If you need a break from the seemingly limitless traditional culture to experience in Kyoto, I recommend visiting Kyoto Station to check out the great (and free) views. The terminal building is a huge, complex feat of architecture with all sorts of interesting perspectives to explore. And of course, the nearby area is a convenient place to stay during your visit thanks to all the hotels and connections by rail and bus, plus the ever-present taxis.
Not many people pass by this viewpoint southeast of Kyoto Station's main building. The structure reminds me of a sci-fi spaceship or moon base. The new station's design was controversial because it meant placing what was then Japan's largest terminal building in the middle of a city with height limits on other structures intended to preserve the views of the traditional surroundings. I, for one, like it. It's also where, like many before me, I first arrived in Kyoto, on the Haruka limited express from Kansai International Airport.
