Kyoto is a college town, where students are involved in a wide range of activities.

There are 36 large-scale tertiary institutions in Kyoto,

and their students account for one-tenth of the city's population.

About 75 percent of these students come from other prefectures to experience what Kyoto has to offer.

Kyoto is such an ancient town.
It's Japan, but the culture is different.

I have made
so many new discoveries.

Kyotoites have encouraged and nurtured these young people.

Students have lots of energy,
so they liven up the town.

People come from all over and
breathe a new life into the city.

Core Kyoto reveals a rarely seen side of the ancient capital,

spotlighting students and the people who support their daily life.

Kyoto is famous for a multitude of traditional handicrafts which were born and evolved here.

The Kyoto Arts and Crafts University is one of the few universities in Japan

that offers programs for training artisans who can carry on this legacy.

In this classroom, students are practicing carving and woodwork.

Woodwork involves the use of chisels and planes to produce furniture and other items through joinery.

The students are learning the traditional craft of "Kyo-sashimono"

where precisely carved wood pieces are fitted together without the use of nails or screws.

Their instructor is Miyamoto Teiji, a master kyo-sashimono artisan,

who has a career of 50 years and is recognized as a living national treasure.

Traditional crafts were once handed down from master to apprentice, but this system of instruction is dying out.

Instead, Miyamoto imparts his knowledge and tries to convey the delicacy and merits of handwork in his classes.

Ordinarily you use a machine to plane wood,
and everyone gets a uniform thickness.

But if you make one part a bit thinner,
or add a little curve,

a touch like that gives
a completely different feel.

I try to convey
that sense of possibility.

This senior is working on his graduation project - a chair to which he is applying barrel-making techniques.

I want to make furniture.

I chose this school because here you can
learn traditional, manual woodworking.

This is the lacquerware studio.

In this course, students are taught how to coat objects with lacquer.

This resin is derived from the sap of lacquer trees, then processed.

In addition to its beautiful gloss, lacquer has strong adhesiveness,

as well as moisture-proofing and preservative properties.

It has long been used to decorate wooden objects.

Once students have learned the basic skills, they are encouraged to be free and creative in their use of lacquer.

This senior is painting blue lacquer onto canvas.

She is producing pictures of night skies, using the lacquer as a medium, much like oil paint.

There's a difference in color between
when it's freshly lacquered and when it's dried.

That's what makes it difficult
but also what makes it interesting.

The instructor is lacquerware artist Miki Hyoetsu.

In addition to traditional craftwork, he enjoys producing original artwork using lacquer.

Miki's hope is that the students will come into contact with the many artisans involved in different crafts in Kyoto

and be stimulated to produce new, interesting works of their own.

They use the same materials, but they have
different values. That makes it interesting.

For students just starting out, I want them
to communicate with others.

I think Kyoto is particularly
well suited to that,

so I encourage the kids to talk to people
about who they are and what they are doing.

With so many temples in Kyoto, it may come as no surprise that there are Buddhist universities, as well.

Shuchiin University in the south of the city has its roots in Japan's first private school opened for commoners.

In 828, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, Kukai,

opened a school where people could learn about Buddhist teachings regardless of their social class or gender.

The university carries on this legacy in its Buddhist Studies and Social Welfare Studies departments,

which have a combined enrollment of about 120 students.

The Department of Buddhist Studies provides systematic instruction in the teachings of Kukai.

The students also get a thorough education in Buddhist spiritual culture and philosophy.

In the practical part of the curriculum, they learn how to write Sanskrit letters, which are still used in Japanese Buddhism.

They also learn how to paint Buddhist images.

This emphasis on practical training in the Shingon traditions, centered around the teachings of Kukai, is noteworthy.

The university also holds many Buddhist rites.

During a memorial service held on the 21st of the month,

the students chant sutras to commemorate and exalt Kukai, while the teacher performs the rites at the classroom altar.

Extra-curricular activities are Buddhism-related as well.

This is the distinctive sound of "shomyo."

Students are practicing the musically inflected style of chanting the sutras.

The university holds an annual shomyo performance.

In preparation, students stay after class for rehearsals.

Many of the students in the Department of Buddhist Studies will be taking over a Shingon temple in the future.

Otsuka Eisuke, who comes from a family of Buddhist priests, is one such student.

I live here in this temple.

The temple is located in the neighboring prefecture of Nara.

Since it has already been decided that he will succeed his uncle at the temple,

Otsuka helps out when he is not busy with his studies.

Someone you could talk to
about your problems, and feel better.

I'd like to be the kind of priest
all kinds of people trust.

Through Buddhist teachings, the university aims to cultivate leaders who can contribute to society.

The raison d'etre for any religious leader is to
stand with people who are suffering in society.

We have to look head-on at
the various ills of today's society -

and have the knowledge and
understanding to deal with them.

We want students to aim to become priests
who can practice in the modern world.

Students dance energetically on the banks of the Kamo River.

We're practicing our performance for
the Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa, a week from now.

Held every October, the Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa is the manifestation of Kyoto as a student town.

Its mission is to deepen interaction among students, and between students and the local community.

2023 was the 21st year the event was held.

The entire festival is organized and run by students from over 20 universities.

The executive committee works hard to bring it all together.

Toyonaga Natsuki, a third-year student at Kyoto Bunkyo University, was the 2023 chair.

My personal goal is for everyone
who sees it to be moved to tears.

On this day, the committee checks out the festival's venue, Okazaki Park.

They have come, maps in hand, to confirm the parade route and the width of the roads.

Isn't this narrow?

Well, we can't go wider than the road,
so this is ten-plus meters?

The road not being as wide as we thought
affects how close we stand to each other.

We have
a lot of work to do.

One week until the actual festival, and in spite of having much to do,

the committee heads out to a shopping arcade for some publicity.

The highlight of the festival is the "original dance" contest.

Eleven teams compete for prizes, based on choreography and execution.

Saikyo Zensen rehearses on the banks of the Kamo River.

Members come primarily from Kyoto University and Kyoto Prefectural University, plus ten other schools.

We want to be perfect, and right now
we aren't perfectly lined up.

We are no good three out of 10 times,
so we need to clean those bits up.

To achieve that, they share videos after each run-through,

and members check their own moves, trying to figure out how they can improve.

Determined to get it right, they devote hours to rehearsing.

It took many years for Kyoto to become a student town.

Kyoto served as Japan's capital for a millennium, so it was always a place of cutting-edge culture,

and it was a scholarly hub, with many private schools.

In 1869, the emperor and his court moved to Tokyo, which became the new capital.

This had a major effect on education in Kyoto.

As more people left, Kyoto went into decline.

To revive its fortunes, the city promoted a variety of modern policies.

First was education, with the goal of training a new generation of talented, capable citizens.

In 1869, the townspeople of Kyoto contributed funds to establishing schools throughout the city.

At the time, it was an unprecedented concept in Japan.

The Imperial court moving to Tokyo changed
the lives of people whose work supported the court.

Moving into a new era, it was felt that people
needed new and varied forms of knowledge.

The citizens understood the need for
facilities, so they divided the city -

into school districts and built elementary
schools in each, before any other city in Japan.

Next, Kyotoites turned to creating schools of higher learning.

Kyoto was the second city to get a national university, after Tokyo.

Many Buddhist sects have their head temples in Kyoto, so the city had schools for training priests.

Some of these became universities.

Private universities where commoners could study practical subjects, such as law and economics, sprang up too.

People from around the country were drawn to Kyoto

to study at its diverse academic institutions, transforming it into a student town.

Coming from out of town, many students must fend for themselves, but Kyotoites are there to help out.

These two women of different generations share a house.

We aren't related.
This is my landlady, and I'm the tenant.

This is the room I'm renting.

It's a traditional Japanese room.

Kaneko Miho, a graduate student from Tokyo, has been lodging at this house for eight months.

Fukui Keiko, her landlady who lives alone, has a set of rules for sharing her home with strangers.

The first of these is to divide the house into common and private areas.

This is the kitchen and dining area.
It's a shared space,

so sometimes we happen
to be eating at the same time.

Meals aren't included, so the students
make their own food here in the kitchen.

Of course, the toilet, washing area, and bath are shared.

Kaneko cooks for herself every day, because it is healthier than eating out.

Such lodgings were once common in Kyoto.

But as young people began to value privacy more,

they preferred studio apartments, and the number of rooming houses decreased.

In such an environment, Fukui and Kaneko found each other through a new lodging service called "Kyoto Solidaire."

This system matches senior citizens who have rooms to let in their homes

with students looking for cheap accommodations.

Kyoto Prefecture is the first local government in Japan to trial this kind of home share project.

One aim of the project is to halt the population drain of young people, an issue Kyoto has faced in recent years.

It is a student town, but many
students leave Kyoto after graduation.

We hope they become attached to Kyoto
and stay connected after graduating.

Fukui was born into a family of Kyoto dyers and has worked for years as a designer of original banners.

She turned to Kyoto Solidaire when her husband passed away, leaving her alone in the house.

I grew up in a large family,
and had never lived alone.

Having someone there in your daily life
gives variation, so to speak.

I just felt it would be nice
to have someone here.

Kaneko had been sharing an apartment with a friend,

but when that friend left Kyoto to start a new job, she turned to Kyoto Solidaire.

When I was living with a friend, it was
a comfort knowing someone was there.

So I thought I'd love to share
with another person in my next place.

That's how
I chose this place.

Two people with different lifestyles, but their routines overlap.

Want some?

Young greens harvested
this morning.

- Looks yummy.
- Cooked with fried tofu. Try some.

Fukui shares a dish made with young leaves of suguki turnips, which are used for a traditional Kyoto pickle.

I love dishes like these,
using vegetables only found in Kyoto.

It's fun to cook if there's
someone here to eat it.

I'm grateful.

Fukui hopes to share with her lodgers a sense of what life in Kyoto is like -

something they cannot experience alone in an apartment.

She often invites Kaneko out to various Kyoto events and festivals.

Lately, at Fukui's suggestion, Kaneko has started learning to play the traditional bamboo flute.

Intergenerational cohabitation enriches the lives of both tenant and landlady.

The people of Kyoto also help students with their meals.

This restaurant located right near a university is always filled with students.

The reason for its popularity is the menu.

The restaurant's most famous dish is the set meal featuring Jumbo Chicken Cutlets,

which are double the size of those served elsewhere.

The Amazing Portion set has two kinds of fried chicken, a ground-meat cutlet,

and a creamy crab croquette with rice, salad and soup at an affordable price.

The portions here are huge.
Great value for your money.

This place is
a godsend for students.

The restaurant, which was established in 1960, is now run by the original owner's grandson, Tsujii Kazuki.

The concept of this place
is "mom's cooking."

Since we're
in a student neighborhood,

we have lots of students from
other parts of Japan, and even the world.

Our aim is to feed them so their bellies
are full for as cheap as possible.

Staff working the evening shift from 6 p.m. are university students.

Each gets two meals per shift, one before and one after.

They choose anything they want off the menu.

It is a mark of the owner's consideration for students of little means.

I'm so thankful.

It leaves me that much more money
for other necessities.

It is no wonder this restaurant has been so popular with students for over 60 years.

And the love is returned.

October 8th, 2023.

The day has arrived for the student-organized Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa.

The dance competition is underway,

with 11 teams vying to outdo each other with their original choreography and flawless execution.

Welcome to Kyoto.

All entries must incorporate the theme of Kyoto into their subject matter, music, costumes, and props.

The Saikyo Zensen team is waiting in the wings.

After all that practice,
we just have to give it our all.

Let's do it!
Let's take first prize.

It is now their turn to hit the stage.

Their chosen subject is an ogre legend associated with Kyoto's mountains.

First come the court ladies.

They are nabbed by red ogres, who spirit them away.

But blue-suited warriors come to their rescue, vanquishing the ogres.

Saikyo Zensen took first place in 2021, and second in 2022.

They have given their all to regain the top spot.

Now, they await the judges' verdict.

And in third place -
Saikyo Zensen.

The team thought they had nailed their performance, and they found it hard to hide their chagrin.

I'm really disappointed that we didn't
place top because we practiced hard.

But this is a great group of people,
and we did our best,

so I guess that's all that matters.

Students come to Kyoto from all over the country,

drawn to the ancient city for the richness and depth of its culture.

Their youthful vitality energizes the city, breathing fresh life into the old streets and giving rise to new history and traditions.