Kyōto Station Explained

is a major railway station and transportation hub in Kyōto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest station building (after Nagoya Station) and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof. It also housed the Kyōto City Air Terminal until August 31, 2002.

Lines

Kyoto Station is served by the following railway lines:

• • • • • • (Tōkaidō Main Line)
  • (Tōkaidō Main Line)

In addition to the lines above, the following lines, among others, have through services to Kyoto Station:

• JR West

JR West/JR Central

Layout

The station has a side platform and four island platforms serving eight tracks for the Tokaido Line (Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line) and Kosei Line at ground level, three dead-end platforms serving four tracks for the Sanin Line (Sagano Line) to the west of platform 0 at ground level, and two dead-end platforms serving 3 tracks to the south of platform 7 at ground level. Two island platforms serving four tracks for the Shinkansen are elevated, above the platforms for the Kintetsu Kyoto Line.

0	■Hokuriku Line limited express trains	for Tsuruga and transfer to Hokuriku Shinkansen
■Tokaido Line, Chuo Line, Takayama Line limited express trains	for,, and
■Biwako Line	part of special rapid trains for Kusatsu and Maibara on weekday mornings
■Kosei Line	part of special rapid trains for Katata and Ōmi-Imazu on weekday mornings
■Kusatsu Line	for and (evening, night)
2, 3	■Biwako Line	for and
■Kosei Line	for and
4, 5	■JR Kyoto Line	for and
6, 7	■Kinokuni Line limited express trains Kuroshio	for and
■Chizu Express Line limited express trains Super Hakuto	for and
■Kansai Airport Line limited express trains Haruka	from Maibara and Kusatsu for
■limited express trains from the Hokuriku Line, Tokaido Line	for Osaka
■JR Kyoto Line	rapid trains and special rapid trains for Osaka and Sannomiya in the morning
8, 9, 10	■	for and
30	■Kansai Airport Line limited express trains Haruka	for
■Sagano-Sanin Line limited express trains (partly)	for Fukuchiyama, Kinosaki Onsen, Higashi-Maizuru, and Amanohashidate
31	■Sagano-Sanin Main Line limited express trains	for,,, and
■Sagano-Sanin Line	part of trains for Kameoka, Sonobe, and Fukuchiyama
32, 33	■Sagano-Sanin Line	local trains and rapid trains for,, and
34	■ Disembarking only for trains at platform 33
11, 12	■Tōkaidō Shinkansen	for and
13, 14	■Tōkaidō Shinkansen	for and

Hachijō side (South)
	Nara Line to Uji and Nara
valign=middle rowspan=3	Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line) to Maibara, Nagoya and Tokyo Kosei Line to Omi-Imazu and Tsuruga	valign=middle rowspan=3		valign=bottom	Freight Line to Kyoto Freight Station
valign=middle	Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyōto Line) to Ōsaka and Kōbe
valign=top	San'in Main Line (Sagano Line) to Fukuchiyama
	Karasuma Side (North)

Limited express trains

for the Hokuriku Line

• limited express Thunderbird: Osaka - Tsuruga

for the Tokaido Line, and the Takayama Line

• limited express Hida: Osaka -
• limited express Rakuraku Biwako: Osaka - Maibara

for the Sanin region via the Chizu Express Chizu Line

• limited express Super Hakuto: Kyoto - Tottori, Kurayoshi

for the Hanwa Line, Kansai Airport Line and the Kinokuni Line

• Kansai Airport limited express Haruka: Maibara, Kyoto - Kansai Airport
• limited express Kuroshio: Kyoto, Shin-Osaka - Shirahama, Shingu

for the Sanin Line, the Maizuru Line and the Kitakinki Tango Railway lines

• limited express Kinosaki: Kyoto -,,
• limited express Hashidate: Kyoto -,, Toyooka
• limited express Maizuru: Kyoto -

Adjacent stations

Kintetsu

Layout

The station has three levels. Four dead-end platforms serving four tracks are located on the second floor. The 1st floor is a shopping street and the 3rd floor is the platforms for the Shinkansen (JR Central).

1, 2	■Limited express trains	for,,
1～4	■Local trains and express trains	for,,,,,

Adjacent stations

Kyoto City Subway

Layout

The station consists of one underground island platform serving two tracks.

1	■	for, and
2		for,,

History

The governmental railway from reached Kyoto on 5 September 1876, but the station was under construction and a temporary facility called Ōmiya-dōri (Ōmiya Street) Temporary Station was used until the opening of the main station. The first Kyoto Station opened for service by decree of Emperor Meiji on 5 February 1877.

In 1889, the railway became a part of the trunk line to Tokyo (Tokaido Main Line). Subsequently, the station became the terminal of two private railways, Nara Railway (1895, present-day Nara Line) and Kyoto Railway (1897, present-day Sagano Line), that connected the station with southern and northern regions of Kyoto Prefecture, respectively.^[4]

The station was replaced by a newer, Renaissance-inspired facility in 1914, which featured a broad square (the site of demolished first station) leading from the station to Shichijō Avenue. Before and during World War II, the square was often used by imperial motorcades when Emperor Showa traveled between Kyoto and Tokyo. The station was spacious and designed to handle a large number of people, but when a few thousand people gathered to bid farewell to naval recruits on 8 January 1934, 77 people were crushed to death. This station burned to the ground in 1950, and was replaced by a more utilitarian concrete facility in 1952.

Aside from the main building on the north side of the station, the Hachijō-guchi building on the south side was built to house Tokaido Shinkansen which started operation in 1964. The underground facilities of the station, including the shopping mall Porta beneath the station square, were constructed when the subway opened in 1981.

The current Kyoto Station was designed by architect Hiroshi Hara, and it opened in 1997 which commemorated Kyoto's 1,200th anniversary. It is 70 meters high and 470 meters from east to west, with a total floor area of 238,000 square meters. Architecturally, it exhibits many characteristics of futurism, with a slightly irregular cubic façade of plate glass over a steel frame.https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3922.html During the mid-1990s, Kyoto was one of the least modern cities in Japan by virtue of its many cultural heritage sites, so locals were largely reluctant to accept such an ambitious structure. However, the station's completion began a wave of new high-rise developments in Kyoto that culminated in the 20-story Kyocera Building.

Station numbers were introduced to the JR Lines in March 2018.^{[5] [6]} Kyoto Station was assigned:

• JR-A31 for the Tokaido Main Line
• JR-B31 for the Kosei Line
• JR-E01 for the San'in Main Line
• JR-D01 for the Nara Line

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the JR West part of the station was used by an average of 200,426 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), making it the second busiest JR West station after .^[7] The Kyoto City Subway station was used by an average of 123,360 passengers daily (in fiscal 2016).^[8]

Annual passengers traffic by operator! Year !! JR West
(Boarding) !! JR Central
(Boarding) !! Kintetsu
(Total) !! Subway
(Total)

1908	2,255,334
2000	60,120,000	12,101,000	43,666,000	38,422,000
2005	64,388,000	11,286,000	39,607,000	38,582,000
2010	67,056,000	11,580,000	37,818,000	38,605,000
2015	73,216,000	13,566,000	37,224,000	44,459,000

Surrounding area

• Shichijō Station (Keihan Main Line)

Karasuma Gate

• Kyoto Station Building
  • JR Kyoto Isetan
  • Kyoto Station Shopping street "The Cube"
  • Hotel Granvia Kyoto
  • Kyoto Gekijo
  • Museum of Art "Eki" Kyoto
• Kyoto Station Underground Mall "Porta"
• Kyoto-Yodobashi
• Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto
• Kyoto Tower
• Higashi Hongan-ji
• Shimogyo-ku General Building
• Campus Plaza Kyoto
• Kyoto Central Post Office
• Omron
• Kyoto Bus Station

Nishinotoin Gate

• Bic Camera JR Kyoto Station (JR Kyoto Station NK Building)

Hachijo Gate

• Hotel Kintetsu Kyoto Station
• Kyoto Avanti
  • Hotel Keihan Kyoto
• Sightseeing Bus Terminal
• Expressway Bus Terminal
• New Miyako Hotel
• To-ji
• ÆON Mall Kyoto
• PHP Institute

Bus terminals

Highway buses

Karasuma Gate

Karasuma Gate Bus Terminal

• Dream / Hiru Tokkyu; For Shinjuku Station and Tokyo Station^[9]
• Harbor Light; For Hon-Atsugi Station, Machida Station, and Yokohama Station^[10]
• Dream Saitama; For Tachikawa Station, Higashi-Yamatoshi Station, Tokorozawa Station, and Ōmiya Station (Saitama)^[11]
• Keihanshin Dream Shizuoka; For Hamamatsu Station, Kakegawa Station, Yaizu, and Shizuoka Station^[12]
• Meishin Highway Bus; For Higashiomi, Taga, Ōgaki, and Nagoya Station^[13]
• Hokurikudo Hiru Tokkyu Osaka / Hokuriku Dream Osaka; For Fukui, Komatsu, Kanazawa Station and Toyama Station^[14]
• Seishun Dream Shinshu; For Nagano Station, Sakaki, Ueda Station, Tōmi, and Sakudaira Station^[15]
• Wakasa Maizuru Express Kyoto; For Nishi-Maizuru Station, Higashi-Maizuru Station, and Obama Station^[16]
• For Miyazu Station, Amanohashidate Station, Amino Station, and Taiza^[17]
• Tsuyama Express Kyoto; For Katō, Kasai, Shisō, Mimasaka, Shōō, and Tsuyama Station^[18]
• Miyako Liner; For Fukuyama Station and Onomichi Station^[19]
• Kyoto Express; For Akaiwa, Okayama Station, and Kurashiki Station^[20]
• Sanyodo Hiru Tokkyu Hiroshima / Seishun Dream Hiroshima; For Hiroshima University, Nakasuji Station, Hiroshima Bus Center, and Hiroshima Station^[21]
• Awa Express Kyoto; For Naruto, Matsushige, and Tokushima Station^[22]
• Takamatsu Express Kyoto; For Higashikagawa, Sanuki, Miki, and Takamatsu Station (Kagawa)^[23]
• Kochi Express; For Kōchi Station, Harimayabashi Station, Kōchi University, and Susaki Station^[24]
• Izumo no Okuni / Izumo Express Kyoto; For Matsue Station, Shinji, and Izumoshi Station^[25]
• Tottori Express Kyoto; For Chizu and Tottori Station^[26]
• Yonago Express Kyoto; For Yonago Station^[27]

Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto bus stop

• Alpen Nagano; For Omi, Chikuma, and Nagano Station^[28]
• Alpen Matsumoto; For Okaya Station, Shiojiri, and Matsumoto Bus Terminal(Matsumoto Station)^[29]
• Alpen Suwa; For Okaya Station, Kami-Suwa Station, and Chino Station^[30]
• Sawayaka Shinshu; For Kamikōchi^[31]
• Okesa; For Sanjō-Tsubame, Katahigashi, and Nigata Station^[32]
• For Tonami Station, and Toyama Station^[33]
• Kyoto Osaka Liner; For Yoshida, Yaizu, Shin-Shizuoka Station, and Shimizu Station^[34]

Hachijo Gate

Hotel Keihan Kyoto bus stops

• Airport Limousine; For Kansai International Airport
• Airport Limousine; For Osaka International Airport
• Tokyo Midnight Express Kyoto; For Shibuya Station and Shinjuku Station
• For Keisei Ueno Station, Asakusa(Kaminarimon), Tokyo Skytree, Nishi-Funabashi Station, Tokyo Disney Resort, Kaihin-Makuhari Station, Chiba Station and Kamatori Station
• Moonlight; For Kokura Station, Hakata Station, and Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station
• For Tsuchiyama and Kintetsu Yokkaichi Station
• For Tsuchiyama, Seki, and Tsu Station
• Kyoto Express; For Kawauchi I.C., Okaido Station, and Matsuyama City Station
• For Kōchi Station, and Harimayabashi Station

Hachijo-Dori Street north side (Kintetsu Bus)

• Arcadia; For KaminoyamaYandamagata Station
• Forest; For Sendai Station (Miyagi)
• Galaxy; For Nishigō, Sukagawa, Kōriyama Station, Nihonmatsu, and Fukushima Station
• Tochinoki; For Kuki Station, Tochigi Station, Kanuma, and Utsunomiya Station
• Seagull; For Hitachi, Takahagi Station, Isohara Station, and Iwaki Station
• Yokappe; For Tsukuba Station, Tsuchiura Station, Ishioka, and Mito Station
• Flying Liner; For Yokohama Station, Tokyo Station, Ueno Station, and Asakusa Station
• Fujiyama Liner; For Higashi-Shizuoka Station, Fuji Station, Fujinomiya Station, Taiseki-ji, Fuji-Q Highland, Kawaguchiko Station and Fujisan Station
• Kintaro; For Shin-Fuji Station, Numazu Station, Mishima Station, Gotemba Station, Shin-Matsuda Station, and Odawara Station
• Crystal Liner; For Hokuto, Nirasaki Station, Ryūō Station, and Kōfu Station
• Chikumagawa Liner; For Chikuma, Sakaki, Ueda Station, Tōmi, Sakudaira Station, and Karuizawa Station
• West Liner; For Gujō and Takayama Station
• Karst; For Ōtake, Iwakuni, Shūnan, Tokuyama Station, Hōfu Station, Yamaguchi, Mitō, and Hagi
• Shimanto Blue Liner; For Kubokawa Station, Tosa-Saga Station, Nakamura Station, and Sukumo Station
• Holland; For Ōmura, Isahaya, Nagasaki Station, and Nagasaki Shinchi Terminal
• Sunrise / Aso☆Kuma; For Kumamoto Bus Terminal and Kumamoto Station
• Ohisama; For Ebino, Kobayashi, Miyakonojō, and Miyazaki Station

Hachijo-Dori Street south side (Kintetsu Bus and Nankai Bus)

This bus stop is in front of Nippon Rent-A- Car Kyoto Station East Exit Office.

• Silk Liner; For Saitama-Shintoshin Station, Ashikagashi Station, Ōta Station, Kiryū Station, Isesaki Station, Takasaki Station, and Maebashi Station
• Southern Cross; For Akihabara Station, Yotsukaidō Station, Tomisato, Keisei Narita Station, Narita International Airport, Sawara Station, and Chōshi Station
• Dream Wakayama; For Shinjuku Station, Tokyo Station, and Shin-Kiba Station
• Let's Go; For Hashimoto Station, Akishima Station, Tachikawa Station, and Tamagawa-Jōsui Station
• Southern Cross; For Odawara Station, Fujisawa Station, Kamakura Station, Ōfuna Station, and Totsuka Station
• Southern Cross; For Nagano Station, Suzaka Station, Shinshu-Nakano Station, Iiyama Station, and Yudanaka Station
• Southern Cross; For Kashiwazaki Station, Nagaoka Station, and Higashi-Sanjō Station
• Honokuni; For Toyokawa Station and Toyohashi Station
• For Yao Station and Kyūhōji Station
• Shirahama Blue Sky; For Inami, Haya Station, Kii-Tanabe Station, and Shirahama
• SORIN; For Nakatsu Station, Usa, Beppu, and Ōita Station

Hachijo-Dori Street south side (Osaka Bus)

• Kyoto Tokkyu New Star; For Nagata Station and Fuse Station
• Tokyo Tokkyu New Star; For Tokyo Station, Akihabara Station, and Ōji Station

In media

In , the final battle takes place in Kyoto Station.

Parts of the 2003 film Lost in Translation were filmed on Kyoto Station's Shinkansen platforms.^[35]

See also

• List of railway stations in Japan

External links

• - Kyoto Station Building Development
• Station map by West Japan Railway
• Station map by Central Japan Railway Company
• Station map by Kintetsu Corporation
• Station map by City of Kyoto

Notes and References

1. Book: ja:第8章 都市施設 . Chapter 8: Urban facilities . ja:京都市統計書 . Statistics of Kyoto City . http://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/sogo/toukei/Publish/YearBook/index.html . ja . City of Kyoto.
2. Web site: Fact Sheets . Central Japan Railway Company . December 24, 2017 .
3. Web site: 産業交通水道委員会資料 陳情第81号. Kyoto City Assembly. 25 October 2017. ja.
4. Ishino, supra, pp. 298, 351
5. Web site: 20 July 2016 . 近畿エリアの12路線 のべ300駅に「駅ナンバー」を導入します！ . "Station numbers" will be introduced at a total of 300 stations on 12 lines in the Kinki area! . https://web.archive.org/web/20221116010608/https://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/2016/07/page_8973.html . 16 November 2022 . 30 December 2022 . westjr.co.jp . ja.
6. Web site: 20 July 2016 . 「駅ナンバー」一覧表 . "Station number" list . https://web.archive.org/web/20221116010610/https://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/items/160720_01_ekinumber.pdf . 16 November 2022 . 30 December 2022 . westjr.co.jp . ja.
7. Web site: https://www.westjr.co.jp/company/info/issue/data/pdf/data2017_11.pdf. ja: データで見るJR西日本 . JR West viewed through data . West Japan Railway Company. 2017. Japan. ja. 18 December 2017.
8. Web site: ja: 産業交通水道委員会資料 陳情第81号. http://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/shikai/img/iinkai/sangyokousui/H29/data/291025koutsu-chinjo1.pdf. Kyoto City Assembly. 25 October 2017. Japan. ja. 18 December 2017.
9. Web site: デジタル時刻表 ジェイアールバス関東. time.jrbuskanto.co.jp. 2016-02-07. JR Bus Kanto. ja.
10. Web site: 高速バス検索. 高速バス・夜行バスの格安バスプランならJRバス. 2016-02-07. JR Bus Group. ja.
11. Web site: 西武バス. www.seibubus.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Seibu Bus.
12. Web site: 【夜行】静岡・浜松⇔京都・大阪・神戸｜おすすめバス路線｜JR東海バス. www01.jrtbinm.co.jp. 2016-02-07. JR Tokai Bus. ja.
13. Web site: 名古屋⇔京都｜おすすめバス路線｜JR東海バス. www01.jrtbinm.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
14. Web site: 高速バス検索. 2016-02-07. JR Bus Group.
15. Web site: デジタル時刻表 ジェイアールバス関東. time.jrbuskanto.co.jp. 2016-02-07. JR Bus Kanto. ja.
16. Web site: 京都交通株式会社: 高速バス: 小浜・舞鶴～京都駅 若狭舞鶴エクスプレス京都号. www.kyotokotsu.jp. 2016-02-07. Kyoto Kotsu. ja.
17. Web site: 丹後海陸交通 高速バス. www.tankai.jp. 2016-02-07. Tango Kairiku Kotsu. ja.
18. Web site: 高速バス 津山-京都線｜神姫高速バス情報サイト. www.shinkibus.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Shinki Bus. ja.
19. Web site: 高速バス みやこライナー 京都⇔福山・尾道 京阪京都交通公式ホームページ. www.keihankyotokotsu.jp. 2016-02-07. Keihan Kyoto Kotsu. ja. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160312222426/http://keihankyotokotsu.jp/highway/onomichi.html. 2016-03-12.
20. Web site: 高速バス 京都エクスプレス 京阪京都交通公式ホームページ. www.keihankyotokotsu.jp. 2016-02-07. Keihan Kyoto Kotsu. ja.
21. Web site: 路線詳細｜高速バス｜中国ジェイアールバス株式会社. www.chugoku-jrbus.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Chugoku JR Bus. ja.
22. Web site: 阿波エクスプレス 京都号 [徳島-京都間]｜ジェイアール四国バス]. www.jr-shikoku.co.jp. 2016-02-07. JR Shikoku Bus. ja.
23. Web site: 高松エクスプレス京都号 [高松-京都間]｜ジェイアール四国バス]. www.jr-shikoku.co.jp. 2016-02-07. JR Shikoku Bus. ja.
24. Web site: 高知エクスプレス号 [神戸・大阪・京都]｜ジェイアール四国バス]. www.jr-shikoku.co.jp. 2016-02-07. JR Shikoku Bus. ja.
25. Web site: 一畑バス株式会社：高速乗合バス（路線バス）【東京・京都・大阪・岡山・広島】. www.ichibata.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Ichibata Bus. ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20160128180640/http://www.ichibata.co.jp/bus/highway/kyoto.html. 2016-01-28. dead.
26. Web site: 日交高速バス｜ 鳥取～京都線. www.nihonkotsu.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Nihon Kotsu. ja.
27. Web site: 日交高速バス｜ 米子～京都線. www.nihonkotsu.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Nihon Kotsu. ja.
28. Web site: 高速バス長野－京都・大阪線. www.alpico.co.jp. 2016-02-07. Alpico Kotsu. ja.
29. Web site: 高速バス松本－京都・大阪線. www.alpico.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
30. Web site: 高速バス茅野・諏訪－大阪線. www.alpico.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
31. Web site: 上高地～大阪・京都線 《公式》さわやか信州号. sawayaka.alpico.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
32. Web site: 大阪・京都 - 新潟（路線概要）｜阪急バス 高速バスホームページ. bus.hankyu.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
33. Web site: 大阪・京都 - 富山（路線概要）｜阪急バス 高速バスホームページ. bus.hankyu.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
34. Web site: 静岡大阪線（京都大阪ライナー） - 高速乗合バス - しずてつジャストライン. www.justline.co.jp. 2016-02-07.
35. Web site: Filming Locations in Kyoto .