For many, Kyoto Station is the first thing that you will see when you reach Kyoto. A futuristic, elaborate building, it's the last you'll see of its kind in this city, so enjoy it.
Kyoto Station, in the south area of the city, is the main JR station where you will find the Bullet Train ... Read review
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Advantages: Excellent view of Kyoto, including the Tower! Good change from all the temples... Disadvantages: Sticks out amongst 'traditional' surroundings, shops aren't anything special
For many, Kyoto Station is the first thing that you will see when you reach Kyoto. A futuristic, elaborate building, it's the last you'll see of its kind in this city, so enjoy it.
Kyoto Station, in the south area of the city, is the main JR station where you will find the Bullet Train ('shinkansen') and trains out of the city, as well as to other areas within Kyoto.
(Note: If you are here to travel, unless you have ... ...a visit though, built opposite Kyoto Tower, which offers a view of the city for a price, you can get just as good a view (and including the Tower too!) for free from the Station.
On entering, you will find that the ground floor is dedicated to actual rail travel - buying tickets, etc, but once you head up the escalators on either side, you reach restaurants, a bandstand, and a couple of 'gardens' with sculptures, a bell, etc. Heading ... more
For many, Kyoto Station is the first thing that you will see when you reach Kyoto. A futuristic, elaborate building, it's the last you'll see of its kind in this city, so enjoy it.
Kyoto Station, in the south area of the city, is the main JR station where you will find the Bullet Train ('shinkansen') and trains out of the city, as well as to other areas within Kyoto.
(Note: If you are here to travel, unless you have a pass, it's well worth checking that you can't reach your destination via another rail network that isn't JR, e.g. Kyoto-Osaka with JR costs around 800 yen, with Hankyu it's a mere 390 yen).)
The building itself is worth a visit though, built opposite Kyoto Tower, which offers a view of the city for a price, you can get just as good a view (and including the Tower too!) for free from the Station.
On entering, you will find that the ground floor is dedicated to actual rail travel - buying tickets, etc, but once you head up the escalators on either side, you reach restaurants, a bandstand, and a couple of 'gardens' with sculptures, a bell, etc. Heading up either side leads to interesting areas to discover, then once you've reached the top, walk across the 'Skyway' to the other side, see what there is to see, and head back down.
This 'Skyway' is a long suspended walkway over the top of the station, and offers brilliant views along the way. Also worth checking out is the view from the Sky Garden and Bamboo Terrace.
Heading down to the basement floor, don't miss the famous 'Phoenix Clock', an astonishingly pretty monument to Osamu Tezuka, often hailed as the country's most famous manga artist.
Once you've tired of wandering around and enjoying the view, you can enter one of the shopping malls - in the basement there are two, The Cube and Porta, where you can find restaurants, 'high street' (mostly womens) clothing, and other stores, and all the way up the side of the building is an upmarket department store. There are also a few more floors of restaurants, and a tourist information bureau to be found in here.
All in all, Kyoto Station is definitely worth a visit - the shops are nothing special but you are bound to find something you like among the restaurants, and the structure itself is quite impressive, along with the views. It is of course very easy to access, being a station, and is free to wander around. If you are afraid of heights then the escalators may be a bit unsettling, but apart from that it's an interesting way to spend a couple of hours in Kyoto!
Advantages: Cheap area, gorgeous attractions and temples, good for short visits! Disadvantages: Limited activity so best for -5 day visits.
I visited Japan at the end of this July, and have only just returned. I must say it was the holiday of a lifetime. Flights cost £900 each via British Airways.
We visited Kyoto for 3 days. We got there via Shinkansen from Tokyo, and stayed at the New Miyako hotel, just over the road from Kyotostation.
Kyoto was absolutely gorgeous and very easy to navigate around. You can get just about anywhere you want to from KyotoStation. There are buses, subway trains etc. 220 yen is all you need for a bus ride to anywhere along the Kyoto bus lines. That works out at around £1. You just hop on the bus and pay when you get off.
We visited Toei movie land which was a bit of a dissapointment. www.eigamura30.com. Looking at brochures we expected amazing movie scenes etc but it left a lot to be desired. A lot of it was shut off, and most ...
Jellypigs 18.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kyoto (Japan)
Advantages: Location Disadvantages: Lack of character
I stayed in Kyoto Dai-Ni Tower Hotel, Kyoto, last Christmas with my partner for 2nights. Its one of the Tower Hotel group. Tower Hotel is the main one located in front of Kyotostation, the hotel attract visitor for its tower view around Kyoto and public bath facility. If you stay in one of their hotel you get free ticket to the Kyoto Tower and Discount coupon for bath. Dai-Ni Tower is just around the corner virtually 2min walk from station and Its slightly cheaper than the main one. If you want to stay in Kyoto for a few days and trying to see all the main temples and main tourist place with guided bus tours leaving from KyotoStation this hotel is convenient. Most of the tour leaves pretty early in the morning so you don't want rushing around Kyoto using underground to get back to the main station in morning hour. Even if you decided ...
Advantages: great history Disadvantages: can get crowded
Kyoto is a must for anyone visiting japan, along with Tokyo. Whereas Tokyo is the modern, vibrant japan, Kyoto is the old Japan. Kyoto is easy to find your way around, as all the underground stations have the signs written in English. The main attractions are the gold and silver temples. The gold temple is stunning - a two story building completley covered in gold leaf. The nice thing about the temples is that they are all set in their own tranquil gardens, where you can easily pass the time watching the world go by. Be warned, however, that the tourist sites in Kyoto can get very crowded, especially with partied of school children. Be prepared also for them to want to take your photo! As with all of Japan, accommodation in Kyoto is expensive. Eating out is OK, but make sure you try the Japanese food and don't just stick to ...
moraghewat 27.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Kyoto (Japan)
