Kawai Kanjiro's House
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Tue to Sun
- 10:00 to 17:00
- Mon
- Closed
Last entry 16:30. Open on a Monday holiday, closed the next day. Closed for summer and winter breaks (10 to 24 August in 2026).
Source: kanjiro.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
The potter Kawai Kanjiro set up his home and kiln on this Gojozaka plot in 1920, and in 1937 he built the house you walk through now to his own design. It opened as a museum in 1973. The furniture and fittings are his designs or things he collected, and the quiet rooms still give a feel of how he lived.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥1,000. It's a small private museum, so groups of 7 to 10 have to phone ahead and come on a weekday. Check the home page before you go, since it closes for about two weeks in summer and over New Year.
Tickets and tours
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What's on near Kawai Kanjiro's House
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Kawai Kanjiro's House, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Gojo Wakamiya Pottery Fair
五条若宮陶器祭
Time 10:00 to 21:00 Station Kiyomizu-Gojo (Keihan), 5 min walk
Potters and kilns, about 130 of them in 2026, sell along the pavements of Gojo-dori between Yamatooji and Higashioji and at Wakamiya Hachimangu. The fair ran for about a century from the Taisho era and was revived in 2023, and it goes ahead in the rain.
The Tale of Genji: Radiance of the Heian Court
特別展 源氏物語 王朝のかがやき
Time 9:00 to 17:30, Fridays to 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
The Kyoto National Museum's first Tale of Genji exhibition in about 50 years shows paintings, crafts, manuscripts and commentaries, about 250 works across its Kyoto and Tokyo runs, including the Aobyoshi-bon text edited by Fujiwara no Teika and the scattered 'phantom' Moriyasu Genji scroll. The display changes on 3 Nov, and the museum is closed on Mondays (open 12 Oct and 23 Nov), 13 Oct and 24 Nov.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Hijiya Music Club Concert at Kyoto National Museum
ヒジヤミュージッククラブ（京都国立博物館）
Time 14:00 start (doors 13:45), numbered tickets from 13:00 Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
A concert at the Kyoto National Museum on 8 November, with numbered tickets given out from 13:00 in front of the lecture hall and a special exhibition ticket required.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Layered Histories: Renowned Tea Utensils and Their Boxes
特集展示 茶の湯の道具と次第
Time 9:30 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), Fridays to 20:00, closed Mondays except 11 Jan and 22 Mar, and 28 Dec to 1 Jan and 12 Jan Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
A feature exhibition in the Heisei Chishinkan Wing on tea utensils and the boxes and wrappings that came with them, open from late December to late March.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 New Year Feature: All About Sheep
新春特集展示 ひつじづくし 干支を愛でる
Time 9:30 to 17:00, Fridays to 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
For 2027, the Year of the Sheep, the museum's New Year display gathers sheep in art from its collection, an animal rarely kept in Japan outside Hokkaido, so expect some oddities. A tea utensils feature runs at the same time, the ticket covers every gallery in the Heisei Chishinkan, and it's closed on Mondays (open 11 Jan), from 28 Dec to 1 Jan and on 12 Jan.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Smaller local events nearby
Kyoto Pottery Doll Exhibition (69th) Exhibition
On now, until 28 Oct · Kyoto Ceramics Hall, Higashiyama
An exhibition of Kyoto pottery dolls by eight makers on the 2nd floor gallery and 1st floor hall of Kyoto Ceramics Hall, with a sales corner for zodiac and lucky items. Closed Thursdays.
10:00 to 18:00 (16:00 on the last day) · Map · Source: Kyoto Ceramics Association · 第69回 京陶人形展
Shibutani Road to Seikan-ji and Kiyomizu-dera Toribeno walk (Higashiyama B) Festival
Listed days, 9:00 Oct to Dec, 12:30 Jan to Feb. Next: Thu 29 Oct · Otani Honbyo, Higashiyama
Guided walk along the old Shibutani road past Seikan-ji to Kiyomizu-dera, meeting at Otani Honbyo. In Japanese only, booking required, 10 places a day.
¥3,960 including Seikan-ji admission (elementary and under ¥1,980) · 9:00 to 11:30 (Oct to Dec), 12:30 to 15:00 (Jan to Feb) · Map · Source: Heritage Hub Kyoto · 【京都東山B】渋谷街道〜清閑寺〜清水寺 鳥辺野古社寺めぐり
Nearby
Around Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera at opening, then the temples and pottery below it
Higashiyama is a whole ward, but this guide covers the slope from Kiyomizu-dera down to Shichijo-dori. Go early. The temple's gates open at 6:00, and if you're there then, you'll reach its wooden stage long before the day's crowds. Later, walk down past the pottery shops of Gojozaka to Sanjusangendo, where 1,001 statues of Kannon stand in a hall 120 metres long.
Higashiyama has 22 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 2 museums, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 cafe, 1 viewpoint, 1 restaurant and 1 landmark. Read the Higashiyama guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kawai Kanjiro's House?
- 569 Gojozaka Kanei-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区五条坂鐘鋳町569).
- What are the opening hours of Kawai Kanjiro's House?
- Tue to Sun 10:00 to 17:00; Closed Mon. Last entry 16:30. Open on a Monday holiday, closed the next day. Closed for summer and winter breaks (10 to 24 August in 2026).
- How do I get to Kawai Kanjiro's House?
- The nearest station is Umamachi bus stop (City Bus 206, 207). Kawai Kanjiro's House is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Kawai Kanjiro's House cost?
- Kawai Kanjiro's House is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kawai Kanjiro's House?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Kawai Kanjiro's House?
- Weekday mornings.
Stay near Kawai Kanjiro's House
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