Kyoto City, JR West, and others are installing new transfer guide signs on the floors of Kyoto Station and along the North-South Passageway. Making destinations clear at a glance will alleviate congestion caused by concentrated tourists and promote smoother travel.
Kyoto Station, where JR, Kintetsu, and the city's subway lines converge, is a major transportation hub used by an average of 700,000 people per day. However, transfer routes are difficult to see from the ticket gates, and many people stop and ask station staff for directions, contributing to congestion. While there are signs near the ceiling, they are difficult to see, which poses an issue.
JR West has posted color-coded routes by destination near the Central and West Exit ticket gates, and in the North-South Passageway on the second floor. Shinkansen trains are blue, subway trains are green, buses are orange, and taxis are gray, allowing passengers to transfer without getting lost by simply following the signs. At the underground east exit and other areas, designs indicating where to board the Shinkansen and Sanin Line (Sagano Line) are featured on the floor.
The total project cost is approximately 20 million yen, which will be shared by Kyoto City, JR West, and Kyoto Station Building Development. A representative from Kyoto City's Walkable City Kyoto Promotion Office stated, "It took a long time to provide guidance to foreign tourists visiting Kyoto Station for the first time, which was a burden on station staff. We would like to verify the effectiveness of the project, including how it has changed the way station users are treated."
