Japan58 Kyoto1 The Kyoto Station

Formerly the Imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, Kyoto is known as the thousand-year capital. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Kyoto Station is Japan's second-largest station building (after Nagoya Station) and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, Movie Theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof. The Kyoto Station building was constructed on the 1200th anniversary of the capital's foundation in Kyoto. It was opened to the public in 1997 and stands in perfect contrast to many foreign tourists' image of Kyoto as the capital of traditional Japan

The building's futuristic design and

atmosphere was conceived by the

Japanese architect Hara Hiroshi. There

are two sides to Kyoto Station: Karasuma and

Hachijo. The busier Karasuma side to

the north faces downtown and is named after the

main street leading downtown. The

main bus terminal is located on the

Karasuma side, as are many hotels, shops and Kyoto

Tower

Kyoto Station Building (Karasuma side)

The tower was completed in 1964, the same year as the opening of the shinkansen and the Tokyo Olympics

Hara's design attempts to convey historical Kyoto through a modern aesthetic.

Standing 131 meters tall just across Kyoto Station, Kyoto Tower is Kyoto's tallest building and a rare modern iconic landmark in the city famous for its ancient temples and shrines

Kyoto Tower stands on top of a typical commercial building, which contains souvenir shops, restaurants and a hotel, as well as a public bath in the basement

The main Hall

The station's large main hall with its exposed steel beamed roof, called the Matrix, is meant to reflect both the structure of the station and the grid like layout of Kyoto's street network

2015 Christmas tree

A 22-meters Giant Christmas Tree

Reached via a long series of escalators the giant Christmas tree which became the station building’s representative winter scenery, version 2015

FirenzeDuomo

This year, as Kyoto celebrates its 50 years of sisterhood with the Italian city of Florence, the Christmas tree will be using the motif of a “lily,” which is the symbol of Florence

The “lily,” which is the symbol of

Florence

FirenzeSanta Maria Novella

Hara Hiroshi also designed the Umeda Sky

Building in Osaka

The Matrix

Modern Art

Modern Art

The station building’s

highlight, and also a popular spot for tourists, the “Big

Stairway”

The “Big Stairway” will be illuminated with beautiful images

of Kyoto sceneries during

the night time

People sitting on the stairs and standing on the escalators are admiring the huge Christmas Tree inside Kyoto Station

The Big Stairway has a total of 171 stairs covering 7 floors

About 15,000 LED lights will be used for the Big Stairway’s great performance

Reached via a long series of escalators and the final flight of

stairs, an open air observation deck is located on the top floor of the

station building.

The roof top garden

Observation deck

The Skyway tunnel allows visitors to walk the length of Kyoto Station, 45 meters above the central hall. The Skyway's glass windows provide views of the city and station below. It starts from the restaurant floor on the 11th floor of the station building

This is the skyway, a large tunnel over Kyoto station

The skyway

the skyway

Unfortunately, the views from the deck are not very attractive, because they are only possible through heavily toned windows

Coin lockers are scattered all over the building, but not seldom fill up on busy days.

You can actually get married at Kyoto Station. At the end of the ceremony they ring the bell so everyone can know that two people just joined together

There is a bell for lovers to ring as a sign of eternal love (Wedding bell)

Wedding bell

Wedding bell

The Wedding bell

The skyway

Besides the station facilities, the building's 15 floors offer several other attractions and conveniences including the Granvia Hotel, an art museum, a theater and a vast array of shopping and dining options

The underground facilities such as a shopping mall Porta beneath the station square were constructed when the subway opened in 1981

Text: Internet

Pictures: Sanda Foişoreanu

Nicoleta Leu

Gabriela Balaban

InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Toshinori Yonekura - We kept missing each other 201

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