Travellers’ activities at modern train stations: a study of Kyoto station, Japan

Abstract

Within the existing literature, transportation-related sites as travel and tourism attractions have been a neglected topic. In addition, the activities that travellers do at the starting and ending points of their holiday, such as at train stations, remain largely under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to identify the activities that travellers do at train stations, and the factors that may affect these activities. The setting of this study is Kyoto station, one of the most popular train stations in Japan – a country with a very developed railway system. By thematically analysing 344 reviews posted on an online platform in 2018, this study found that the main activities are sightseeing, eating, and shopping. The factors that can affect travellers’ activities include station architecture, restaurants, stores, signage, navigation, staff, and information centre, among others. Implications for station management are discussed based on these findings.