Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station, situated in the Shimogyo Shichijo district is the most prominent transportation hub of Japan’s ancient capital. It is one of the largest railway stations in the world and considered to be the most magnificent. The giant glass structure of the Kyoto Station adds grandeur to the city’s landscape.

History

The first Kyoto Station dates back to 1878 when it was opened for service by decree of Emperor Meiji. Later in 1914 it was replaced by a new structure with a broad square running from the station to Shichijo Avenue. Before and during World War II the station square was a popular site for imperial motorcades when Emperor Showa used to travel between Kyoto and Tokyo. The Kyoto Station with huge Rising Sun flags used to be regarded as a familiar image of Japan’s royal era. The great fire in 1952 destroyed the old station completely.

The present building of the Kyoto Station, which represents many features of futurism, created history by bringing an end to the orthodox cityscape Coordinates: 34°59'08. 56"n 135°42'29. 62"e.

The new Kyoto Station building, designed by the renowned artist, Hiroshi Hara was constructed to celebrate the 1,200th anniversary of the foundation of Kyoto as the Heian capital. Initially in the mid 1990s the ancient city Kyoto, was not at all ready to accept such an ambitious structure. However the completion of the new Kyoto Station marked the beginning of a new era of high-rise developments in the city.

Features

- Inaugurated in 1997, the 15-story, glass-plated gray monolith stands in sharp contrast with the city’s traditional theme.

- Kyoto Station incorporates the JR and Kintetsu Lines, the Kyoto Municipal Subway Line and Kyoto City Buses. The station complex with a shopping mall, movie theater, Isetan department store, hotel and many other facilities provided by the local government, offers a wide variety of services under the 15-story roof.
- Its uniquely designed cubic facade, made with glass plates placed over steel frames is a wonderful display of modern architecture.
- The 70 meters high station building stretches 470 meters from east to west and covers a huge floor area of 238,000 square meters.
- The grand staircase of the station with 171 steps remains crowded throughout the day. This staircase hosts some events like live concert, comical dialog etc at every weekend.
- The wonderful play space to the east of the station building adds to its beauty.

The theater on the second floor of the station building is very popular among the local people for its large–sized image and good sound effect.The sky plaza offers a spectacular view of the Kyoto city.

Once you are in Kyoto, the new Kyoto Station building will surely impress you.

Hotels in Kyoto
Hotel Ana	Hotel Tokyu
Hotel Royal	Hotel Righa Royal
Hotel Aranvert	Hotel Court

Book Kyoto hotels now