Excellent view of Kyoto, including the Tower ! Good change from all the temples . . .
Disadvantages:
Sticks out amongst 'traditional' surroundings, shops aren't anything special
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
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!
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