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Kyoto Station - Click here to see the gallery.
Kyoto Station (京都駅) is the most important transportation hub in Kyoto, Japan. It has
Japan's second-largest train 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 fifteen-story roof.
History
The first Kyoto Station opened for service by decree of Emperor Meiji in 1878. It was
replaced by a newer, Renaissance-inspired facility in 1914, which featured a broad
square leading from the station to Shichijo Avenue. Before and during World War II,
the square was often used by imperial motorcades when Hirohito traveled between
Kyoto and Tokyo: the image of Kyoto Station with its giant Rising Sun flags became a
well-known image of the imperial era. This station burned to the ground in 1952 and
was replaced by a more utilitarian concrete facility by the following March.
The current Kyoto Station opened in 1997, commemorating Kyoto's 1,200-year
anniversary. It is 70 meters high and 470 meters from east to west, with a total floor
area of 238,000 square meters. Architecturally, it exhibits many characteristics of
futurism, with a slightly irregular cubic facade of plate glass over a steel frame. The
architect was Hiroshi Hara. Kyoto, one of the least modern cities in Japan by virtue of
its many cultural heritage sites, was largely reluctant to accept such an ambitious
structure in the mid-1990s: the station's completion began a wave of new high-rise
developments in the city that culminated with the 20-story Kyocera Building. For this,
there are opinions criticizing the station design for taking part in breaking down the
traditional cityscape.
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