The Top 15 Anime Set In Kyoto, Japan’s Former Capital

Kyoto is a major city in Japan and the former capital of the country. It’s considered a tourist and cultural destination since it’s a modern city with a very heavy cultural heritage.

You can see this everywhere, from the commercial districts to its natural beauties, and its temples and shrines peppered all around town.

It’s the perfect setting for many stories and in this article, we want to propose to you some of the best anime set in Kyoto.

Rankings are based on our personal opinions, so take them with a grain of salt.

15. Clockwork Planet

Clockwork Planet is an anime that came out in the Spring of 2017.

The plot is built around a legend where the Earth was destroyed and the great clockmaker called Y made a replacement from cogs and gears.

Naoto Miura is a talented young boy who can sense clockwork mechanics from the noise alone. He dreams of being a clockmaker but, despite his talents, he didn’t make any progress.

Things begin to change when a coffin falls from the sky into his apartment, revealing RyuZU, a female automaton forged by the legendary Y himself.

The arrival of RyuZU will spark the curiosity of many other characters and they will realize that the clockwork planet is going to break down.

Clockwork Planet is set in a dystopian version of Kyoto, which is one of the grids that divide Japan.

There is also a monument called the Core Tower, a place that controls weather and temperatures. It is heavily protected by the Army and it is obviously inspired by the famous Kyoto Tower.

14. Shonen Onmyoji

Shonen Onmyoji is an anime from 2006 revolving around the ancient figures of Onmyojis.

These people were professionals in the arts of natural science, divinization, and astronomy.

The main character is Masahiro, the grandson of the great onmyoji Abe no Seimei. The guy struggles because he has lost the sixth sense that allows him to see spirits and he obviously feels overshadowed by his legendary grandpa.

Eventually, Mashiro will meet a mononoke called Mokkun, who helps him find his true potential.

He will slowly gain confidence and come out of his grandad’s shadow while fighting many other threats and demons.

This show is set in ancient Japan, precisely in the Heian Era. This was a period when the Emperor moved the capital to Heian-Kyo, which coincided with modern-day Kyoto.

This means that there are no contemporary landmarks shown but the viewer can get an idea of how Kyoto was structured in the 12th century.

13. Hello World

Hello World is a movie that takes place in Kyoto in the year 2027. The plot focuses on Naomi Katagaki, a socially awkward boy with a love for books.

One day Naomi sees an aura piercing through the sky. He also has a vision of a 3-legged crow and a hooded man who turns out to be him 10 years in the future.

The mysterious figure explains that he has come to change an imminent tragic event that happens to his friend Ruri shortly after they start dating.

At first, Naomi doesn’t believe him but he will eventually follows his future self’s advice to try and save Ruri.

This movie shows many real-life famous locations in Kyoto.

First of all is the Asagiri Bridge in Uji, featured in one of the most important scenes in the whole movie, but also the Kyoto Grand Station and the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.

12. Okoshiyasu, Chitose-Chan

Okoshiyasu, Chitose-chan is a very simple and upbeat anime from 2008 that takes inspiration from a manga by Yukiko Natsume.

Follow the story of this cute penguin as discovers she discovers the city of Kyoto and its landmarks.

the protagonist is Chitose-chan, a penguin living in Kyoto while discovering the city and its landmarks.

All throughout the series, Chitose-chan will visit many popular places like the Togetsu-Kyo bridge, the Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine, and the Ginaku Temple.

She will also eat many delicacies typical of the area during her adventures.

This is a fun little show that we can’t recommend to you enough if you want to know Kyoto in a light-hearted way.

11. Inari Kon Kon

Inari Kon Kon is a short anime from 2014. The protagonist, called Inari Fushimi, is a shy and clumsy middle schooler.

She is the archetype of the kind little girl who is too shy to confess her feelings to anybody. Inari has in fact a huge crush on her classmate Kouji Tanbabashi but she can’t even work up the courage to talk to him.

One day, when she’s running around the streets of Kyoto, she meets a little fox trapped in a river while heading to the local shrine.

She’ll save the animal and the goddess, grateful for the good deed, will grant her the power to transform into anyone by shouting the magical phrase ‘Inari, Kon Kon.’

Will this power give her the courage to confess her feelings to her crush, Kouji Tanbabashi?

This is a cute little show where the very name of the protagonist, Inari Fushimi, is a reference to the Fushimi temple in Kyoto, dedicated to the goddess called Inari.

10. Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc

Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc is a 2-part OVA retelling the events of the ‘Kyoto Arc’ through the eyes of Makimachi Misao.

The Kyoto Arc is the second arc in the manga and it involves many major events in the life of the main character Himura Kenshin.

The plot begins with Kenshin being asked to go to Kyoto. Meanwhile, Shishio Makoto is planning on creating a new Japan where only the strongest can survive.

On his way to Kyoto Kenshin meets a young girl called Makimachi Misao, who will be the protagonist of this two-part OVA.

The events differ a little bit from the original anime but the setting is the same and you can clearly witness the attention to detail that went into creating a 19th-century Kyoto.

The viewer can even recognize some landmarks such as the Ninnaji Temple.

9. Kyousougiga

Kyousougiga is an anime from 2013 by Toei Animation, the studio behind huge cultural phenomena such as One Piece and Dragon Ball Z.

The plot begins with a monk named Myoue, who has the power of bringing to life his drawings. He lives in Kyoto with his wife Koto and his three children.

He gets exiled from the city because of his powers so he decides to create a copy of it called Mirror Kyoto where his family can live in peace. One day the couple disappears leaving the children stranded in the paper city.

Things change when a girl also called Koto crashes from the skies and starts looking for Myoue and his wife.

Paper Kyoto is a mix of modern and traditional elements of the city that create a very peculiar setting. Despite not being a realistic portrait of Kyoto you can still recognize some landmarks like the temples in the center of the town.

This is a short anime with a very peculiar art style and if you’re for a light but charming show you should give this a shot.

8. Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga

A fairly recent anime that puts a pretty dark spin on the fantasy genre. Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga can be considered a second season of the popular anime which takes place in Kyoto.

This is also known as the Impure King Arc because the events of the show start off with the Eyes of the Impure King. They are body parts of a demon that brought about death and destruction in the mid-19th century and were stolen from the True Cross Academy.

To prevent the resurrection of the Impure King by the union of both its eyes, the main character Rin and his companions from the ExWire are sent to Kyoto to investigate the mystery behind this figure.

You should really watch the first season to get more context on the events of the anime, where Rin finds out to be a demon who inherited Satan’s powers.

As you can guess by the title this anime is set in Kyoto and is filled with references to landmarks of the city, especially the Kyoto Tower, which appears many times all throughout the series.

Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga also had a collaboration with the real Kyoto Tower in 2017, when the anime came out.

If you visited the Tower you would have been treated by Rin’s voice in the elevator and also some original narrations by characters from the show were played every fifteen minutes.

This marketing stunt was apparently very successful at the time and brought many people to visit the famous Kyoto Tower.

7. Liz and the Blue Bird

Liz and the Blue Bird may come to be regarded by some as the best Japanese animated movie of 2018.

It was made by Kyoto Animation, the studio behind the likes of Violet Evergarden and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.

More and Nozomi are two friends with different opposite personalities, the first being extremely introverted, while the latter is popular and well-liked by everyone.

The two girls who play the oboe and the flute respectively find themselves having to duet in a composition titled Liz and the Bluebird, which has many commonalities with their friendship, making them reflect on their relationship.

This is a spinoff of another entry on this list, Sound! Euphonium, and shares with it almost the same setting: Kyoto.

6. Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital

This is a movie from the famous anime series ‘Detective Conan’.

Kogoro, Ran, Conan, and Sonoko go to Kyoto and meet up with Heiji Hattori to investigate a robbery and a series of murders. Conan will swallow a pill and regain his identity as Shinichi so he will meet up with his rival Heiji to solve the case.

Our main character will risk multiple times to have his identity discovered but in the end, the duo will find the culprit, who will turn out to be an old acquaintance of Heiji.

Shinichi will have to put his secret on the line in order to join forces with Heiji and try to solve the cryptic puzzles that lead to the solution to these mysterious events.

This movie will play heavily on the idea of Kyoto being the ancient capital of Japan, a perfect setting for a mysterious detective story. If you enjoyed the anime you will definitely appreciate this movie.

5. Sound! Euphonium

Sound! Euphonium is an anime based on the light novel collection of the same name written by Ayano Takeda.

The main character is called Kumiko Oumae, a girl who just enroll in Kitauji High School.

Despite her desire to get a fresh start, she finds herself playing the euphonium once again for the school’s band.

The events covered are those of Kitauji High School’s music club, which is now unable to participate in competitions.

Thanks to Professor Taki, the group will begin to shine in a new light and return to participate in the competition.

This anime is set in Uji, Kyoto and it makes very much use of its setting. During the course of the show, they will appear at numerous landmarks such as the Uji Bridge and Museum or the Uji Park.

This anime is ideal for somebody looking for a light-hearted and unpretentious series.

4. The Eccentric Family

This is another anime set in Kyoto from 2013, where many landmarks of the city appear during the show.

Many shrines like the Goryo Shrine or the Mitsui Shrine are featured throughout the show but during its run, you can also enjoy the view of the Mitarashi River or the Tenneiji Temple.

The plot is pretty simple and it revolves around Yasaburou Shimogamo, a shapeshifting tanuki who spends his days with a carefree attitude, taking care of an old tengu.

He passes his time observing humans, especially a woman named Benten.

Behind his cheerful attitude, there is a family tragedy, because his dad, head of the tanuki community, was killed and eaten by a group of humans known as the Friday Fellows.

Our main character will unravel the mystery behind his father’s death during the show.

3. The Tatami Galaxy

This anime from 2010 begins with a very weird premise. A college girl is chilling at a ramen stand behind the Shimogamo Shrine, a famous landmark in Kyoto when she bumps into a man who calls himself a god of matrimony.

This prompts the young girl to think about his college life where she spent most of her time breaking up with couples.

The student wants to make the most of her remaining college years so she asks out the unsociable Akashi.

The boy will end up regretting not living out his college life differently but as soon as he thinks he’ll be brought back in time and given another chance to live his college life.

This is an anime that makes heavy use of different timelines to tell its story. A story that appears as simple as it gets but hides a lot of messages behind its face value.

Maybe this is not for everybody but when think you should give it a shot, especially if you’re looking for something set in the city of Kyoto.

2. Tamako Market

Tamako Market is an anime that came out in 2013 from Kyoto Animation.

The plot revolves around Tamako Kitashirakawa, a clumsy teenage girl born into a family of mochi bakers that are running a little shop called Tama-ya.

At one point Tamako meets a talking bird who explains that he is seeking a bride for his country’s prince.

The bird, called Dera, will follow Tamako home and develop an addiction to mochi, becoming overweight and unable to fly back to his country.

Meanwhile, a friend of Tamako called Mochizou Ooji has a crush on her but he is hiding it because their fathers are fierce mochi rivals.

Tamako Market is set in a colorful shopping district of Kyoto.

It’s never really specified where exactly but the viewer can clearly see the influences of the many markets in downtown Kyoto, for example, the Nishiki Market and its many mochi shops.

1. The Night is Short Walk On, Girl

This is an award-winning movie from 2017 that is kept in high regard by the public.

A young student at Kyoto University has fallen in love with his younger classmate and has decided to meet him as often as possible, pretending each time it is a coincidence.

During a party attended by both of them, the boy decides to sit next to the girl.

As soon as they change clubs, it will be the beginning of a long night in which they will have several encounters, including supernatural ones.

A unique product where the two main characters have no names, and are referred to as The Senpai and The Girl with Black Hair, to create a more relatable experience for the viewer.

The setting is based almost exclusively on Kyoto nightlife. While mixing with some supernatural background you can clearly enjoy the view of the city at night, portrayed with a unique graphical style.