Editing Japanese addressing system (section)

===Kyoto===
[[File:Daidairi of Heiankyo.jpg|thumb|[[Heian-kyō]] was laid out on a grid in AD 794, and grid-based addresses continue to be used in today's Kyoto.]]
Although the official national addressing system is in use in Kyoto – in ''Chiban'' style, with {{Nihongo|ward|区|ku}}, {{Nihongo|district|丁目|chōme}}, and {{Nihongo|land number|番地|banchi}}, the ''chō'' divisions are very small, numerous, and there is often more than one ''chō'' with the same name within a single ward, making the system extremely confusing.  As a result, most residents of Kyoto use an unofficial system based instead on street names, a form of [[vernacular geography]]. This system is, however, recognized by the post office and by government agencies.

For added precision, the street-based address can be given, followed by the chō and land number. Sometimes multiple houses share a given land number, in which case the name (either just family name, or full name of resident) must also be specified; this name is generally displayed in front of the house on a {{Nihongo||表札|hyōsatsu|[[name plate]]}}, often decoratively presented, as are house numbers in other countries.

The system works by naming the intersection of two streets and then indicating if the address is {{Nihongo|north|上ル|agaru|"above"}}, {{Nihongo|south|下ル|sagaru|"below"}}, {{Nihongo|east|東入ル|higashi-iru|"enter east"}}, or {{Nihongo|west|西入ル|nishi-iru|"enter west"}} of the intersection. More precisely, the two streets of the intersection are not treated symmetrically: one names the street that the address is on, then gives a nearby cross street, and then specifies the address relative to the cross street. What this means is that a building can have more than one address depending on which cross street intersection is chosen.

For instance, the address of [[Kyoto Tower]] is listed on their website as:<ref>{{cite web|title=アクセス|trans-title=Access|url=https://www.kyoto-tower.co.jp/access/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809101308/https://www.kyoto-tower.co.jp/access/|archive-date=2016-08-09|access-date=2016-05-25|website=Kyoto-tower.co.jp|language=ja}}</ref>
:〒600-8216
:京都市下京区烏丸通七条下ル 東塩小路町 721-1
Following the postcode, this contains the city and ward, followed by the unofficial address, a space, and then the official address:
:京都市下京区 ''Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku''
:烏丸七条下ル ''Karasuma-Shichijō-sagaru''
:東塩小路町 721-1 ''Higashi-Shiokōji 721-1''

This address means "south of the intersection of [[Karasuma Street|Karasuma]] and Shichijō streets" – more precisely, "on Karasuma, below (south of) Shichijō" (Karasuma runs north–south, while Shichijō is an east–west cross street). The street address may alternatively be given as 烏丸通七条下ル (with {{Nihongo|street|通|dōri}} inserted), indicating clearly that the address is ''on'' Karasuma street.

However, the system is flexible and allows for various alternatives, such as:
:京都府京都市下京区烏丸塩小路上ル
:''Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku, Karasuma-Shiokōji-agaru''
:"(On) Karasuma (street), above (north of) Shiokōji (street)"

For less well known buildings, the official address is often given after the informal one, as in the address for the Shinatora [[Ramen]] restaurant:
:京都府京都市下京区烏丸通五条下ル大坂町384
:''Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku, Karasuma-dōri-Gojō-sagaru, Ōsakachō 384''
:"Ōsakachō 384, (on) Karasuma street, below (south of) Gojō"

As the initial part of the address is familiar, it is often abbreviated – for example, {{Nihongo||京都府京都市|Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi|"Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City"}} can be abbreviated to {{Nihongo||京都市|Kyōto-shi|"Kyoto City"}}, as in the Kyoto Tower listing. More informally, particularly on return addresses for in-town mail, the city and ward can be abbreviated to the initial character, with a dot or comma to indicate abbreviation – there are only 11 [[wards of Kyoto]], so this is easily understood. For example, 京都市 ''Kyōto-shi'' is abbreviated to 京、 ''Kyō–'' and 下京区 ''Shimogyō-ku'' is abbreviated to 下、''Shimo–''. Combining these (and dropping [[okurigana]]), one may abbreviate the address of Kyoto Tower to:
:〒600-8216
:京、下、烏丸七条下
:''Karasuma-Shichijō-sagaru, Shimo–, Kyō–, 600-8216''