The Kyoto station is absolutely huge. Kind of crazy with all the people going in so many directions. Information booths are there to assist where you want to go. It’s also immaculate. There are no garbage receptacles but there isn’t any littering. Plenty of good shops offering food and wares. Information booths are there for assistance. Very kind and patient help! Interesting, there’s no graffiti either!

Kyoto Station itself is chaotic; and intense; but with fabulous architecture. Escalators that literally travel upwards of 12 levels; and a view from the top, to bottom, which is amazing. Anyhow, even though the hotel was quite close by - it took us about 30 minutes to find it lol. Far too many underground corridors to easily get lost in.

I felt overwhelmed when I got out of my Shinkansen Train here. It was too crowded and everybody seemed to be rushing. At the Information Desk, an old man, speaking perfect English explained to me about the Day Pass, cost of tickets, where to wait for my bus outside, etc. This attraction is not only good for train services, but also for bus services. Outside, in front of it are Bus Stops for visiting local attractions of Kyoto. There are shops, restaurants, ATM, ticket machines, etc. at this station.

What a fantastic building! It is designed for energy saving and wow is it huge! The high ascending escalators take you to a sky garden on each end and a walkway between the two at roof level. Best to do this at night . Lots of shops and eating places and it also doubles as a train station . Well worth visiting. Bit confusing trying to find a restaurant you want to go to so just give up on that and walk around until you find a place you want to eat at in case you will never find it again.

Possibly this is not the world's best train station functionally (as a train station), but it certainly may be the most spectacular. The architecture is amazing. It is worthwhile to take the escalators up to the very top, to get a good free view over Kyoto. Sometimes, at night, there are light shows using lights on the steps to create pictures. These are very impressive. It's worth checking if any are happening while you are visiting.

This train station has it all and is a highlight during our visit to Kyoto. We visited in 2018 at the suggestion of friends and were skeptical at first but were very impressive with the train station. There are lots of architectural features to it that make it interesting including the Happy Terrace with unobstructed views of the surrounding city, the Skyway which goes high above the station, the grand staircase, and the large openings to see whats around like the Kyoto Tower. Our favourite spot is the ramen street on the tenth floor which features award winning ramen from all over Japan. You do have to queue and prepay using vending machines at most (if not all) restaurants but it is worth the wait if you have time for lunch or dinner in the Kyoto Station area. There are also numerous shops and conveniences that you would expect for a large train station in Japan and it is relatively easy to navigate. If you are a stamp collector like my wife you can go to the information centre or ask a station attendant for information on where to get your stamp. We spent a couple of hours at the train station and would recommend getting here before your train departs to check it out or planning for a lunch or dinner here after your train arrives. When we stayed in Kyoto we found that the Kyoto Station was central to all the activities we wanted to do in Kyoto and offered us easy and frequent transit solutions to get to what we wanted to see.