Kyōto Station


Kyōto Station is a major railway station and transportation hub in Kyōto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest station building 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.

Lines

Kyoto Station is served by the following railway lines:
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
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 and Kosei Line at ground level, three dead-end platforms serving four tracks for the Sanin 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.

Limited express trains

;for the Hokuriku Line
;for the Tokaido Line, and the Takayama Line
;for the Sanin region via the Chizu Express Chizu Line
;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

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.

Kyoto City Subway

Layout

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

History

The governmental railway from reached Kyoto on 5 September 1876, but the station was under construction and a temporary facility called Ōmiya-dōri 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. Subsequently, the station became the terminal of two private railways, Nara Railway and Kyoto Railway, that connected the station with southern and northern regions of Kyoto Prefecture, respectively.
The station was replaced by a newer, Renaissance-inspired facility in 1914, which featured a broad square 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. 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.
In addition to traditional rail services, Kyoto Station also housed the Kyōto CAT, a downtown check in, baggage, and train service for some JAL flights operating out of Kansai International Airport. This service was discontinued on August 31, 2002 due to lack of ridership.
Station numbers were introduced to the JR Lines in March 2018. Kyoto Station was assigned:

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the JR West part of the station was used by an average of 200,426 passengers daily, making it the second busiest JR West station after. The Kyoto City Subway station was used by an average of 123,360 passengers daily.
YearJR West
JR Central
Kintetsu
Subway
19082,255,334
200060,120,00012,101,00043,666,00038,422,000
200564,388,00011,286,00039,607,00038,582,000
201067,056,00011,580,00037,818,00038,605,000
201573,216,00013,566,00037,224,00044,459,000

Surrounding area

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

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 StationHarbor Light; For Hon-Atsugi Station, Machida Station, and Yokohama StationDream Saitama; For Tachikawa Station, Higashi-Yamatoshi Station, Tokorozawa Station, and Ōmiya Station (Saitama)Keihanshin Dream Shizuoka; For Hamamatsu Station, Kakegawa Station, Yaizu, and Shizuoka StationMeishin Highway Bus; For Higashiomi, Taga, Ōgaki, and Nagoya StationHokurikudo Hiru Tokkyu Osaka / Hokuriku Dream Osaka; For Fukui, Komatsu, Kanazawa Station and Toyama StationSeishun Dream Shinshu; For Nagano Station, Sakaki, Ueda Station, Tōmi, and Sakudaira StationWakasa Maizuru Express Kyoto; For Nishi-Maizuru Station, Higashi-Maizuru Station, and Obama Station

Hachijo Gate

Hotel Keihan Kyoto bus stops
Airport Limousine; For Kansai International AirportAirport Limousine; For Osaka International AirportTokyo Midnight Express Kyoto; For Shibuya Station and Shinjuku Station
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 StationSouthern Cross; For Akihabara Station, Yotsukaidō Station, Tomisato, Keisei Narita Station, Narita International Airport, Sawara Station, and Chōshi StationDream Wakayama; For Shinjuku Station, Tokyo Station, and Shin-Kiba StationLet's Go; For Hashimoto Station, Akishima Station, Tachikawa Station, and Tamagawa-Jōsui StationSouthern Cross; For Odawara Station, Fujisawa Station, Kamakura Station, Ōfuna Station, and Totsuka StationSouthern Cross; For Nagano Station, Suzaka Station, Shinshu-Nakano Station, Iiyama Station, and Yudanaka StationSouthern Cross; For Kashiwazaki Station, Nagaoka Station, and Higashi-Sanjō StationHonokuni; For Toyokawa Station and Toyohashi Station

In media