KYOTO WINTER SPECIAL 2007
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Enjoy the winter season in Kyoto!
If you want to touch "Wabi Sabi", the essence of Japanese culture, you can't miss the winter season in Kyoto. JAPANiCAN provides various package tours and accommodations during the event "KYOTO WINTER SPECIAL 2008" by Kyoto City.
Enjoy Kyoto view from an open-top double-decker bus. See more information about SKYBUS KYOTO.
Kyoto Winter Special 2008 is a winter campaign (December 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008) with lots of events to make your winter trip to Kyoto even more enjoyable. During this time there will be special admission to normally restricted heritage sites, special winter events such as Arashiyama Hanatouro and Higashiyama Hanatouro, as well as chances to receive upgrades on your hotel or inn accomodation. Kyoto's deepest mysteries come alive in winter!
Welcome to Kyoto - the city blessed with a pristine natural environment and a more than 1200-year history of creating and nurturing Japanese culture.
Kyoto is known to the world as spiritual home of the Japanese and treasure trove of history thanks to its citizens' innate passion to cherish and build on wisdom handed down from ancestors in the protection of heritage and quest for innovation. Indeed to know Kyoto is to know Japan.
It is a great pleasure for Kyoto City and partners in the tourist industry to invite you to experience our city and the warmest of our renowned hospitality by taking part in our Kyoto Winter Special offer.
In order to make your stay in Kyoto more enjoyable, we've gathered together all the basic information (temperature, clothing, money, etc.) you'll need to enjoy your winter trip to Kyoto.
Geography in Kyoto
Kyoto is a city in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan and a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area with its population close to 1.5 million today. Kyoto is 310 miles away from Tokyo and 31 miles away from Osaka. The Kyoto Basin is surrounded on three sides by mountains known as Higashiyama, Kitayama and Nishiyama, which are all lower than 3280 feet above sea level. The south side of the city is flat. Three famous rivers flow through central Kyoto. To the east of the Kyoto Basin flows the Kamo-gawa River, to the west the Katsura-gawa River, and to the south the Uji-gawa River. Central Kyoto City is situated mostly on the flat area, with its prime sightseeing spots scattered along the base of the mountains.
Average temperature
Kyoto's winters, like its summers, are moist, thus making it feel colder than it really is, with temperatures averaging 5C (41F). There is little snowfall in Kyoto City and southern Kyoto, while northern Kyoto sees snowfall. There is nothing quite like the breathtaking sight of Kyoto's finest temples and shrines under a thin blanket of snow.
Clothing
Be sure to dress warmly in a jacket or overcoat. However, all major facilities, such as museums, hotels, and department stores use heating, so include these stops in your itinerary for a break from the cold as needed.
From Tokyo
135 min. Shinkansen Nozomi.
Board the Shinkansen Nozomi at Tokyo Station. It will go directly to Kyoto Station.
165 min. Shinkansen Hikari.
Board the Shinkansen Hikari at Tokyo Station. It will go directly to Kyoto Station.
8 hours. Night Bus.
Dream Kyoto, operated by JR, is an overnight bus that departs at 10pm from the stop at the Yaesu South exit of Tokyo Station. It arrives in Kyoto at 6 in the morning. You can buy tickets at the Bus Ticket Center located there at the exit. For those interested, a women-only bus called the Lady's Dream Kyoto leaves and arrives an hour later than Dream Kyoto.
From Osaka
15 min. Shinkansen.
Get on the Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka Station and get off at Kyoto Station. No transfer is necessary.
25 min. Tokaido Line.
Take the JR Tokaido Line directly from Shin-Osaka Station to Kyoto Station.
From Kansai International Airport (KIX)
75 min. Airport Express Haruka
These Kyoto-bound trains, operated by JR, depart from the airport every half hour between 6 in the morning and 8 at night. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can ride the Haruka for free.
90 min. JR Rapid Service
If you're not pressed for time and would like to save a little money, you might consider riding the Kansai Airport Rapid Service train to Osaka Station. From there take a Special Rapid train to your destination in Kyoto.
120 min. Airport Limousine Bus
Airport limousine buses will drop you off at selected destinations in Kyoto, including some hotels, for a fairly low price. Multiple limousine bus companies have offices in the airport's arrivals hall.
120 min. Shuttle Taxi Service
Reservations are usually required at least two days in advance, but shuttle taxi services provide a convenient way to reach your destination directly from the airport. For a fixed fee of a few thousand yen, they will drop you off anywhere in Kyoto for a fixed fee of a few thousand yen.
