Kyoto (京都市?, Kyōto-shi, pronounced [kʲoːꜜto] ( listen) , pronounced [kʲoːtoꜜɕi] ( listen); UK: /kɪˈoʊtoʊ/, US: /kiˈoʊ-/, or /ˈkjoʊ-/[4]) is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the Imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, it is now the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture located in the Kansai region, as well as a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area. Kyoto is also known as the thousand-year capital.