This is indeed an "architectural city park"following that of Tokyo International Forum.

Since it was designed by Koji Hara, let me call it　an "architectural city plaza" It is an architectural "rendezvou" with various faces.It is rare to see such gigantic plaza designed. Is it corresponding to the international sightseeing city Kyoto? Of course it was made to welcome the people from all over the world but at the same time it is prepared for the people living in Kyoto.
　Now、let me introduce you what kind of "rendezvous" is prepared.

　Since the site is long covering along the railway the building is naturally long in length.First of all a roofed plaza in the middle. Let us observe the ground floor with the central entrance of JR station..
The entrance is on the right side. As you enter you are to see the stairwell descending to the basement floor. There are several stairs of the escalator leading you to the bottom of the screen. The "large stairs" follow the escalator at the sunny bottom.。Steel framewok supporting the large glass wall seems delicate all right.

central entrance (eastward)

upper central entrance (westward)

large stairs


from the upper part of the large stairs




top of the large stairs

continued


bottom of the large stairs, southward

plaza following
You　can see the large glass wall of the central entrance on the left side. Here it was so quiet and fine. It was cool. There were sleeping man and a couple sitting and resting on her lap in the bench like space. It seemed that there were no homeless people here in Kyoto.

southern passage mentioned above
southern passage on the right side of the space mentioned above.It was too hot here to walk down, It may be warm in winter to bask in the sun.

westside plaza
Here is a garden extended from the restaurant and is at the same time an extended space of the popular hamburger shop.

Taking pictures climbing the escalator.
access road
Get to the aerial access road set over the upper part of central entrance.There are about three observing zones with the touring information board from where you can look over the north side of Kyoto.There is an outlet of the air conditioner on the handrail left side. It is a long access road.



large stairs looked from the aerial access road
Looking at the large stairs from the tip of the aerial access road mentioned above.Since the angle of the stairs is the same as that of the escalator, it is quite acute. Although it is named the large stairs, it may be a place to sit and watch the event and spend time without constraint.


cross over the aerial access road
You arrive at the hamburger shopwhich is on the upper part of east side large stairs. Here it was much crowded and lively with the young people.



From the second floor above, there are entrances to the department store and each floor is connected by the escalator just as the large stairs. There is a saying "teppoukaidan( a flight of stairs) but anyway a flight of escalators continues upward.
entrance to Isetan Department Store

the same


the top floor of Isetan Department Store

The toplight, the roll screen and the white wall are fantastic. There is a plain plaza space extended up above, where I named in the previous pictures "above the large stairs" and "following".



　Likewise, Kyoto Station Building was an "urban architectural plaza" offering the citizens of Kyoto many faces and atmosphere .



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