entire area. In Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd.’s 2024 “QS World University Rankings” the Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe area was ranked at 14th place.

Compared to big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, living expenses such as rents etc. are lower. 2.6 million people live in the city, with many opportunities for part-time work available in the restaurants, stores, etc. The city is also very compact, allowing you to go anywhere on a bicycle.

In Great Britain’s travel magazine “Wanderlust”, Kyoto was ranked #1 in 2020, and in “Travel and Leisure”, it has been in the top 10 for the 9th consecutive year. With a total number of 87 million Japanese and international tourists visiting Kyoto annually, it is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations that boasts an astonishing number of 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Your family and friends are also sure to enjoy themselves when they visit Kyoto.

Kyoto is a city where leading Japanese hi-tech companies gather while boasting a history of more than 1,000 years. The HQs of world-famous companies such as Nintendo, Kyocera, etc., are located in Kyoto, providing employment opportunities to many foreign students.

Kyoto is blessed with an abundance of nature all around it, with the beautiful Kamogawa River flowing through the urban areas which are surrounded by mountains, and the northern area facing the sea as well. Moreover, being the birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol, it is also at the forefront of worldwide efforts to conserve the environment by reducing waste, combating global warming and so on.

Japanese manga and animation is highly regarded internationally and it is said that Japan’s first manga was actually born in Kyoto, with the “Choju-giga” which was drawn 800 years ago being handed down to Kosanji in Kyoto. In addition, approximately 50,000 issues of manga are stored in a “Manga Wall” which extends over a total length of 200 meters in the Kyoto International Manga Museum in the city, allowing anyone to browse and read them. There are also many universities and vocational institutes which offer manga and animation-related courses.

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. With a population of 2.6 million living in the city, it is equipped with a wide range of urban infrastructure such as transport and public facilities, hospitals, commercial establishments, and so on, affording a convenient lifestyle for foreign students as well.

There are many foreign students and residents from Muslim countries living in Kyoto and many Muslim travelers also visit the city.
Besides places of worship in the city, the number of restaurants serving halal food has also been increased, and halal menus are offered at some school cafeterias, making it easier for Muslim foreign students to live in the city year after year.