Kyoto Travel: Access, Orientation and Transportation

How to travel between Kyoto and Tokyo

By shinkansen
Direct, 140-160 minutes, about 13,000 yen one way, multiple connections per hour
Tokyo and Kyoto are connected with each other by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen. Nozomi trains require about 140 minutes to reach Kyoto from Tokyo, Hikari trains about 160 minutes and Kodama trains about four hours.
The regular one way fare from Tokyo to Kyoto is 12,710 yen by non-reserved seat on any train, around 13,200 yen by reserved seat on Hikari or Kodama trains and around 13,500 yen by reserved seat on a Nozomi train. A 7-day Japan Rail Pass costs about the same as regular round trip tickets. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on Hikari and Kodama trains, but not on Nozomi trains.
Japanican offers an E-Voucher for a round trip by Nozomi or Hikari from Tokyo to Kyoto and back plus a 1-day sightseeing pass for Kyoto for only 21,000 yen. The return journey has to be done within seven days of the outward journey. The E-Voucher can be used by foreign tourists only.
Japanican also offers various Shinkansen Tours that combine a round trip by shinkansen with hotel stays in Kyoto for as little as 19,400 yen. These tours, too, are available to foreign tourists only.
With the "Hikari Hayatoku Kippu", you can travel between Tokyo and Kyoto by reserved seat on a Hikari train for only 11,500 yen, but the ticket has to purchased at least one week in advance.
With the "Puratto Kodama Economy Plan", you can travel between Tokyo and Kyoto by reserved seat on a Kodama train for only 9,800 yen, but the plan has to be purchased at least one day in advance.

By highway bus
Direct, 7-8 hours, 2,000-10,000 yen one way, multiple daytime and overnight connections per day
The one way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto by highway bus takes about 7-8 hours. There are daytime and overnight buses. Fierce competition on the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka route has produced a wide variety of comfort levels (from no-frills to super premium buses) and an abundance of discount offers.
Typical one way fares are around 5000 yen for no-frills buses and around 9000 yen for premium buses, while fares by discount bus operators, such as Willer Express, start from around 4000 yen. If used effectively, the Japan Bus Pass can reduce the cost for the bus trip to around 3000 yen!

By air
2-3 transfers, 3-4 hours, 10,000-25,000 yen one way, multiple flights per day
The closest airport to Kyoto is Osaka's Itami Airport, about one hour by bus from central Kyoto (more details). Most flights connect Itami Airport with Tokyo's Haneda Airport, with just a few serving Tokyo's Narita Airport. Flight duration is one hour. The regular one way fare is around 22,000 yen, but discount tickets are usually available for around 10,000 to 14,000 yen.

By car
5-6 hours without breaks, around 10,000 yen one way in expressway tolls
Driving between Tokyo and Kyoto via the Tomei and Meishin Expressways takes about five to six hours without breaks and traffic jams. The expressway toll is around 10,000 yen one way.

By local trains
4 transfers, 9 hours, 2300-7980 yen one way
By local trains, the one way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto takes about nine hours and typically involves about four transfers of trains. The regular fare is a relatively expensive 7980 yen, however, with a Seishun 18 Kippu you could theoretically do the trip for as little as 2300 yen.

Above fees and schedules are subject to change. For the current Yen exchange rate, click here.

Kyoto features a rectangular street system. Unlike the streets in other Japanese cities, most of central Kyoto's streets are named. The main streets running from east to west are numbered in ascending order from north to south, and are about 500 meters apart from each other, with several smaller streets in between. For example, Shijo means "4th Avenue" and Nijo means "2nd Avenue".

Kyoto's city center with the highest concentration of dining, shopping and entertainment opportunities, is located around the junction of Shijo-dori (4th Avenue) and Kawaramachi-dori (Kawaramachi Street). JR Kyoto Station is located south of the city center at the height of Hachijo-dori (8th Avenue).

The most prominent north-south street is Karasuma-dori (Karasuma Street), which runs from Kyoto Station via the city center to Kyoto Imperial Palace. Another north-south axis is Kamo River, about one kilometer east of Karasuma-dori.

Kyoto has a rather inadequately developed public transportation system for a city of its size, consisting of two subway lines, a dense bus network and several railway companies, whose lines are not always conveniently connected with each other. Taxis can be a worthwhile alternative.

Few of Kyoto's tourist attractions are located close to subway or train stations. Instead, Kyoto has a dense bus network with direct bus lines from Kyoto Station and/or the city center around Shijo-dori (4th Avenue) and Kawaramachi-dori (Kawaramachi Street) to most major sights.

Kyoto is served by multiple bus companies. For central Kyoto, the green Kyoto City Bus buses are most numerous and useful. The red buses by Kyoto Bus are second most prominent and tend to be convenient to access sights in more outlying areas of the city.

The tourist offices provide a useful English network map for the Kyoto City Buses, which makes it quite easy for foreign visitors to access tourist attractions by bus. Despite the good map and English displays and announcements, however, getting off at the correct bus stop can still be stressful, especially in crowded buses.

Since buses are small and operate surprisingly infrequently even on some major routes, buses to major tourist sights can often get crowded, especially on weekends and during holidays. In addition, much time can be lost when buses get stuck or only proceed slowly in the busy street traffic. Consequently, it is recommended to use subways and trains as much as possible, and use buses only for medium and short distances, for example, from the closest subway station to the destination.

Buses are entered through the back door and left through the front door. The fare has to be paid when leaving the bus. Inside much of central Kyoto, there is a flat rate of 220 yen per ride. Outside the flat fare zone, the fare increases with the distance. Click here for more information on riding buses.

There are two subway lines in Kyoto, the Karasuma Line which runs from south to north along Karasuma-dori (Karasuma Street) and stops at JR Kyoto Station, and the newer Tozai Line which runs from east to west and crosses the Karasuma Line at the intersection of Karasuma-dori and Oike-dori.

Kyoto is probably the Japanese city with the highest concentration of taxis. Especially in the city center, taxis are found everywhere. Taxis can not only be a more comfortable, but also an economical alternative to buses on short to medium distances for groups of three or more people.

Most taxis accommodate up to four passengers (not including the driver), while larger vehicles are able to accommodate an additional fifth passenger. The rate starts around 600 yen for the first two kilometers and increases by roughly 100 yen for every additional 500 meters traveled.

Prepaid cards don't give you any discounts, but they make the process of taking trains and buses easier, as you do not always need to buy a new ticket for each ride. Prepaid cards can be purchased at vending machines.