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Stories Set in Kyoto
Kyoto is a temple-filled city in western Japan set on a plain between rivers and eastern hills. Its long run as imperial capital from 794 to 1868, spared from WWII bombing, preserved wooden townhouses and geisha districts, which is why period dramas still feel at home there. Memoirs of a Geisha and Rurouni Kenshin both draw on that old-capital atmosphere. Open Kyoto on the StoryTerra map and filter its stories by any era.
Open Kyoto on the StoryTerra map10 famous stories set in Kyoto
Live snapshot of the top 10 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 15 books, 55 movies, 3 TV shows and 27 games set in Kyoto.
Memoirs of a Geisha
In the years before World War II a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
Before he was a protector Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart his life will change forever.
Memoirs of a Geisha
A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.In Memoirs of a Geisha, we…
Rurouni Kenshin
The Meiji Era was one of great renewal for Japan, where swords and killing were outlawed. However, many survivors from the time of Revolution still live, lurking in the shadows and waiting for a chance to use their…
Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno
Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio a former assassin like Kenshin was betrayed set on fire and left for…
Hello World
A shy high schooler in Kyoto meets a man claiming to be his future self who tells him he’s hacked into the past to save their first love.
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!
As one of the thousands of Japanese students afflicted with "chunibyo," a state where they're so desperate to stand out that they've convinced themselves that they have secret knowledge and hidden powers, Yuta spent…
The Life of Oharu
In Edo Period Japan a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.
Tomorrow I Will Date With Yesterday's You
Takatoshi Minamiyama majors in art at an university in Kyoto. On the train to the school he sees Emi Fukuju and falls in love with her at first sight. Gathering up all his courage he speaks to her. They begin to date…
Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
As a group of university students go out for a night on the town a sophomore known only as "The Girl with Black Hair" experiences a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife – all the while unaware of the…
The 10 stories above are just a sample of the 100 in the catalogue for this entry. For the full live catalogue, open Kyoto in the StoryTerra app. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.
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