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Geishas walking down a Kyoto street

© 123fr.com / Naomi Hasegawa

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Travel to Kyoto

Flying to Kyoto

Airlines offering flights to Japan from the UK include British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA). Flights to Kansai International Airport (the closest airport from Kyoto, situated 70km (45 miles) south of the city centre) are available from airlines including JAL, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and Air France.

Flight times: 

From London to Tokyo - 12 hours; New York - 12 hours 30 minutes. Flights to Kyoto from Tokyo take about 1 hour 10 minutes (over 2 hours by high-speed train).

Travel by road

Summary:

Traffic drives on the left in Kyoto and Japan, and the legal driving age is 18 years (16 for a motorbike). Speed limits are 80kph (50mph) on expressways and 40kph (25mph) in built-up areas. An International Driving Licence is required, along with a minimum six months driving experience and basic travel insurance.

The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) (tel: (03) 6833 9100; www.jaf.or.jp/e), provides an English-language ‘Rules of the Road' booklet and JAF Road Service offers 24-hour breakdown assistance for both members and non-members. In the case of an accident, the police must be informed (tel: 110).

Emergency breakdown service:

JAF (tel: 8139).

Routes:

Kyoto has good road connections, situated as it is almost at the crossroads of the transport lines running between Tokyo and the south west of Japan. It is connected to Osaka and Nagoya by the Meishin Expressway, which connects with expressways heading east, west and north.

Driving times:

From Tokyo (via the Tomei and Meishin Expressways) - 5 to 6 hours.

Coaches:

Highway bus services run regularly between Kyoto and Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and several other cities across Japan. The trip from Tokyo to Kyoto by highway bus takes 7-8 hours. Both daytime and overnight buses are available. J R Bus Kanto (tel: (03) 3844 1950; www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/bus_route_e) operates regular coach services between Kyoto and Tokyo, while J R Tokai (tel: (052) 563 0489; www.jrtbinm.co.jp – Japanese only) runs coach services to and from Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya and several other cities.

Travel by rail

Services:

Kyoto Station is the city's main railway station and is served by all Japan Railways trains. Tokyo and Kyoto are connected by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen line. For more information in English on rail travel in Japan, see www.japanrail.com.

Operators:

Central Japan Railway Company (http://english.jr-central.co.jp/index.html) operates the bullet trains that stop in Kyoto on their way between Tokyo and Shin Osaka.

Journey times:

The super fast Nozomi trains make the journey between Tokyo and Kyoto in 2 hours 20 minutes, while Hikari trains are about 20 minutes slower.

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