Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

I remember Kyoto Station from my 2013 Japan Family Trip. It’s huge and unavoidable in Kyoto. The station gives me Centre Pompidou in Paris vibes. 

Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station (京都駅, Kyōto-eki) is the principal railway station and transportation hub of Kyoto. It stands as one of the country’s largest and most striking architectural landmarks, second in size only to Nagoya Station. 

The vast 15-storey complex unites a major train terminal with a shopping mall, department store, hotel, cinema, art museum, theatre, and multiple government and transport facilities under one immense steel-and-glass roof. 

Rising 70 metres high and stretching 470 metres from east to west, the station encompasses a total floor area of 238,000 square metres, symbolising both Kyoto’s modern dynamism and its dialogue with the city’s historical heritage.

The present Kyoto Station was designed by the Japanese architect Hara Hiroshi and inaugurated in September 1997 to mark the 1,200th anniversary of the city’s founding. 

Its bold, futuristic design—dominated by steel beams, glass walls, and sharp geometric forms—was controversial at the time, as many residents felt the vast structure clashed with Kyoto’s traditional cityscape of temples and low wooden buildings. 

Nevertheless, it came to embody a vision of Kyoto that connects past and present. Hara’s concept was to express historical Kyoto through modern architecture: the great atrium, known as the Matrix, evokes both the grid pattern of Kyoto’s ancient streets and the inner framework of the building itself. The design later inspired a wave of contemporary architectural development across the city.

Trains and railway lines

Kyoto Station serves as a comprehensive transport hub integrating Japan Railways (JR West and JR Central), the Kintetsu Railway, and the Kyoto Municipal Subway. 

From here, travellers can board the Tōkaidō Shinkansen for destinations such as Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka; the JR Kyoto Line and Biwako Line for local and regional services; the Nara Line for access to Uji and Nara; and the Sagano Line (San’in Main Line) to northern Kyoto Prefecture and the San’in region. 

Kintetsu Railway trains run south toward Nara and the Ise-Shima region, while the Karasuma Subway Line connects the station to central Kyoto. The building also houses large bus terminals for city buses, sightseeing routes, and long-distance highway services.

Station layout

The station’s two principal entrances are the Karasuma Gate on the north side and the Hachijō Gate on the south. The busier Karasuma side faces downtown Kyoto and Kyoto Tower, while the Hachijō side offers access to hotels, To-ji Temple, and expressway bus services. 

Two tourist information centres are located within the complex: one on the 2nd floor with multilingual assistance and pamphlets, and another on the 9th floor providing international services, English-language information, and free internet access.

Urban (shopping) centre

Beyond its role as a transport nexus, Kyoto Station functions as a vertical urban centre in its own right. The JR Kyoto Isetan department store occupies ten floors of the west wing, offering fashion, food, gifts, and an art museum on the 7th floor, with panoramic restaurants on the 11th. 

Beneath the station, the Porta underground shopping mall links directly to the subway and contains around a hundred shops and eateries. 

The Hotel Granvia Kyoto occupies the upper levels, providing luxury accommodation integrated into the station itself. Additional attractions include the Kyoto Theatre, the Museum of Art ‘Eki’ Kyoto, and the Cube shopping arcade. Visitors can also explore the Skyway, a glass-walled promenade running the length of the building 45 metres above the concourse, or ascend to the open-air observation deck for views across southern Kyoto.

The story of Kyoto Station mirrors Japan’s own evolution through the modern age. 

History

The first Kyoto Station opened on 5 February 1877, constructed in red brick and inaugurated by Emperor Meiji. Known as Shichi-jō Station after the main street it faced, it represented Kyoto’s entry into the industrial era. Rapid growth soon made it inadequate, and in 1914 a grand new Renaissance-style building of cypress wood was completed to coincide with the enthronement of Emperor Taishō. Elegant and spacious, it served as a proud symbol of modern Kyoto until it was destroyed by fire in 1950.

A third station, completed in 1952, replaced it with a utilitarian concrete structure that prioritised practicality over aesthetics. Though efficient, its stark appearance was widely criticised. 

As Kyoto expanded and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Karasuma Subway began operations, debate grew over the need for a new station that would better reflect the city’s stature. After decades of deliberation, a design competition was held in the 1990s, resulting in the selection of Hara Hiroshi’s visionary glass-and-steel concept. Construction took three years and seven months, culminating in the opening of the current building in 1997.

Today

Throughout its history, Kyoto Station has been both a gateway and a stage upon which the city’s identity has been redefined—from the red-brick optimism of the Meiji era, through post-war reconstruction, to the bold futurism of today. 

While its modern architecture still divides opinion, Kyoto Station is now recognised as one of Japan’s most remarkable public buildings, a place where movement, commerce, and culture converge. 

Housing theatres, museums, shops, restaurants, and viewing terraces alongside one of the busiest transport interchanges in the country, it stands not only as the heart of Kyoto’s transportation network but also as a monument to the city’s ongoing reinvention.

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.
17. TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome –  Uniqlo – Muji.
18. PHOTOS | The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei Park.
19. JAPAN | Solo in Tokyo.
20. REVIEW | Brussels Airport The View lounge.
21. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Business Class Brussels to Doha.
22. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Business lounge.
23. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Q-Suite Business Class Doha to Tokyo.
24. REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi.
25. REVIEW | The Railway Museum, Ōmiya, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
26. TOKYO | Imperial Palace East Gardens – Akihabara – Tamiya flagship store – Skytree.
27. JAPAN | Kanazawa Castle – Kenrokuen Garden – Higashi Chaya District.
28. REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi.
29. JAPAN | Road trip to Hida no Sato, Takayama and Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa.
30. OSAKA | Namba Parks – Dōtonbori – Glico Man – Shinsaibashi.
31. REVIEW | Swissôtel Nankai Osaka.
32. Experiencing Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Japan.
33. KANSAI | Osaka Castle ft. Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum.
34. OSAKA | EGDE store – Umeda Sky Building – Grand Front – Namba Parks – Daiso – Luscious.
35. REVIEW | Mazda Museum in Hiroshima.
36. REVIEW | Candeo Hotels Hiroshima Hatchobori.
37. JAPAN | The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum.
38. JAPAN | Himeji Castle.
39. JAPAN | Itsukushima Shrine on Itsukushima aka Miyajima.
40. REVIEW | Miyajima Seaside Hotel.
41. REVIEW | Spending a night in a couples’ or love hotel: ホテルCOO玖 男塾ホテルグループ in Okayama.
42. KYOTO | Nishi Hongan-ji Temple.
43. KYOTO | Nijō Castle.
44. KYOTO | Kamo River – Takase River – Pontochō.
45. REVIEW | Mercure Kyoto Station.
46. REVIEW | Kyoto Railway Museum.