The Cube Shopping Mall at Kyoto Station

Entrance to the Cube from the Kyoto Subway Station

The Cube name refers to the Kyoto Station Building specialty shopping areas that were integrated into Kyoto Porta in 2023. For visitors, the practical point is simple: look for Kyoto Porta signs and floor information when you are shopping around the north side of Kyoto Station. The station-building areas include 1F and 2F souvenir zones, a B2 South area with fashion, cosmetics and lifestyle shops, B1 shops and cafes, and the 11F Porta Sky Dining restaurant floor.

Hours vary by area and by shop. Kyoto Porta posts B2 South area shops from 10:00 to 20:00, B1 east and west area shops and services from 11:00 to 20:30, 1F souvenir shops from 8:30 to 20:00, 2F souvenir shops from 8:30 to 21:00, and 11F Porta Sky Dining from 11:00 to 22:00. Check Kyoto Porta’s own floor and shop information if you are going for a specific store.

1F and 2F Souvenir Areas

The 1F and 2F souvenir areas are among the easiest places at Kyoto Station to pick up Kyoto sweets, pickles, tea, sake, bento, and other food gifts before a train journey. Around these floors you will find many of the classic Kyoto souvenir categories that travelers often look for at the end of a trip.

Senbei rice crackers

Amongst the many goodies on offer are a variety of sweet and savory sembei rice crackers.

Dango are sweet rice flour dumplings usually served on a skewer and served with green tea. Various flavors of dango are on offer. Cha-dango are flavored with green tea.

Cha-dango

Mitarashi dango are covered in a syrup made from soy sauce, sugar and starch, and sanshoku dango come in three colors: peach, white and green. The green ones are flavored with mugwort.

Sanshoku dango on the left and mitarashi dango on the right

Warabimochi are jellies made from bracken starch and dipped in kinako (soybean flour) and sugar.

Warabimochi. Those on the right have been flavored with matcha powdered green tea

Kyoto’s best known confectionery is yatsuhashi. These are baked strips of rice flour and cinnamon wrapped around sweet bean paste. You can find a variety of flavors and colors in Kyoto Station’s souvenir areas.

Cinnamon flavored yatsuhashi are Kyoto’s most famous sweet souvenirs

B1 Shops and Cafes

Entrance to the souvenir market on B1

On B1, Kyoto Porta includes cafes, drugstore and bookstore services, a tax-free counter, shops, and access to restaurant areas. It is also a useful level for practical station errands, especially if you need a quick drink, a light meal, reading material, or basic travel items before boarding a train.

Kyoto is famous for its green tea, which is grown in nearby Uji and renowned for its refreshing taste and revitalizing health properties. This is an easy souvenir to pack and unlike some of the confectionery items will stay fresh for a long time and so makes a great souvenir for those traveling long distances.

A display of green tea varieties

Kyoto is also well known for its nihonshu or sake brewed from rice and fresh spring water in the city’s Fushimi district.

Staff can advise you on which sake varieties are most popular

Kyoto’s traditional pottery is called Kyo-yaki or Kiyomizu-yaki and is famous for its simple elegance and beautiful coloring. It is another classic Kyoto gift to look for in station souvenir shops.

Kyo-yaki ceramics

Kyoto’s traditional pickles are called tsukemono, and they can be served as a relish with rice. Pickles are a practical Kyoto food gift because they are compact, strongly local, and easy to pack if the product is sealed for travel.

A selection of Kyoto pickles

B2 South Area: Fashion, Cosmetics and Lifestyle Shops

Entrance to the Cube via Porta underground shopping mall

The B2 South area is Kyoto Porta’s fashion, cosmetics and lifestyle shopping zone. Store lineups change over time, but the official Kyoto Porta guide lists a wide mix of fashion, shoes, bags, cosmetics, character goods, lifestyle goods and flower shops, with names such as Cepo!, LUSH, ORiental TRaffic, Aoyama Flower Market, Disney Store, Sanrio, AKOMEYA TOKYO, Charles & Keith, PAUL & JOE, Biople, ALBION DRESSER, Shop in, House of Rose, and Marks & Web.

Cepo! is one of the casual fashion boutiques in the B2 South area.

Cepo! shop at Kyoto Station

LUSH sells a range of cosmetic and skincare products that are made from fresh and natural ingredients.

Lush

ORiental TRaffic is a ladies’ shoe shop which sells an ever-changing range of unique and playful designs.

ORiental TRaffic at Kyoto Station

The Aoyama Flower Market, despite the name, is a simple flower shop and not a market. However if you wish to greet someone at Kyoto Station with a big bouquet of freshly cut flowers, this is a convenient place to get it.

Aoyama Flower Market

Cafes and Dining in Kyoto Porta

Kyoto Porta has quick cafes, bakeries and casual dining in the station-building and underground areas, plus the 11F Porta Sky Dining floor for sit-down meals. Around the station-building areas, useful quick options include PRONTO on B1 and VIE DE FRANCE Reve de Paris in the B2 South area. On 2F, Kyoto Porta also lists cafes and food shops such as FUKUCHA and Mister Donut. For a fuller meal, the 11F dining area includes restaurants serving tonkatsu, eel, grilled chicken, sushi, pasta, Kyoto cuisine and other choices.