Kyoto Prefecture
— — the prefecture the capital was named for.
Not only on a wall.
“More than just Kyoto city. The prefecture stretches north over forested mountains to the Sea of Japan, where the pine sandbar of Amanohashidate crosses Miyazu Bay and the wooden boathouses of Ine line the water. South of the capital lies tea-country Uji, the green of the matcha bowls. One name, many seasons. from the studio
Kyoto Prefecture, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Kyoto Prefecture occupies the centre-west of Honshū, in the Kansai region, with a population of about 2.5 million across 4,612 square kilometres. The prefectural capital, Kyoto city, served as the imperial capital of Japan from 794 to 1868. The prefecture runs north over the Tanba Highlands to a coast on the Sea of Japan, anchored by the city of Maizuru and the scenic Tango Peninsula. South of the city, the Uji River valley holds Japan's oldest tea-growing district, established in the thirteenth century.
Kyoto Prefecture runs a long calendar of seasonal pivots. Cherry blossom typically peaks late March to early April at the Philosopher's Path, Maruyama Park, and the Kamo River banks. The Gion Matsuri, held every July in Kyoto city, dates from 869 and remains the largest of the country's three great festivals. November turns the maples at Tofuku-ji, Eikan-dō, and the northern hills near Miyama. Winter brings snow to Amanohashidate and the Sea of Japan coast, where it sits over the pine bar above Miyazu Bay.
Kyoto city is reached from Tokyo in about 2 hours 15 minutes by Nozomi shinkansen, or from Osaka in roughly 15 minutes. The north coast takes longer: the JR Hashidate limited express crosses the prefecture from Kyoto Station to Amanohashidate in about 2 hours. Seventeen sites in and around the city are inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage list as Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, including Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, and Byōdō-in. Spring and autumn weekends fill early; weekday mornings hold most rooms.