Kyoto station is the main hub of public transportation in Kyoto.

Kyoto station is the main hub of public transportation in Kyoto. The station building has a shopping mall, a department store, a hotel, a theater, restaurants, etc. The Kyoto Tourist Information Center is on the second floor of the building. You can get a free Kyoto City Map, Kyoto City Bus Travel map, or other information that would be of visitors help.

The current Kyōto Station opened in 1997, commemorating Kyoto's 1,200th 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 façade 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 in the 20-story Kyocera Building. Hence some criticize the station's design for taking part in breaking down the traditional cityscape.