As of November1996, no visa is required for short-stay visitors to Japan from the following countries: Argentine, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brunei (within 14 days), Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay. The length of stay allowed without a visa is limited to three or six months for these countries, with the exception of Brunei (14 days). As visa regulations may change, we recommend prospective participants from these countries to check at the nearest Consular Office or Embassy of Japan that no visa is required.
There are two major airports to get to Kyoto. The easiest one is Kansai International Airport (KIX). You can get to Kyoto area from KIX in about an hour. You could go to New Tokyo International Airport (Narita, NRT) if for instance you want to travel Tokyo area also. You need to take 1.5 hour train ride from NRT to Tokyo then three hour bullet-train ride to Kyoto.
The direct flight to KIX is available from at least the following major airports: SFO, SEA, ORD, DFW, DTW, JFK, LGA, LAX, and FRA.
How to get from KIX airport to Kyoto? Train is highly recommended. There are three possibilities to get to Kyoto from KIX.
Although there are several train services from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto, we strongly recommend to use the limited express Haruka because it is the only direct service to Kyoto. Its fare, including the supplemental charge, is 3,500 Yen. It takes 75 minutes from Kansaikuko station (JR) in Kansai International Airport to Kyoto station. As of November 1996, the service hours of Haruka from/to the airports are as follows:
From To Service
Hours Typical Interval
KIX
Kyoto 6:29 - 22:18 30 mm
Kyoto KIX 5:31-20:16 30 mm
If you are interested in
more economical way to get to Kyoto, please read here.
Japan Railway (JR) Web page
is here.
How to get from NRT airport to Tokyo? Here again, train is highly recommended. There are two possibilities to get to Tokyo train station:
The Narita express trains for Shinjuku, Yokohaina, Ikebukuro, and Oflina which all stop in Tokyo train station are the most convenient. Its fare, including the supplemental charge is 2,900 Yen. It takes 60 minutes from Naritakuko station (JR) in NRT to Tokyo Station. As of November 1996, the service hours of Narita express from/to the airport are as follows:
From To Service
Hours Typical Interval
NRT Tokyo 7:43 - 21:43
3O or 6Oinin
Tokyo NRT 6:30
- 20:03 3O
or 6Oinin
A more economical way to get to Tokyo is to use JR rapid trains with the sign Airport Narita. The fare of this route is 1,260 Yen and it takes about 90 minutes.
All trains are through Tokyo station and you can take Shinkansen trains there to reach Kyoto (see § Transportation in Japan below).
Regular domestic flights are available to all major cities in Japan. As regards transportation from Narita Airport (NRT, Tokyo) to Kansai International Airport (KIX, Osaka), and as only four flights are available per day, we recommend the train (See following §).
Flights from Tokyo Airport (Haneda) to Osaka Airport (Itami) take 60 min and cost 15,600 Yen. Air travel on this route is recommended only when its fare is included in the fare of your international flight, since there are more frequent Shinkansen trains than planes and since access to these airports is rather complicated.
Train is the most convenient public form of transport in Japan. Most trains are mono-class ones although some of them have higher class cars named green cars, for which a supplement is charged.
Major cities in Japan are connected by a railway network operated by Japan Railway (JR) companies, which includes Shinkansen (Bullet trains), connecting big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. There are more than 5 services per hour between Tokyo and Kyoto, Osaka (Shin- osaka station) from 6:00 to 21:18. A non-limited mileage pass called JR pass can be purchased in advance outside of Japan. Please contact your nearest travel agent for detail.
Some smaller railway companies operate lines connecting major sightseeing spots and cities. Hankyu and Keihan operate between Kyoto and Osaka, Kintetsu between Kyoto, Osaka and Nara, Nankai between Kansai International Airport KIX) and Osaka.
Driving is on the left-hand side. We discourage driving a car, because of heavy traffic jams and parking problems. However, should you decide to drive a car, an international driving license is required. We also strongly recommend to take out an unlimited liability insurance.
In order to reduce your expenses, the bus of and subway services is recommended. The bus network covers the whole city. Several independent companies/authorities operate buses, subways and railways in a single city area. Their fares are usually paid separately.
Single ride
The bus fare in the central zone of Kyoto costs 220 Yen per ride. No single fare tickets exist, the fare being paid with coins or much more conveniently with “bus card” available in 3000 or 5000 yen.
One dciy tickets
One day tickets for Shi-bus in the central zone cost 700 Yen and can be bought at any subway station and at a Shi-bus ticket office in Kyoto station of JR line.
(NEED CHECK) Multifare tickets (Kaisuken) are useful for bus usage.
The 5 fare tickets, 15.5 fare tickets and 26 fare tickets cost 1,000 Yen, 3,000 Yen, and 5,000 Yen, respectively (0.5 fare means that you can get one ride if you add 110 Yen in coins). The multi-ride tickets are acceptable for all buses covering Kyoto city operated by the following 6 companies/authority, those are Shi bus, Keihan bus, Kyoto bus, Kyoto Kotsu, HanAyu bus and JR bus. The multi-ride tickets can be shared with several people.
All the buses are operated by a driver only and you are requested to get on from the rear door and get off from the front door at a bus stop. Your request to stop at the next bus stop is noticed by a push button buzzer at the window pillar. When getting off, you should pay the fare by dropping coins or a single fare part of multi-fare tickets into a fare box beside the bus driver, or by showing a one-day or two-day ticket. Note that some bus routes extend up to the suburbs beyond the central 220 Yen zone. For such buses you should take a code tag called Se-i-riken from a small box close to the entrance of the bus. The fare depends on your mileage and the automatically scrolling fare table near the exit shows your fare to the next stop in terms of the tag code. Your code tag must be dropped in the box together with your fare. The multi-fare tickets are accepted for this case but need additional coins.
A subway line across the city in the north-south direction is available. Its service hours are 5:30 to 23:00 and the frequency is four to seven minutes. The subway is scheduled to be extended up to Kyoto International Conference Hall ~ICH) by June 1997 and the closest station will then be Kokusai-Kaikan, which means international conference hall in Japanese, just in front of Kyoto International Conference Hall. The fare is between 200 Yen and 290 Yen depending on the distance. One-day and two-day tickets are also available.
Combined bus/subway tickets
Discount tickets are available for a connected ride of Subway and Shi bus (the city bus, operated by Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau)
One day and two day tickets for Shi-bus, Kyoto bus & subway in the central zone & suburb are 1,200 Yen and 2,000 Yen per person, respectively, and can be bought at subway stations and any Shi bus ticket office in the Kyoto train station.
The network of the subway and other railways in Kyoto city are shown in Figure 3: Guide Map of Kyoto City and Hotel Location. Note that not all stations are presented in the map.
Taxis are also available, but they are much more expensive than other means of transportation, approximately ten times of the corresponding subway and/or bus fare. It costs roughly 630 Yen for the first 2 km and 320 Yen/km for additional distance, for example 3,000 Yen from Kyoto station to Kyoto International Conference Hall.
Although Kyoto is very hot and humid in summer, October should be one of the most comfortable season in Kyoto. The average temperature in October ranges from 13C or 55F (night) to 22C or 72F (day). The average humidity is 70%. A light sweater or cardigan can be useful there.
The voltage in Japan is 100V AC. The frequency is 60 Hz in the western half of Japan including Kyoto and Osaka. In the eastern half including Tokyo, it is 50 Hz. The plugs are of the flat pin type and are similar, but not identical, to those used in the US, the difference being that both blades are the size of the narrower one of US type blades.
At most stores the displayed price does not include the 5% consumer's tax (Shohizei). Be aware of this when paying.