Planning a Trip

Getting There

From Kansai Airport -- If you arrive in Japan at Kansai International Airport (KIX) outside Osaka, the JR Haruka Super Express train has direct service every 30 minutes to Kyoto Station; the trip takes approximately 75 minutes. It costs ¥3,490 ($33) for a reserved seat (recommended during busy departure times or peak season) and ¥2,980 ($28) for a nonreserved seat, or you can ride free with your JR Rail Pass. A cheaper (¥1,830/$17), though less convenient, alternative is the JR Kanku Kaisoku, which departs every 30 minutes or so from Kansai Airport and arrives in Kyoto 100 to 120 minutes later with a change at Osaka Station.

If you have a lot of luggage, I recommend taking the Airport Limousine Bus (tel. 075/682-4400) from Kansai Airport; buses depart every hour or less for the 105-minute trip to Kyoto Station. Fare is ¥2,300 ($22) one-way.

By Train From Elswhere in Japan -- Kyoto is one of the major stops on the Shinkansen bullet train; trip time from Tokyo is 2 1/2 hours, with the fare for a nonreserved seat ¥12,710 ($121) one-way if you don't have a rail pass. Kyoto is only 20 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka, but you may find it more convenient to take one of the local commuter lines that connect Kyoto directly with Osaka Station. From Kobe, you can reach Kyoto from Sannomiya and Motomachi stations. The strikingly modern Kyoto Station, which is like a city in itself with tourist offices, restaurants, a hotel, a department store, a shopping arcade, a theater, and stage events, is connected to the rest of the city by subway and bus.

By Bus From Tokyo -- Night buses depart from Tokyo every evening for Kyoto, arriving the next morning. Buses depart from Tokyo Station at both 10 and 10:50pm, arriving in Kyoto at 5:51am and 6:41am respectively, and from Shinjuku Station at 11:10 and 11:50pm, arriving in Kyoto at 6:51 and 7:31am. The fare for these buses is ¥8,180 ($78) one-way or ¥14,480 ($138) round-trip. Cheaper still are the Seishun Dream buses that depart Tokyo Station at 8:50pm and Shinjuku Station at 9:10pm, arriving in Kyoto at 5am and 5:11am respectively and costing ¥5,000 ($48) one-way. In addition, day buses depart Tokyo Station several times daily, with fares starting at ¥5,700 ($54). Tickets can be purchased at any major JR station or a travel agency. Contact the Tourist Information Center (TIC) in Tokyo for more information.

Visitor Information

Although there's a Kyoto City Tourist Information Office (tel. 075/343-6656; open daily 8:30am-7pm) on the second floor of Kyoto Station, it's for Japanese only. Foreign visitors are requested to visit the roomier but less convenient Kyoto Tourist Information on the ninth floor of Isetan department store in Kyoto Station (tel. 075/344-3300), which can prove quite a challenge if you're toting luggage and battling shoppers for space in the crowded elevators. Surprisingly, there are no brochure racks here to peruse, so you have to wait your turn to ask English-speaking staff for city and bus maps and sightseeing pamphlets. It's open daily 10am to 6pm, closed the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. You can also make reservations here for inexpensive lodging throughout Japan free of charge.

On the Web -- Check out the city's website at raku.city.kyoto.jp/sight_e.phtml and Kyoto Prefecture's website at www.pref.Kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/en.

Tourist Publications -- In addition to the brochures and leaflets distributed by the Kyoto Tourist Information office, a monthly tabloid distributed free at hotels, restaurants, and the tourist office is the Kyoto Visitor's Guide (www.kyotoguide.com), with maps, a calendar of events, and information on sightseeing and shopping. Kansai Scene (www.kansaiscene.com) is a monthly giveaway with information on nightlife, festivals, and other events in Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. In addition, a monthly English-language magazine, Kansai Time Out, carries information and articles on Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. It's available in Kyoto for ¥300 ($2.85) at Junkudo Kyoto BAL bookstore, located in the BAL department store, on the east side of Kawaramachi Dori north of Shijo Dori (tel. 075/253-6460; open daily 11am-8pm).

City Layout

Most of Kyoto's attractions and hotels are north of Kyoto Station (take the Central exit), spreading like a fan toward the northeast and northwest. The northern and eastern edges of the city contain the most famous temples. The heart of the city is in central Kyoto (Nakagyo-ku ward), which boasts the largest concentration of restaurants, shops, and bars and which radiates outward from the intersection of Kawaramachi Dori and Shijo Dori. It includes a narrow street called Pontocho, a nightlife mecca that runs along the western bank of the Kamo River. Across the Kamo River to the east is the ancient geisha district of Gion.

Finding an Address -- Kyoto's streets are laid out in a grid pattern with named streets (a rarity in Japan) and an address system that's actually quite easy to understand once you get to know the directional terms. Streets north of Kyoto Station that run east-west are numbered; for example, the shi of Shijo Dori means "Fourth Avenue." Agaru means "to the north," sagaru means "to the south," nishi-iru means "to the west," and higashi-iru means "to the east." Thus, an address that reads Shijo-agaru means "north of Fourth Avenue."

Many addresses also indicate which cross streets a building is near. Take the Hotel Gimmond, for example: Its address is Takakura Oike Dori, which tells you that the hotel is near the intersection of Takakura Dori and Oike Dori. Complete addresses include the ward, or ku, such as Higashiyama-ku.