Employees prepare their store for the fully-opening of "Kotochika Kyoto" (February 28, near the Central Gate area, Kyoto City Subway's Kyoto Station, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto)

"Kotochika Kyoto," a shopping mall developed by the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau in Kyoto City Subway's Kyoto Station, fully opened on March 1. In addition to the six stores that opened last autumn, three stores opened, including a supermarket, making this the largest "Kotochika" shopping mall developed by the transportation bureau.

The total area of "Kotochika Kyoto" is 1,350 square meters, which includes the total store area of 630 square meters. Following the North Gate area which opened last September, the Central Gate area that opened on March 1 includes a bakery and a coffee shop, as well as a supermarket. New restrooms have also been built nearby. This project cost approximately 750 million yen.

As a part of its measures to increase subway revenue as the subway has accumulated a huge deficit, the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau has increased the number of "Kotochika" in major stations sequentially. With the shopping mall opening in Kyoto Station, following the openings of eight stores in Shijo Station and two stores in Karasuma Oike Station, the improvement project for the top three subway stations with the number of passengers has been completed. "Kotochika" as a whole is expected to generate revenue of about 650 million yen in 2013.