Welcome to Japan

Unless you already live in Japan, the first step in getting to Kyoto is, of course, making landing at a port of entry and then traveling onward to the final destination.  Kyoto’s situated in the center part of the largest island of Japan, about 100 km north of Osaka; Kyoto itself is not directly served by an international airport. I suspect that the majority of people coming to the conference will either fly into Kansai International Airport in Osaka or arrive at New Tokyo International Airport (Narita) and use train or domestic flight to continue on to Kyoto.

If arriving at Kansai International Airport

By far the simplest way to get to Kyoto is by train from Kansai International Airport (KIX), using the Limited Express “Haruka” train that runs directly between KIX and the central train station in Kyoto. Please note that the Kansai airport is served by two different train lines, one called the “Nankai” line and the other being “Japan Rail”. I strongly advise against using the Nankai Airport Express train, called “Rapit” because you will have to change to Japan Rail in the heart of Osaka in order to complete your journey.

The two train stations at Kansai Airport are color-coded, with the red-colored entry being that of Nankai and the blue being for Japan Rail. You want the blue entrance.  The ticketing office is on the left under the green signs (you can see the ticket office signs lit up in the left side background of the photo above).

Using Japan Rail, there are actually two different ways to get to Kyoto, and the one you choose is simply determined by your price sensitivity.  The fastest way is to use the Limited Express “Haruka” train, which makes only three stops before arriving at Kyoto, and involves no changes of train.  As of this writing (May 2009), the cost for a reserved seat on this train plus the underlying travel fare was JPY 3690 [approximately USD 37 or EUR 28], each way, and takes 1 hour 15 minutes. If you have more time or wish to spend less, you can use the Rapid Service “Kanku Kaisoku” service, which costs JPY 1830 [approximately USD 19 or EUR 14], each way, requires one train change, and takes just under 2 hours. Which you choose is up to you, but I’d recommend using the Haruka.

Trains in Japan are non-smoking, except that trains with reserved seating might have smoking cars or special, separated smoking areas. Because both the Haruka and the Shinkansen trains usually have smoking cars, it is wise to ask for either a smoking or non-smoking seat, depending upon your preference.

This seems as good a place as any to make a mention about luggage.  Most trains in Japan have no facilities for handling luggage aboard the train. The notable exceptions are the Haruka train and the Narita Express trains, both of which have large luggage racks just inside the door (see photo right). However, on local trains and the Shinkansen trains, there is no place to put luggage.  On the Shinkansen, you can often wedge large bags behind the rearmost seats in the car in which you’re seated. It is wise to consult with a member of the station staff before your train departs if you’re not sure whether it will fit.

You can also get to Kyoto from KIX by bus. In Japan, commercial bus service is called “limousine bus” service. It’s not a limo; it’s a big bus. The limousine bus service takes you directly to the Kyoto train station in just under 2 hours. I have not reconfirmed the bus fare, but it was JPY 2300 [approximately USD 23 or EUR 18] last winter and is unlikely to have changed much, if at all.

If arriving at New Tokyo International Airport (Narita)

No airport in Japan has more international connections than Narita airport, and because of this many people will want to fly to or through Tokyo instead. If you come into Tokyo, you can choose to continue either by train (easiest) or by domestic flight (not as easy, but doable).  We’ll take them in turn:

Train – Step 1: Get from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station

From Narita, your onward journey will have two parts: First, travel from Narita (which is situated well to the east of Tokyo) into Tokyo Station; then, travel from Tokyo Station on a different line to Kyoto.  You can make the first part of the journey (Narita to Tokyo Station) by Limited Express “Narita Express” (fastest, but most expensive); local train (Rapid Service “Airport Narita”); or by airport limousine bus.  The choices are detailed in the table below:

If you’re departing from Narita at the end of your journey, I strongly advise you to find out in advance which terminal (1 or 2) your flight departs from, because they are served by different stops on the train line. Last time I rode the Narita Express, there was no signage indicating which airlines were served by which terminal.

Train – Step 2: Get from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station

Now that we’ve gotten you to Tokyo Station, you need to continue your journey to Kyoto. The good news is that you can sail from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Shinkansen “bullet” train. Tired of choices yet? You can choose from two kinds of Shinkansen trains.  The fastest are the “Nozomi” superexpress trains, and the travel time is about 2 hours 15 minutes to Kyoto. The less rapid (but still quite fast) Shinkansen train is the “Hikari”. It is an older generation bullet train that doesn’t have the same top speed, and it also makes more stops. The “Hikari” train takes about 2 hours 45 minutes from Tokyo station. The price difference between the two trains is negligible (about USD 5), so I’d stick with the Nozomi.

Domestic flight

You might prefer to take a domestic flight from Narita to continue your journey.  (If you haven’t booked your travel yet, I’d seriously consider just using the train.)  Thre are two ways to get to the Osaka area (a region called “Kansai”) by domestic flight.  The two destination airports are Kansai International Airport (KIX), which we discussed above, and Itami International Airport (ITM). There is a bus line from Itami airport to the Kyoto train station which costs about JPY 1,300 and runs hourly, so I understand.

To be continued…