Surely, city buses are convenient, but taxis are a great way to get around when you have a lot of luggage, when you're tired of walking, or when you can't wait anymore.
Now, to take a taxi, you can find a taxi rank near a train station, temple, or shrine. Also, if an empty taxi is running around the city, raise your hand to stop it. If you have a lot of luggage, ask the driver to open the trunk in the back. If you tell him "Big bag!" showing your bag, he will notice and open the trunk. Now, once you've boarded, you have to tell him where you're going. However, I don't recommend showing the map on a smartphone. Many of the drivers are elderly, and they can't see small map. Therefore it's a good idea to have a notebook and a magic pen ready. If you want to get off before you reach the destination, and to tell him to stop, please say "Cocoa day stop, please". "Cocoa" means “here”, and "day" means “at”. You can also say "Cocoa day OK".
Though Kyoto is a world-class tourist destination, unfortunately there are not many cashless taxis. Make sure you have cash on hand. Luckily the taxi meter in Kyoto is displayed in units of 100 yen, so there is no need for fine coins. It is recommended to always have a number of 1,000 yen bills and 100 yen coins. No tipping required. You only need to pay the amount indicated on the meter. There are occasions when you get out of a taxi and want the driver to wait for you. In such a case, say ”Cocoa day mat eight eight, please". This does not mean 8 minutes. Japanese sound "mat eight eight" asks some to wait. Similar sound is “mat tea tea”. This is also OK. Of course, you must pay a waiting fee, be careful.
Finally, if you want to thank the driver, you can use "Thank you". But if you want to communicate in Japanese, it is "Door more early gut all". ="Thank you very much".
