My first train lesson ... scanning the ticket properly in order to pass through a turnstile. A prelude to my learning curve!
Once through the turnstile, Gypsy and I followed signage and people down an escalator to the platform where our express train to Kyoto would be leaving. It took a number of minutes and several "interesting" conversations to learn just how incredibly organized and logical the Japanese system of trains operate. But first, like the Kansai International Airport and Aeroplaza, the train station is immaculate. The trains are gorgeous on the exterior and spotless inside.
The platform numbers are signed everywhere making it easy to find the correct one. And, as we learned, there are numbered tiles embedded in the platform flooring adjacent to the tracks. These signify the train compartment associated with one's ticket. In this way there are no overcrowded areas, which in turn allow for quicker on- and off-boarding. Amazingly, the trains run perfectly on time ... Why can't our trains run so punctually!!! |
Without suitcases boarding was easy and quick, as was finding our seats and settling back in anticipation of our Kyoto adventure. Perhaps due to being a express rather than a Shinkansen or bullet train, our ride went through more industrial and congested portions of Osaka rather the metropolitan center. All in all, it was a very different glimpse than I had expected of Osaka and the countryside. Sadly, in hindsight, it was not a landscape that I photographed. That said, one image I did take was of a watery area that had 100s of solar panels floating on its surface. I've no idea whether this was natural or manmade, or served as a reservoir. |
Kyoto Station is immense! Not unlike Kansai International Airport, the train station serves multiple purposes. Besides a train station, it is also a transportation hub for subways, buses, taxis and sightseeing tours. It also includes a shopping center with a myriad of shops, department store with grocery, food stalls; offices, theater, museum and many restaurants ... even a hotel.
This ultra modern complex is Japan's second largest and was designed by visionary architect Hiroshi Hara in the 1990s to accommodate the millions of visitors Kyoto receives annually. The station opened in 1997. In fact, this is the train station's third iteration — the first was built in 1877.