Japan is home to some massive buildings. Tokyo Tower, 333m high; Skytree, 634m high; JR Nagoya Station, 245m high.

JR Kyoto Station isn’t all that high, only about 70m tall. But it’s still the second biggest train station in Japan due to it’s length 470m. The building cost over $1 billion to build.

Kyoto Station Building 「Kyōto-eki, 京都駅ビル」

JR Kyoto Station Building
NIKON D5200 (18mm, f/3.5, 1/1600 sec, ISO100)
 The massive JR Kyoto Station Building, shot from inside a bullet train. Tricky to get all of this building in one shot.

This photo was taken from the shinkansen, which I was riding on a JR Pass, as it was departing Kyoto Station.

Just about any tourist of Japan will set foot in this station, as it is a major transport hub. Of course, we can’t forget the 17 World Heritage Sites in Kyoto, some of which are just a few minutes walk from the the station.

If you do visit Kyoto, set aside an hour to explore the station. There are huge shopping and restaurant areas… and if you follow the escalators all the way to the top, you get roof access and a 360° view of Kyoto, for free!

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