About Us

Based in one of the world’s great cultural cities, and aware that culture is one of humankind’s most precious creations, Kyoto Journal strives to explore, celebrate, and share the traditional and contemporary culture and creative life of Kyoto/Japan in an Asia-wide context with English-language readers.

An all-volunteer organization since its founding in 1987, Kyoto Journal  has attracted a wide diversity of loyal and engaged contributors together with a world-wide readership that appreciates our intimate access to thinkers, artists, craftspeople and activists embedded in the timeless spirit of Kyoto. With deep respect for Kyoto’s highly-evolved heritage of expression in literature, arts and craft, KJ aims for excellence in writing, art, design, and photography. In addition, we are well-placed to support the local cultural community and collaborate on projects with other creative organizations.

As a formal Japanese nonprofit organization, Kyoto Journal currently publishes one print magazine/book and two digital magazine issues per year, on thought-provoking themes with unlimited “shelf life.” We also maintain an active online presence through our website and social media platforms and look towards producing additional publications in the future. Kyoto Journal is actively seeking support to fulfill its goals, in the form of donations, sponsorships, advertising and technical support.