Transit Hub · Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station Building 京都駅ビル

Hiroshi Hara's 1997 glass-and-steel megastructure, a 470 m long 'gateway to history' with a vast atrium, the 171-step Daikaidan staircase that becomes an LED light show at night, and a sky walkway 45 m above the concourse.

About

Few buildings in Kyoto are as divisive as its station. Designed by Hiroshi Hara and opened in 1997 for the city's 1,200th anniversary, it is a 15-storey, 470-metre-long sweep of glass, steel and grids that replaced the old station and caused a fierce debate about building heights in the old capital. Inside, the central concourse rises through a canyon-like atrium to a lattice roof. To the west climbs the Daikaidan, a grand staircase of 171 steps up to the 11th floor that hosts a stair-climbing race in February and, after dark, the Graphical Illumination of about 15,000 LEDs that turns the steps into a moving seasonal picture. Above the atrium the Skyway, a glass-sided corridor 45 m up, gives a vertiginous view down onto the crowds. The rooftop Sky Garden (Daikukan Hiroba) is closing from late November 2026 to around winter 2031 for construction of a new station bridge and free passage, so check what is open before climbing.

Highlights

• Daikaidan: 171 steps rising through the atrium to the 11th floor
• Graphical Illumination: about 15,000 LEDs light the staircase after dark
• Skyway corridor 45 m above the concourse
• Hiroshi Hara's glass atrium with a lattice roof
• Views of Kyoto Tower from the upper terraces

Tips

• The illumination on the Daikaidan runs every evening; watch from the bottom of the stairs
• Take the escalators up the west side and walk down the steps for the view
• The rooftop Sky Garden closes for construction from late November 2026 until about 2031
• The Isetan restaurant floors (10F-11F) are a quieter place to eat than the station basement

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Kyoto Tourist Information Center "Kyo Navi"Tourist Info · 30 m away
• pikuraku PORTER Smart Lockers (JR Kyoto Station Central Exit)Luggage Storage · 70 m away
• Kyoto Station SkywayFree Observatories · 80 m away
• Coin Lockers · Kyoto Station (Central Exit / Karasuma side)Luggage Storage · 80 m away
• Kyoto Station Building Sky Garden (Daihiroba)Rooftops & Sky Gardens · 80 m away
• Kyoto PortaMall & Department Store · 90 m away
• Coin Lockers · Kyoto Station (Subway & Porta underground)Luggage Storage · 90 m away
• Crosta Kyoto (Kyoto Station Baggage Counter & Hotel Delivery)Luggage Storage · 100 m away