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Most of the anime and manga I have read/watched have featured a field trip to Kyoto. (As a related example, Beelzebub's field trip destination was Okinawa.) I don't know much about class level or the education system of Japan.

Is Kyoto a field trip destination in the Japanese education system or is it just a trope?

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    Kyoto is the old capital of Japan. Therefore, there are many places of historical significance.
    – nhahtdh
    Nov 8, 2014 at 15:54
  • I know that, is this the only reason
    – mirroroftruth
    Nov 8, 2014 at 15:56
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    I don't know, but I think going to somewhere with lots of history is best for educational purpose. Otherwise, they could have gone to Okinawa for playing around.
    – nhahtdh
    Nov 8, 2014 at 16:05
  • (TVTropes confirms your observation: "Kyoto is one of the most common destinations for these [class trips] in Japanese Media.")
    – Aaron Thoma
    Jan 1, 2017 at 5:32

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Actually it's not only Kyoto. Depending on the manga's theme, the field trip could be anywhere, but yes, most of the time it'd be Okinawa, Hokkaido, Kyoto and Osaka. As a side note, most of the manga I read has the school trip to Okinawa and Hokkaido instead of Kyoto like yours.

Okinawa is usually visited during winter because due to its geographical location, it is warmer than the rest of Japan. Example for manga that has summer in Okinawa is Great Teacher Onizuka.

Hokkaido is the other way around. It is usually visited during summer for the students to enjoy cool summer holiday swimming and all.

Well, Okinawa and Hokkaido is usually interchangeable, depending on the author. Okinawa is also visited during summer if the author wants a hot summer holiday theme. Hokkaido if s/he wants skiing during winter.

Now, for Kyoto, they are visited for the obvious reason. Kyoto was the old capital of Japan. It was referred like a holy city, much like Vatican is to the Catholics, while also was the central for administrations and home to the Emperor. It also hosts the famous Honnoji temple, albeit the location is not the same as the Honnoji where Nobunaga met his demise.

Osaka is also sometimes visited, thanks to its culture. Osaka is famous for its Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect) and the Osaka castle, of course. Osaka is also home for many famous Japanese artists and bands, like L'Arc~en~Ciel and SCANDAL. Ranker listed at least 25 of them.So, that could be one of the reasons too.

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  • This is a good answer, but if you could sprinkle in some references, it would be a really good answer.
    – Torisuda
    Nov 11, 2014 at 0:01
  • i will accept it,please add example like Kyoto - Air gear,K-on at least any two anime or manga for above mentioned places
    – mirroroftruth
    Dec 3, 2014 at 8:14
  • I asked for above mention placed Okinawa,Hokkaido,Osaka and at least two example.
    – mirroroftruth
    Dec 3, 2014 at 9:14
  • @mirroroftruth, a more grateful attitude could be beneficial for both others and yourself. No offense! :)
    – Aaron Thoma
    Jan 1, 2017 at 5:10
  • tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClassTrip#folder0 has many examples for field trips to Kyoto, 2 each for Okinawa and Hokkaido, 1 for Osaka. I have not found another example for Osaka on the first 2 pages of Google results for the query "osaka" "anime OR manga series" "class OR field trip". (@mirroroftruth)
    – Aaron Thoma
    Jan 1, 2017 at 5:37
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I asked a Japanese friend and apparently, depending on where in Japan kids go to school, they indeed often have a field trip to Kyoto at one point in their school life. So it is not just a trope.

Okinawa does not seem to be such a common destination though, as it is not as conveniently reachable.

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