A SMALL DISCOVERY, BEFORE OR AFTER THE TRAIN
The journey starts with a closer look.
A station can be something to enjoy in its own right. Tokyo has creatures above the gates and a roof you can recognise from the train. Kyoto opens into a landscape of steel, glass and steps.
You can enjoy these details after arriving, before leaving, or on a city walk. Start with whichever catches your eye.
01 / 東京駅 / TOKYO · LOOK UP
Animals above the ticket gates.
Before looking for a platform, give the dome a second look. Its grand ceiling is full of smaller things to find.
Marunouchi North or South entrance hall · west side · outside the ticket gates
Kei365 · 2012 · Photo credit
Eight animals. Twelve signs.
Japan’s zodiac has twelve animal signs. Eight appear around these domes, placed according to the directions traditionally associated with them. The rat, rabbit, horse and rooster are absent.
The large white birds are eagles. They are a separate part of the decoration, not the eight zodiac animals.
Find an eagle. Then look for a smaller white creature against green. The whole ceiling starts to feel like a collection of living things.
CSS crop · Kei365 · 2012 · Photo credit
CSS crop · Kei365 · 2012 · Photo credit
Finding the domes
Use the ground-floor Marunouchi North or South entrance hall, outside the JR gates. The Tokaido Shinkansen is on the opposite, Yaesu side. Keep entrances and walking routes clear when looking up.
Visit before entering the paid area or after arriving. If you have already entered, ask staff about your ticket before leaving the gates.
Official station map (PDF) ↗02 / 東京駅 / TOKYO · LOOK AGAIN
The red-brick station, twice.
See the front from Marunouchi. Then see whether you can find that roof again, beyond the platforms.
Learn the shape of the roof.
Kakidai · 2018 · Photo credit
A survivor, carefully brought back.
Tokyo Station opened in 1914. Its three-storey outline was restored in 2012. The brick structure of the first two floors was preserved, while the third floor was rebuilt. What looks like one old building carries both preservation and reconstruction.
Look at the domes and their dark roofs. Those shapes will help you recognise the station from a very different angle.
Preservation and restoration, explained by Tokyo Station City ↗
Finding the Marunouchi front
The public forecourt is outside the Marunouchi exits on the west side. Enjoy the front from ground level; a hotel or rooftop visit is not needed. The Shinkansen gates are on the Yaesu side, so allow time to find your way across the station.
Official station map (PDF) ↗03 / 京都駅 / KYOTO · LOOK AROUND
A station you can step into.
Kyoto’s old streets meet a thoroughly modern gateway. Inside, the architecture feels almost like a landscape.
Central Entrance, Karasuma side · north side · outside the ticket gates
Martin Falbisoner · 2016 · Photo credit
A valley in steel and glass.
Architect Hiroshi Hara imagined the central concourse as a valley, with terraces rising to the east and west. The building’s plan also draws on the grid of ancient Kyoto’s streets. The connection with the old city goes deeper than the surface.
From the public concourse by the Central Entrance, follow the rising levels with your eyes. You can enjoy the shape without heading all the way to the roof.
When the steps become seats.
fletcherjcm · 2010 · Photo credit
The Grand Staircase has 171 steps. At its foot is the fourth-floor Muromachi-koji Square. During performances, the stairs can become audience seating: a route through the building turns into a place to pause.
From the square, notice how wide the steps are. You do not have to climb them all to appreciate the idea.
Finding the spaces & planning a visit
The public concourse and these station-building spaces are on the Karasuma (north) side. The Shinkansen is towards Hachijo (south). Outside the rail gates, follow signs for the north–south public passage and Central Entrance.
Muromachi-koji Square and the staircase are listed as open 06:00–23:00. The official access note lists the JR Kyoto Isetan lift to the fourth-floor square as available 10:00–20:00. Confirm a suitable lift route with staff; those hours differ from the square’s hours. Events can change access.
JR West station map ↗ · Official lift-access note (Japanese, PDF) ↗
Photo credits & reading notes
Architectural facts and access information were checked against the linked official sources on 11 October 2026. Follow local signs and staff instructions. Photographs show views from different dates, not today’s crowds or events.
The photographs are credited below. Cropped Commons views retain the original ShareAlike licence; each licence applies to its image. “Try a second look” is our invitation to observe.
- Tokyo Station dome, with eight white eagles and smaller animal reliefs in green panels
Kei365 ↗ · 2012 · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗. Proportionally resized and compressed for Web. Full frame in the main photograph; two CSS detail crops, shared under the same licence. - Tokyo Station’s three-storey red-brick Marunouchi front and its two domes
Kakidai ↗ · 2018 · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗. Proportionally resized and compressed for Web. Full frame in the article; CSS crop for the hero, under the same licence. - Tokyo Station from the train
michikusa · 24 September 2026 · Used with the photographer’s permission. Full frame; proportionally resized and compressed for Web. - An elevated view along Kyoto Station’s central space, beneath a glass-and-steel roof
Martin Falbisoner ↗ · 2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗. Full frame; proportionally resized and compressed for Web. - An audience seated on Kyoto Station’s broad Grand Staircase during an event in 2010
fletcherjcm ↗ · 2010 · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗. Full frame; proportionally resized and compressed for Web.