Located in the Kansai area of Honshu, the largest and most populated island in Japan, Kyoto serves as the capital of Kyoto Prefecture. As of 2020, the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most populous city in Japan. The city is home to more over half (56.8%) of the people in Kyoto Prefecture. With a population estimated at 3.8 million according to the census, the city serves as the cultural hub of the much larger Greater Kyoto metropolitan statistical region (MSA). Together with Osaka and Kobe, it is a component of the even larger Keihanshin metropolitan area. Emperor Kanmu selected Kyoto as the new location of Japan's imperial court in 794, making it one of the country's oldest cities. Heian-kyō, the original city, was laid out according to traditional Chinese feng shui, taking inspiration from the ancient Chinese cities of Chang'an and Luoyang. Up until 1869, Japan's emperors governed from Kyoto for the next eleven centuries. Following the Meiji Restoration, Tokyo replaced Kyoto as the capital. In 1889, the present-day city of Kyoto was created. The city's prewar cultural legacy has mostly survived because it was spared from widespread destruction during World War II. Kyoto is a popular tourist destination and is regarded as Japan's cultural center. The city is home to the national government's agency for cultural affairs. Many Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces, and gardens may be found there; some of these have been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Kyoto is a popular tourist destination because of its traditional festivals, which have been celebrated for more than a millennium.The Aoi Matsuri on May 15 is the first. The Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's three main festivals, takes place two months later in July and ends with a huge procession on July 17. In order to guide the spirits home, Kyoto celebrates the Bon Festival with the Gozan no Okuribi, which involves setting fires on mountains (August 16). The Festival of the Ages, or Jidai Matsuri, is held on October 22 to honor Kyoto's rich history.

Johannesburg is a city in South Africa's Gauteng province. It is the main financial and industrial center of the nation. Johannesburg, one of the newest big cities in the world, was established in 1886 after gold was discovered. Prior to becoming one of South Africa's four provinces, the city was a part of the Transvaal, an independent Afrikaner, or Boer, republic. Today, the city is a part of one of South Africa's nine provinces, Gauteng, which means "Place of Gold" in Sotho. The Highveld, a wide, grassy plateau that stretches across the interior of South Africa, is where Johannesburg is located. The city is situated on the edge of the Witwatersrand, also known as the Rand, which is a chain of low, rocky ridges that serves as a watershed between the drainages into the Atlantic and Indian seas. The city is between 5,700 and 5,930 feet (1,740 and 1,810 meters) above sea level. The climate of Johannesburg is moderate. The average temperature is around 75 °F (24 °C) in the summer and 55 °F (13 °C) in the winter, with very few periods below freezing. In both winter and summer, the city receives roughly eight hours of sunlight each day. Although the overall amount of rainfall fluctuates greatly from year to year, it averages around 28 inches (700 millimeters) annually. A major location for several creative and cultural industries, Johannesburg is a cultural center in South Africa with a diverse range of cultural venues. In addition to a plethora of other museums, theaters, galleries, and libraries, Johannesburg is home to the South African Ballet Theatre, the National School of Arts, and the University of Witwatersrand's School of the Arts.The Central Business District of Johannesburg is home to the Johannesburg City Library. The city is home to a number of Premiership and National First Division football teams. The top Johannesburg teams in the Premiership, such as Orlando Pirates (also known as the Buccaneers) and Kaizer Chiefs (also known as Amakhosi), are bitter rivals. They are headquartered at the Orlando and FNB stadiums in the city. Soccer City, the site of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, hosts a number of major league and cup matches. FC AK and Jomo Cosmos are the teams in the First Division. The stadiums used by Katlehong City and Alexandra United are Alexandra and Reiger Park, respectively.