Kyōto Station

Kyōto Station 京都駅
Kyoto Station Building (Karasuma side)
Location
Prefecture	Kyoto (See other stations in Kyoto)
City	Kyoto
Ward	Shimogyo
(in Japanese)	京都市下京区
Rail services
Operator(s)	JR West, JR Central, Kintetsu, Kyoto Municipal Subway
Major bus terminal(s) attached to the station

Kyōto Station (京都駅, Kyōto-eki) is a major railway station and transportation hub in Kyoto, 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 Kyoto City Air Terminal until August 31, 2002.

History

The first Kyōto Station

The second Kyōto Station

The third Kyōto Station

The governmental railway from Kōbe reached Kyoto on September 5, 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 Kyōto Station opened for service by decree of Emperor Meiji on February 5, 1877.^[1]

In 1889, the railway became a part of the trunk line to Tokyo (Tōkaidō 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.^[2]

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 January 8, 1934, 77 people were crushed to death.^[3] This station burned to the ground in 1950 and was replaced by a more utilitarian concrete facility in 1952.

The current Kyōto Station opened in 1997, commemorating 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. The architect was Hiroshi Hara.

Kyoto, one of the least modern cities in Japan by virtue of its many cultural heritage sites, was largely reluctant to accept such an ambitious structure in the mid-1990s: The station's completion began a wave of new high-rise developments in the city that culminated in the 20-story Kyocera Building. Hence some criticize the station's design for taking part in breaking down the traditional cityscape.

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

Lines

Kyōto Station is served by the following railway lines:

• Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)
  • Tōkaidō Shinkansen
• West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line and JR Kyoto Line)
  • San'in Main Line (Sagano Line)
  • Nara Line
• Kintetsu
  • Kyoto Line
• Kyoto Municipal Subway
  • Karasuma Line

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

• JR West
  • Kosei Line
  • Kusatsu Line

JR West / JR Central

JR
Kyōto Station 京都駅
Hachijō-side building of Kyōto station
Location
Prefecture	Kyoto
City	Kyoto
Ward	Shimogyō
Neighborhood etc.	901, Higashi-Shiokōjichō (JR West) 8-3, Higashi-Shiokōji Takakura-chō (JR Central)
Coordinates	34°59′7.65″N 135°45′27.92″E / 34.9854583°N 135.7577556°E / 34.9854583; 135.7577556
Postal code	600-8212 (JR West) 600-8214 (JR Central)
(in Japanese)	京都市下京区東塩小路町901（JR西日本） 京都市下京区東塩小路高倉町8-3（JR東海）
History
Year opened	1877
Rail services
Operator(s)	JR West JR Central
Line(s)	Tōkaidō Shinkansen (JR Central) Tōkaidō Line(Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line), Nara Line, Sanin Line (Sagano Line) (JR West)

Shinkansen tracks

Nara Line tracks

Layout

The station has a side platform and four island platforms serving eight tracks for the Tōkaidō 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.

Track layout of Kyōto Station (JR West area)^[4][5]

	Hachijō side (South)
	Brown (2 tracks): Nara Line to Uji and Nara
Blue (4 tracks): Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line) to Maibara, Nagoya and Tokyo Kosei Line to Omi-Imazu and Tsuruga		Black (1 track): Freight Line to Kyoto Freight Station
		Blue (4 tracks): Tōkaidō Main Line (JR Kyōto Line) to Ōsaka and Kōbe
		Purple (1 track): San'in Main Line (Sagano Line) to Fukuchiyama
	Karasuma Side (North)

Limited express trains

for the Hokuriku Line

• limited express Thunderbird: Osaka - Kanazawa, Toyama, Uozu, Wakura Onsen
• extra limited express Twilight Express: Osaka - Sapporo

for the Tōkaidō Line, the Chūō Line, and the Takayama Line

• limited express Shinano: Osaka - Nagano
• limited express Hida: Osaka - Takayama
• limited express Biwako Express: 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 - Fukuchiyama, Toyooka, Kinosaki Onsen
• limited express Hashidate: Kyoto - Miyazu, Amanohashidate, Toyooka
• limited express Maizuru: Kyoto - Higashi-Maizuru

Adjacent stations

Kintetsu

Kintetsu
Kyōto Station 京都駅
Location
Prefecture	Kyoto
City	Kyoto
Ward	Shimogyō
Neighborhood etc.	31-1, Higashi-Shiokoji Kamadonochō
Coordinates	34°59′4.82″N 135°45′27.05″E / 34.9846722°N 135.7575139°E / 34.9846722; 135.7575139
Postal code	600-8215
(in Japanese)	京都市下京区東塩小路釜殿町31-1
History
Year opened	1928
Rail services
Operator(s)	Kintetsu Corporation
Line(s)	Kyōto Line

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 is the platforms for the Shinkansen (JR Central).

Adjacent stations

Kyoto Municipal Subway

Layout

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

Adjacent stations

Surroundings

• Shichijō Station (Keihan Main Line)

Karasuma Gate

Viewpoint on about the fourth or fifth floor. To the right is the interior of the façade on the north (Karasuma Street) side

• Kyōto Station Building
  • JR Kyōto Isetan
  • Kyoto Station Shopping street "The CUBE"
  • Hotel Granvia Kyoto
  • Kyoto Gekijo
  • Museum of Art "Eki" Kyoto
• Kyōto Station Underground Mall "Porta"
• Kyoto-Yodobashi
  • Yodobashi Camera
  • Fashion Floor
  • Yodobashi The Dining
  • Travel & BookCafe
  • YodoChikaB2F
• 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 Kyōto Station (JR Kyōto 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

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kyoto Station.

• Official site