Minami-ku, Kyoto

Minami Ku, Kyoto

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Minami-ku, Kyoto

is one of the eleven wards

Wards of Kyoto

The city of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan has eleven Wards of Japan.Unlike the 23 special wards of Tokyo, the wards of Kyoto are not separate Municipalities of Japan, they are divisions just for municipal administration....
in the city

Municipalities of Japan

Japan has three levels of government: Government of Japan, Prefectures of Japan, and municipal. The nation is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture consists of numerous municipalities....
of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto....
, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. Its name means "South Ward." It was established in 1955 when it was separated from Shimogyo-ku. As of April, 2008 the ward has an estimated population of 98,320 people. The Kamo River along with the Katsura River

Katsura River

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is one of the eleven wards

Wards of Kyoto

Municipalities of Japan

Kyoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto....
, Japan

Japan

Katsura River

The is a continuation of two other rivers, the Hozu River, a small, speedy river which begins in the mountains near Kameoka and then slithers through the mountains separating Kameoka and Kyoto; and the Oi River , which emerges from those mountains and expands into a shallow, slow-flowing river until Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama....
flow through the district. It is also home to several historical places and temples.

Minami-ku is roughly bound to the east by the Kamo River

Kamo River

The Kamo River is a river in Kyoto, Japan. It is 31 km long and is a tributary of the Yodo River.It rises from Mount Sajikigatake in the north of Kyoto, and goes through the center of the city and then meets the Katsura River at Fushimi, Kyoto....
, to the west by the Katsura River

Katsura River

The is a continuation of two other rivers, the Hozu River, a small, speedy river which begins in the mountains near Kameoka and then slithers through the mountains separating Kameoka and Kyoto; and the Oi River , which emerges from those mountains and expands into a shallow, slow-flowing river until Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama....
(thought it extends over the Katsura River in some places), to the north by Hachijo Street and the JR Kyoto line (leading into Kyoto station), and to the south by the Meishin Expressway

Meishin Expressway

The is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tomei Expressway in Nagakute, Aichi west to Nishinomiya, Hyogo . It is the main road link between Osaka and Nagoya, and, along with the Tomei Expressway, forms the main road link between Osaka and Tokyo....
(thought it extends over the expressway in some places).

The southern side of Kyoto city (including Minami-ku) is sometimes referred to as Rakunan. This area is the only side of Kyoto not lined with mountains, a feature that historically made Rakunan important as a gateway into Kyoto.

Minami-ku is more working-class than some other Kyoto districts, and includes a large population of Korean nationals known as Zainichi Koreans. Instead of restaurants and clubs, portions of the land near the Kamo River are lined with factories and industrial buildings. Residential areas include both standard houses and apartments, and occasional government-subsidized housing projects.

The area around Kujo Street from around Toji station to the Kamo River is known as Higashi (east) Kujo. This area is particularly working-class, and home to a relatively large number of Korean nationals and other working class members of Japanese society. As such, it has been called "Kyoto's only international town".

Compared to other areas in Kyoto, Minami-ku's relative lack of sightseeing spots--with the notable exception of To-ji temple--makes it irrelevant for most tourists.

The Minami-ku ward office is located on Route 1, near the intersection with Kujo Street. The Kyoto City Disaster Prevention Center is also in Minami-ku, near the intersection of Route 1 and Jujo Street. Also there is Nintendo

Nintendo

is a global company located in Kyoto, Japan founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's HQ.

To the east of Minami-ku is Higashiyama-ku

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto

is one of the eleven Wards of Kyoto in the Municipalities of Japan of Kyoto, Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto....
, and to the southeast is Fushimi-ku

Fushimi-ku, Kyoto

is one of the eleven Wards of Kyoto in the Municipalities of Japan of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the Fushimi Inari Jinja , with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down a mountain; Fushimi Castle, originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with its rebuilt towers and gold-lined tea-room; and Teradaya...
.

Temples and Landmarks

Former site of the Rashomon Gate
Rashomon Gate

was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijo-kyo and Kyoto , in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout....
, the old Southern entrance to the city.
To-ji
To-ji

is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. Its name means East Temple, and it once had a partner, Sai-ji . They stood alongside the Rashomon Gate, the gate to the Heian capital....
a famous Buddhist temple with strong associations to the Buddhist priest Kukai
Kukai

Kukai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese people bhikshu, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism....
.