BlaakLane.com books a Kyoto Station chauffeur at a fixed fare you see before confirming. Enter your Shinkansen, Haruka, Thunderbird or Kintetsu train and your destination. The chauffeur is timed to the real arrival and waits curbside at the designated pick-up area on the Hachijō (south) or Karasuma (north) side, then drives to your hotel or ryokan, to Kansai or Itami airport, Arashiyama, Nara or Osaka.
How do I book a car at Kyoto Station?
Select Kyoto Station in the reservation engine, add the train name, number and car, your destination and a class. The fixed fare does not change with traffic, which in Kyoto can be heavy during the cherry-blossom and autumn-leaf seasons. Add passenger names, a Japan-reachable mobile number and any child seats (free on request).
The BlaakLane.com dispatch desk in Toronto is open 24/7. In Kyoto a vetted local affiliate from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network drives the trip, licensed for chauffeured hire in Japan and working to our written standard. With a Kyoto Station arrival, your confirmation names the operator, the chauffeur and the car.
Trains and lines at Kyoto Station
- JR Central Tōkaidō Shinkansen: all Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama trains stop, with Tokyo about 2 h 15 away on the fastest trains.
- JR West: the Haruka limited express to Kansai Airport, the Thunderbird to Kanazawa and Tsuruga, the Sagano (San'in) Line to Arashiyama, and the Nara Line to Fushimi Inari and Nara.
- Kintetsu Kyoto Line to Nara and Kashihara, from platforms on the south side.
- Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line, running north under Karasuma-dōri.
Hachijō side or Karasuma side?
The station building, a vast glass-and-steel structure opened in 1997, runs east to west. The Hachijō exit (south) is on the Shinkansen side, with the Kintetsu station, several hotels and a taxi pool; it is the quicker side for Shinkansen passengers heading to the airport, Nara or south Kyoto. The Karasuma exit (north, the central exit) faces Kyoto Tower, the city bus terminal and the main taxi rank, and suits destinations in central and northern Kyoto. Pre-booked cars use designated areas on each side. We tell you the side and meeting point by message before your train arrives, because crossing the station with bags takes several minutes.
How the chauffeur meets you
On a Kyoto Station booking, curbside at the designated pick-up area is the standard service. The chauffeur does not pass the ticket gates or come to the platforms by default. A concourse meet at the gates is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations; the booking engine shows if it can be added. See meet and greet.
Train tracking times the chauffeur to the actual arrival, whether your Shinkansen is on time to the minute or held by weather. On a Kyoto Station booking, included waiting is 15 minutes from the real arrival, then 15-minute blocks.
Luggage in Kyoto
Kyoto Station is busy with tourists all year, and the passages can be crowded with suitcases. Oversized bags (three dimensions over 160 cm) need a reserved oversized-baggage seat on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. Many visitors send large bags ahead from the airport or their Tokyo hotel with a luggage delivery service, and Kyoto's city authorities encourage hands-free travel to ease crowding on buses. With luggage, a car from the station is often the most comfortable way to reach a ryokan in Higashiyama or Arashiyama. A Standard Black SUV takes six passengers and six bags.
Drive times from Kyoto Station
| Destination | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Kansai International Airport (KIX) | about 100 km | 75-100 minutes |
| Osaka Itami Airport (ITM) | about 45 km | 50-60 minutes |
| Gion and Higashiyama | about 3 km | 10-20 minutes |
| Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijō Castle | 3-4 km | 10-20 minutes |
| Fushimi Inari Taisha | about 3 km | 10-15 minutes |
| Arashiyama | about 10 km | 30-40 minutes |
| Kyoto International Conference Center | about 12 km | 30-40 minutes |
Kyoto has no airport. International flights use Kansai Airport, and domestic flights often use Osaka Itami.
Hotels, ryokan and seasons
Kyoto's leading hotels are spread out: the Ritz-Carlton on the Kamo River, the Park Hyatt and Four Seasons in Higashiyama, the Hotel The Mitsui by Nijō Castle, and Aman Kyoto in the northern hills. Traditional ryokan are often in narrow lanes, and the chauffeur stops at the nearest point where a car may legally wait. The busiest times are cherry-blossom season (late March to early April) and autumn leaves (mostly November). Festivals close streets on their own dates: the Aoi Matsuri in May, the Gion Matsuri processions in July, and the Jidai Matsuri in October. Allow extra time in all of them.
Intercity alternatives by car
Nara is about 45 km and 50 to 60 minutes; Osaka 50 to 70 minutes; Kobe around 1 h 15; Lake Biwa at Ōtsu about 30 minutes; the Miho Museum about an hour. Farther out, Amanohashidate is about 2 hours, Ise Grand Shrine about 2 h 15, and Mount Kōya around 2 h 30. Japan drives on the left, and the expressways around Kyoto are tolled. Fixed-fare road trips from Kyoto are explained on intercity transfers and city tours and day trips.
Choosing a vehicle class
| Trip | Class |
|---|---|
| One traveller with carry-on to a Gion hotel | Standard Sedan |
| Couple with two cases to Arashiyama | Luxury Executive Sedan |
| VIP guest to a Higashiyama hotel | Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach) |
| Family of five with luggage to KIX | Standard Black SUV |
| Six executives to the conference center | Executive Black SUV |
| Tour group of 12 with small bags | Sprinter Van |
| Seven guests, carry-on only, temple day | Sprinter Luxury Jet Van |
| Group celebration for 8 or 14 | Luxury Stretch Limo or Party Bus, where streets allow |
See fleet and rates. Hourly bookings run for at least 3 hours, which is how most full-day temple tours are booked.
Accounts and travel agencies
Travel planners and hotel concierges who book Kyoto cars often work through our travel desk or hotels and concierge programme; companies use corporate accounts. For Kyoto Station pickups, all services and industries are listed on their hub pages.
Cancellation
A Kyoto Station booking can be cancelled free of charge while pickup is more than 72 hours away. On a Kyoto Station booking, after that it costs 10 % of the fare, rising to 50 % at 48 hours and to the whole fare at 24 hours or on a no-show.
See our Kyoto chauffeur service page for the city. Official sources: JR West, JR Central and the Kyoto City Official Travel Guide.
