Kyoto Prefecture plans to establish a tourist information booth for foreign visitors in the vicinity of a ticket gate at JR Kyoto Station, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, during the spring and autumn tourist seasons from the next fiscal year. The temporary booth will have assistants who speak English. Currently, there is an information center on the ninth floor of Kyoto Station Building, but there have been some complaints that it is hard to find. Therefore, it was decided to open the booth during busy seasons. A prefectural official explained, "There is another information center run by Kyoto City close to the ticket gate, so we would like to provide not only tourist information but also empathetic supports to foreign visitors in trouble."

There formerly was an information bureau for foreign tourists run by Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) on the first floor of Kyoto Tower in front of Kyoto Station. However The independent administrative institution was closed at the end of March 2004 to improve business efficiency. In April 2004, Kyoto Prefecture set up Kyoto Tourist Information (KTI) inside Kyoto Prefectural International Center on the ninth floor of the Kyoto Station Building, and Kyoto Tourism Federation has taken over the business.

According to Kyoto Prefecture and other sources, approximately 31,000 foreign tourists visited KTI's inconspicuous location in fiscal 2004, a decrease to half the number of JNTO visitors. On the other hand, the Kyoto City tourist information office, located relatively close to the ticket gate, has been deluged with foreign visitors. It is said that every year during the spring and autumn tourist seasons, visitors have a long wait in line there.

Therefore, Kyoto Prefecture, with the cooperation of JR-West, Kyoto City and other organizations, decided to establish a tourist information booth at a busy location in front of a ticket gate during this autumn's and next spring's tourist seasons.

The specific location has not yet been decided, but the booth will be open for about seven weekend-days in both spring and autumn. English-speaking members of Kyoto Tourism Federation will be stationed there to provide tourist information to visitors. An official of the Tourism and Commerce Office of Kyoto Prefecture stated, "Approximately 900,000 foreign people visit Kyoto Prefecture annually. We would like to relocate the office in future to publicize sightseeing spots in cities other than Kyoto as well."