Kyoto National Museum
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Tue to Thu, Sat, Sun
- 9:30 to 17:00
- Fri
- 9:30 to 20:00
- Mon
- Closed
Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Special exhibitions open 9:00 to 17:30 (Fridays to 20:00). Open on a Monday holiday, closed the next day. Closed 28 December to 1 January.
Source: kyohaku.go.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
The Kyoto National Museum opened in 1897 as the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, in the Meiji Kotokan designed by Katayama Tokuma. That building has been closed since 2015 ahead of earthquake-proofing work, so the exhibitions are in the Heisei Chishinkan wing by Taniguchi Yoshio, opened in 2014.
Insider tip
Check what's on first. The museum switches between special exhibitions (The Tale of Genji, on until 29 November 2026, is ¥2,200 for adults), collection shows (¥700) and garden-only weeks (¥300), when the galleries are shut. Under-18s get into collection shows free. It shares a bus stop with Sanjusangendo.
What the guides say about Kyoto National Museum
20. Mind Mondays and Wednesdays. The Kyoto National Museum, the art museums in Okazaki, the zoo and the imperial sites close on Mondays. The Kyoto Railway Museum, the Manga Museum, the State Guest House and many Nishiki shops close on Wednesdays.
8. Sanjusangendo. A hall 120 metres long holds 1,001 statues of Kannon, every one a National Treasure. Entry's ¥600 and your shoes come off at the door. The Kyoto National Museum shares the bus stop, but check what's on first.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Kyoto National Museum
Upcoming events at Kyoto National Museum, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
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 3.0 800 Years Since the Karoku Persecution (Meihin Gallery, picture scrolls)
名品ギャラリー 絵巻 嘉禄の法難800年
Picture scroll display in the museum's permanent collection galleries. The page lists it from 22 Dec 2026 to 24 Jan 2027.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 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 Kyoto National Museum?
- 527 Chaya-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区茶屋町527).
- What are the opening hours of Kyoto National Museum?
- Tue to Thu, Sat, Sun 9:30 to 17:00; Fri 9:30 to 20:00; Closed Mon. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Special exhibitions open 9:00 to 17:30 (Fridays to 20:00). Open on a Monday holiday, closed the next day. Closed 28 December to 1 January.
- How do I get to Kyoto National Museum?
- The nearest station is Shichijo (Keihan). Kyoto National Museum is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Kyoto National Museum cost?
- Kyoto National Museum is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kyoto National Museum?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Kyoto National Museum?
- Friday evenings.
Stay near Kyoto National Museum
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