Greater Kyoto
# Greater Kyoto

Greater Kyoto is a metropolitan area in Japan encompassing Kyoto City, the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as its surrounding areas including Ōtsu, the capital of Shiga Prefecture.

The metropolitan area is also referred to as Keiji (京滋) or Keishin (京津). The name Keiji is constructed by extracting a representative kanji from Kyoto (京都) and Shiga (滋賀). The name Keishin is constructed by extracting a representative kanji from Kyoto (京都) and Ōtsu (大津).

## Definitions

### Urban Employment Area

The greater Kyoto area is defined by Urban Employment Area as Kyoto–Kusatsu Metropolitan Employment Area (Kyoto–Kusatsu MEA). The metropolitan area had a total population of 2,801,044 as of 2015 and is the fourth-largest in Japan. The cities and towns of the metropolitan area with their 2020 populations are listed below.

* Kyoto Prefecture
   * Kyoto City (1,463,723)
   * Uji (179,630)
   * Kameoka (86,174)
   * Nagaokakyō (80,608)
   * Jōyō (74,607)
   * Kyōtanabe (73,753)
   * Mukō (56,859)
   * Nantan (31,629)
   * Kumiyama (15,250)
   * Ōyamazaki (15,953)
   * Kyotamba (12,907)
   * Ujitawara (8,911)
   * Ide (7,406)
* Shiga Prefecture
   * Ōtsu (345,070)
   * Kusatsu (143,913)
   * Moriyama (83,236)
   * Ritto (68,820)
   * Yasu (50,513)

### Municipalities network

A wider metropolitan area based on commuting patterns is also defined by Kyōto Toshiken Jichitai Nettowāku Kaigi (京都都市圏自治体ネットワーク会議, Conference of Kyoto metropolitan area municipalities network) as the Kyoto metropolitan area. This area consists of 13 cities and towns of Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, and Osaka Prefecture, in addition to Kyoto MEA. The total population as of 2020 for the region was estimated at 3,785,351. The following areas, along with the above Kyoto MEA, are included in the Kyoto metropolitan area, with their 2020 populations:

* Kyoto Prefecture
   * Yawata (70,433)
   * Kizugawa (77,907)
   * Seika (36,198)
* Shiga Prefecture
   * Takashima (46,377)
   * Konan (54,460)
   * Koka (88,358)
   * Ōmihachiman (81,122)
   * Higashiōmi (112,819)
   * Hino (20,964)
   * Ryūō (11,789)
* Osaka Prefecture
   * Takatsuki (352,698)
   * Shimamoto (30,927)

## Geography

* Lake Biwa – the largest lake in Japan
* Ohmi Basin [Wikidata] – Shiga Prefecture
* Kyoto Basin [Wikidata] – the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture
* Mount Hiei – mountain on the border between Kyoto and Ōtsu
* Seta River and Uji River
* Kizu River
* Yasu River
* Katsura River

## Higher Education

48 universities and colleges in the area participate in the Consortium of Universities in Kyoto [Wikidata].

* Bukkyo University – 5 campuses in Kyoto and Nantan
* Doshisha University – 2 campuses in Kyoto and Kyōtanabe
* Heian Jogakuin University – 2 campuses in Kyoto and Takatsuki
* Kyoto University – 3 campuses in Kyoto and Uji
* Kyoto University of Advanced Science – 2 campuses in Kyoto and Kameoka
* Ritsumeikan University – 4 campuses in Kyoto, Kusatsu, and Ibaraki
* Ryukoku University – 3 campuses in Kyoto and Ōtsu

## Sports

* Kyoto Sanga FC – a football club
* MIO Biwako Shiga – a football club
* Kyoto Hannaryz – a basketball team
* Shiga Lakestars – a basketball team
* Kyoto Marathon
* Kyoto Racecourse
* Sanga Stadium by Kyocera

## Media

* Kyoto Shimbun – newspaper
* KBS Kyoto – TV and radio station
* BBC Biwako – TV station
* FM-Kyoto [Wikidata] – radio station
* PHP Institute [Wikidata] – publishing house
* Leaf Publications – publishing house

## Transportation

### Rail

Kyōto Station is a hub of the rail network in the area.

* Tōkaidō Shinkansen – inter-city rail (JR Central)
* Biwako Line and JR Kyoto Line – regional and commuter rail (JR West)
* Kosei Line – regional and commuter rail (JR West)
* San'in Main Line – regional and commuter rail (JR West)
* Nara Line – commuter rail (JR West)
* Kusatsu Line – commuter rail (JR West)
* Kyoto Line (Kintetsu) – regional and commuter rail (Kintetsu)
* Keihan Main Line and Uji Line – commuter rail (Keihan)
* Keishin Line – commuter rail, subway, and tram (Keihan)
* Ishiyama Sakamoto Line – commuter rail and tram (Keihan)
* Hankyu Kyoto Main Line and Hankyu Arashiyama Line – commuter rail (Hankyu)
* Arashiyama Line and Kitano Line – commuter rail and tram (Randen)
* Karasuma Line and Tōzai Line – Kyoto City Subway
* Eizan Main Line and Kurama Line – commuter rail (Eiden)

### Road

* Meishin Expressway
* Shin-Meishin Expressway
* Kyoto-Jukan Expressway
* Keinawa Expressway
* Keiji Bypass
* Daini-Keihan Road
* Japan National Route 1
* Japan National Route 8
* Japan National Route 9
* Japan National Route 24
* Japan National Route 161
* Japan National Route 171
