Kyoto - Wikipedia Kyoto ( ki ˈoʊ toʊ [5] or ˈkjoʊ toʊ ; [6] Japanese: 京都, Kyōto [kʲoꜜː to] ⓘ), officially Kyoto City (京都市, Kyōto-shi; [kʲoː toꜜ ɕi] ⓘ), is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan 's largest and most populous island of Honshu As of 2020, the city had a population of 1 46 million, making it the ninth-most populous city in Japan More