Kyoto

Economy
Foreign visitor are lucky to discover Kyoto since tourism is one of its key industries and the locals know how to treat tourists well. That's one reason why Kyoto is a popular tourist spot for both international and domestic tourists alike. Among the most popular tourists to Kyoto are school groups from other places around Japan who visit the city for historical purposes. Of course, foreign tourists comprise a major block of total tourist arrivals.

From 2002 to 2007, Kyoto set new records for tourist arrivals for six consecutive years. Moreover, in a nationwide survey, Kyoto was selected as the second most beautiful city in all of Japan .

Aside from tourism, Kyoto is also renowned for its small-scale businesses which focus on traditional Japanese crafts, such as kimonos. Kyoto is the premier kimono manufacturer in Japan . Unfortunately, business has slowed down in recent years and sales of such goods have continued to decline.

In terms of heavy industries, Kyoto is a powerhouse in electronics and is the home of such leading corporations as Kyocera, Nintendo, Murata Machinery and OMRON. The corporate headquarters of Wacoal, the apparel manufacturer, is also located in the city.

Education
Kyoto has long been regarded as an educational center of Japan and home to 37 leading institutions of higher learning.

This includes Kyoto University, one of Japan 's leading educational institutions, which has produced many Nobel laureates such as Yukawa Hideki. Other premier universities in Kyoto are the Doshina University and Ritsumeikan University . There's also the Kyoto Institute of Technology, one of Japan 's most popular universities, especially for architecture and design.

Kyoto also hosts the so-called Consortium of Universities, a unique network of various educational institutions that includes three national universities, five public universities, 41 private universities and four private organizations.

Moreover, American universities also have a strong presence in Kyoto, particularly through the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies, which is an aggrupation of 14 American universities that provide academic programs for students interested in advanced studies on Japanese language and culture. Moreover, Stanford University has also established a Japan Center in the city.