Post-renovation conceptual image of the souvenir shop premises of Kyoto Station's Shinkansen area

Central Japan Railway Company, or JR Central, announced on August 7 that renovation of part of its shopping facilities inside the ticket gate of the Tokaido Shinkansen line at Kyoto Station in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, will be completed this autumn. New coffee shops from Starbucks, a leading U.S. coffeehouse chain, will also be opened to serve the increase in visitors, including inbound tourists to Japan.

The souvenir shop inside the ticket gate is named "Maiko," and items of about 30 long-established shops in Kyoto including confectionary manufacturers and traditional Japanese high-end restaurants are available. The shop is planned to reopen in November with its floor area increased by 10 percent.

In addition, at the invitation of JR Central, Starbucks will open two shops between January and March next year; one in front of the Shinkansen central ticket gate and one inside the gate. As a result, Starbucks will operate at all six stations on the Tokaido Shinkansen line where Nozomi trains stop between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka.