Introduction to: Kyoto

This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Edit 4 April 2018: Updated prices on the bus and subway passes.
Edit 15 June 2018: Added excursions.
Edit 26 September 2018: Replaced pictures for #2, 8, 9, and 14.
Edit 7 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Kyoto (京都, Kyōto, lit. 'capital city') is the ninth-largest city in Japan by population, and the former Imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years, from AD 794 to 1868.  It possesses a wealth of shrines, temples, and other historic and cultural treasures, so much so that the city was awarded the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.  Many of its historic buildings have lasted to this day because the city was not made a target by air raids during WWII, even being removed from the list of targets for the atomic bomb.  Today, Kyoto features on many tourists' itineraries, and with good reason, as there is so much to see and do!  So much, in fact, that I've listed a whopping 14 attractions below, and even then there are some things I've left out!  But no matter, let's get to it.

Main Attractions

The central concourse of Kyoto Station.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

1) Kyoto Station: A modern railway station rebuilt in 1997, with multiple shopping malls attached.

A lineup of trains in the Kyoto Railway Museum's main hall.
Taken on Monday, 14 May 2018.

2) Kyoto Railway Museum: A newly-opened train museum with a steam locomotive roundabout on site.

A section of the "Senbon-torii" trails behind Fushimi-Inari Shrine.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

3) Fushimi-Inari Shrine: A Shinto shrine with long, torii-lined trails behind it.

Sanjusangen-do, the main hall of Rengeo-in temple.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

4) Sanjusangen-do: A long wooden temple building housing a thousand statues of the Buddhist goddess Kannon.

The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera, before the start of renovation works in 2017.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

5) Kiyomizu Temple: A Buddhist temple built atop a large wooden platform.

The Sannen-zaka stairway in Higashiyama.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

6) Higashiyama: A charming historic neighbourhood in the east of the city.

A restaurant along Hanamikoji-dori.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

7) Gion District: A district with high-end restaurants and teahouses in preserved buildings, and a centre for geisha.

Cherry trees along both sides of the canal.
By Reggaeman (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

8) Philosopher's Walk: A long walkway along a canal, lined with cherry trees and a handful of temples.

The Shishin-den, or Hall of State Ceremonies.
By Saigen Jiro [CC0], from Wikimedia Commons

9) Kyoto Imperial Palace: The former home of the Imperial family, nestled within a large public park.

The courtyard of Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Taken on Friday, 18 November 2016.

10) Kyoto International Manga Museum: A museum all about Japanese comic books.

The Ninomaru palace of Nijo Castle
Taken in May 2010.

11) Nijo Castle: A castle formerly inhabited by the Tokugawa shogun family.

Kinkaku-ji, the golden pavilion of Rokuon-ji temple.
Taken in May 2010.

12) Kinkaku-ji Temple: A Zen Buddhist temple with a gold-coated main hall.

The rock garden of Ryoan-ji.
Didier Moïse [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

13) Ryoan-ji Temple: A Zen Buddhist temple with a famous rock garden.

The Togetsu-kyo bridge in Arashiyama.
Taken on Monday, 14 May 2018.

14) Arashiyama: A district in the west with unique sights, such as a famous bridge, various temples, a bamboo grove, and a monkey park.

Orientation

Kyoto's streets are arranged in a grid layout, and unlike in most Japanese cities, most roads are named, and east-west streets are numbered; for example, "Shijo-dori" means "4th Avenue".  The main station, Kyoto Station, lies in the south-centre of the city.  It serves the Tokaido Shinkansen and other JR lines, the Karasuma (K) subway line, and the Kintetsu Kyoto (B) line.

The following railway companies operate in the Kyoto area:

• JR Central operates the high-speed Tokaido Shinkansen.  All services (Kodama, Hikari, and Nozomi) stop here.
• JR West operates local lines in the area, including the Biwako / Kyoto (A) lines to the east and west of Kyoto Station, the Nara (D) line to the south, and the Sagano (E) line to the northwest.
• Two subway lines operate in Kyoto.  The Karasuma (K) line runs north-to-south, along Karasuma-dori street, and stops at Kyoto Station.  The Tozai (T) line runs east-to-west and intersects with the Karasuma line.
• Kintetsu operates a dense network of lines throughout the Kansai region.  Their Kyoto (B) line runs southwards from Kyoto Station to Nara.
• Hankyu operates a set of lines connecting major cities in the Kansai region, including Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.  Their Kyoto (HK) line runs east-to-west through the centre of Kyoto.  The Arashiyama branch line serves the western part of Kyoto.
• Keihan operates another line connecting Osaka and Kyoto.  Their main line (KH) runs north-to-south along the east side of the city.
• The Keifuku Electric Railway, or Randen, is a pair of tram lines serving the western suburbs.  It consists of the Arashiyama (A) main line and the Kitano (B) branch line.
• The Eizan (E) lines start where the Keihan line ends, and provide access to northeastern areas such as Mount Hiei and Kurama.

The Japan Rail Pass is valid all JR lines, including the Tokaido Shinkansen (except for Nozomi trains).  JR West also offers a variety of regional passes covering their network, but they do not cover the Tokaido Shinkansen, which is owned by JR Central.  Conversely, all non-JR lines in the area, in addition to buses in Kyoto, are covered by the Kansai Thru Pass.  More information: (English)

The various rail lines across Kyoto are not always close to tourist attractions, or each other, so to fill in the gaps, the city has a dense network of bus routes.  Bus fare is a flat rate of ¥230 per ride within most of the city.  A one-day pass for unlimited bus rides is available for ¥600, and can be purchased from vending machines at certain stops, or if supplies last, on board the buses themselves.  More information: (English)  There is also a one-day pass for the two subway lines (¥600), as well as the Kyoto Sightseeing Card, which covers both buses and subways, and costs ¥900 for one day or ¥1,700 for two days.  More information: (English)  However, buses can be subject to traffic delays, so if you are able to take a train or subway to your destination, it may be faster.  Other options for getting around include hiring taxis (starting at ¥650 for 2 kilometres) or renting bicycles (usually ¥1,000-1,500 per day).

Access

The fastest way to get to Kyoto from other cities in Japan is by the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed train.  All three Tokaido services stop at Kyoto Station.  Travel times and fares from major cities on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen are as follows:

City	Time (Kodama)	Time (Hikari/Sakura)	Time (Nozomi)	Fare (Reserved)
Tokyo	220 minutes	160 minutes	135 minutes	¥13,600
Nagoya	50 minutes	35-50 minutes	35 minutes	¥5,700
Osaka (Shin-Osaka)	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	¥2,860
Hiroshima	195 minutes*	110 minutes*	95 minutes	¥11,300
Fukuoka (Hakata)	255 minutes*	180 minutes*	165 minutes	¥15,930

*Selected trains require a transfer at Shin-Osaka Station.
Times and fares are based on October 2019 schedules and are subject to change.

If you are coming in from other cities in the Kansai region and do not wish to spend extra on Shinkansen fare, there are a variety of regular train services you can take instead.  Of JR West's services, Special Rapid trains are both the fastest and cheapest, but this often means they get more crowded.  If you have one of the JR West area passes (which cover normal and express trains between Kansai's cities, but not the Tokaido Shinkansen), you may want to consider taking one of the many limited express trains that cover this route, including the Haruka, Thunderbird, and so on.  They take roughly the same amount of time as Special Rapid trains, but because of their price, they should be less crowded.

From Osaka, the Hankyu and Keihan lines are slower than their JR alternatives, but also cheaper.  They do not stop at Kyoto Station, instead passing through other parts of the city, but this may be an advantage depending on where in Kyoto you are going to.  From Nara, meanwhile, the Kintetsu line is often cheaper and faster than the JR alternative.  On top of that, Kintetsu's station in Nara is closer to most of the city's main attractions.  However, some services require a brief transfer at Yamato-Saidaiji Station, just two stops away from Kintetsu-Nara.

Line	Service	Start Station	End Station	Time	Fare
From Osaka
JR Kyoto (A)	Limited Express	Osaka	Kyoto	30 minutes	¥1,760*
	Special Rapid				¥570
Hankyu Kyoto (HK)	Limited Express	Umeda	Karasuma	45 minutes	¥400
Keihan Main (KH)	Limited Express	Yodoyabashi	Sanjo	50 minutes	¥420
From Kobe
JR Kobe (A)	Limited Express	Sannomiya	Kyoto	50 minutes	¥2,620*
	Special Rapid				¥1,100
From Nara
JR Nara (D)	Miyakoji Rapid	Nara	Kyoto	45 minutes	¥720
	Local			60 minutes
Kintetsu Kyoto (B)	Limited Express	Kintetsu-Nara	Kyoto	35 minutes**	¥1,160*
	Rapid Express			45 minutes**	¥640

*Fare for reserved seating.
**Most trains require a transfer at Yamato-Saidaiji Station.
Times and fares are based on June 2018 schedules and are subject to change.

Excursions

1) Osaka: Japan's "second city", the commercial and culinary centre of the Kansai region.
Access: See above tables.

2) Nara: Another of Japan's former capitals, with even more historic shrines and temples, including Todai-ji and its giant Buddha statue.
Access: See above tables.

3) Uji: A town famous for tea cultivation and the "Phoenix Hall" Buddhist temple.
Access: JR Uji line from Kyoto to Uji Station (20-30 minutes, ¥240, JR Pass OK).

4) Iga-Ueno: One of the historic home bases of the ninja, along with Koka.
Access: JR Nara line from Kyoto to Kizu Station (40 minutes), then the JR Kansai line to Iga-Ueno (50 minutes w/ 1 transfer, total ¥1,170, JR Pass OK), then the Iga Railway to Ueno-shi (7 minutes, ¥260).

5) Koka: One of the historic home bases of the ninja, along with Iga-Ueno.
Access: JR Biwako line from Kyoto to Kusatsu Station (20 minutes), then the JR Kusatsu line to Konan (30 minutes, total ¥860, JR Pass OK).

6) Hikone: A lakeside town with one of Japan's twelve original castles.
Access: JR Biwako line from Kyoto to Hikone Station (50 minutes, ¥1,170, JR Pass OK).

7) Amanohashidate: A huge, pine-covered sandbar that is considered one of Japan's three most scenic sites.
Access: JR Hashidate limited express from Kyoto to Amanohashidate Station (130 minutes, ¥4,790 reserved, JR Pass OK*).
*Since the Hashidate train uses non-JR tracks, JR Pass holders must pay an extra ¥1,750 (reserved) to use this train.