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Kyoto Station (Kyoto-eki)
is the most important transportation hub in
Kyoto,
Japan. It is Japan's largest train station and 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. It also houses the
Kyoto City Air Terminal.
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. Kyoto, one of the least modern cities in Japan by virtue of its
many cultural heritages, was largely reluctant to accept such an ambitious
structure in the mid-1990's: the station's completion began a wave of new
high-rise developments in the city that culminated with the 20-story
Kyocera Building.
Although the
West Japan Railway Company owns and operates the station, it also has
underground platforms for
Kintetsu and
Kyoto City Subway trains.
JR's trains at Kyoto Station include the Tokaido and Sanyo
Shinkansen lines, and the high-speed
Haruka limited express train
that goes to
Kansai International Airport.
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