Kyoto University Museum
Ginkakuji, Kyoto
- Wed to Sun
- 9:30 to 16:30
- Mon, Tue
- Closed
Last entry 16:00. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays even when they are holidays, 28 December to 4 January, 18 June, and the Wednesday of the third week of August.
Source: museum.kyoto-u.ac.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Kyoto University's museum holds about 2.6 million specimens and objects, and its permanent galleries cover natural history, cultural history and the history of technology. On some Saturdays graduate students run the Children's Museum, explaining the exhibits in conversation with visitors, and adults are welcome too.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥400 (university students ¥300), cash only, and it's free if you're under 18 or over 70. The entrance faces Higashioji-dori, so you don't go through the campus, and it's two minutes from Hyakumanben bus stop. It's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Kyoto University Museum
Upcoming events at Kyoto University Museum and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kyoto's Chemistry: Institute for Chemical Research 100th Anniversary Exhibition
2026年度特別展 京都大学化学研究所創立100周年記念「京都の化学 化研の歴史」
Time 9:30 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, Dec 28 to Jan 4 Station Demachiyanagi (Keihan), about 20 min walk
Special exhibition on the history of Kyoto University's Institute for Chemical Research, in the South Building.
J o, CC BY-SA 3.0 Itani Junichiro Centenary Special Exhibition at Kyoto University Museum
2026年度特別展 伊谷純一郎生誕百年記念「野生の眼、野生の心 自然の探究者 伊谷純一郎」
Time 9:30 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, Dec 28 to Jan 4 Station Demachiyanagi (Keihan), about 20 min walk
Special exhibition marking 100 years since the birth of the primatologist Itani Junichiro, in the North Building.
J o, CC BY-SA 3.0 Itani Exhibition Public Seminar (Primate Origins of Equality)
伊谷純一郎展 公開セミナー 鈴木滋氏（龍谷大学）
Time 13:30 to 15:30 (doors 13:00), North Building 3F lecture room, capacity 70, no registration Station Demachiyanagi (Keihan), about 20 min walk
Public seminar linked to the Itani Junichiro exhibition on the origins of equality in primates, by Shigeru Suzuki of Ryukoku University.
J o, CC BY-SA 3.0 Itani Exhibition Public Seminar (A Personal Connection to Africa)
伊谷純一郎展 公開セミナー 木村大治氏（京都大学名誉教授）
Time 13:30 to 15:30 (doors 13:00), North Building 3F lecture room, capacity 70, no registration Station Demachiyanagi (Keihan), about 20 min walk
Public seminar linked to the Itani Junichiro exhibition on his personal connection to Africa, by Daiji Kimura of Kyoto University.
J o, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kyoto University November Festival (NF)
京都大学 11月祭(NF)
Station Hyakumanben (City Bus) or Demachiyanagi (Keihan)
The 68th Kyoto University November Festival fills the Yoshida campus from Friday 20 to Monday 23 November 2026.
Smaller local events nearby
Kamigamo Experimental Forest Autumn Nature Walk Garden
Sat 24 Oct · Kamigamo Experimental Station
An autumn nature observation event at Kyoto University's Kamigamo Experimental Station, held during Kyoto University Week.
Map · Source: Kyoto University · 上賀茂試験地 秋の自然観察会【京大ウィークス2026】
Le Marche at Institut Francais Kansai (November) Market
Sun 15 Nov (dates to be confirmed) · Institut Francais du Japon Kansai, garden, Demachiyanagi
A French-style market in the garden of the Institut Francais Kansai with bread, pastries, wine and organic food stalls, planned for 15 November.
Free entry · Map · Source: ena farm · ル・マルシェ 関西日仏学館
Nearby
Around Ginkakuji
Temple gardens along a canal path, under the Daimonji hill
Get to Ginkaku-ji for its 8:30 opening, because the temple fills up as the day goes on. Then walk south on the Philosopher's Path, about 1.8 km of stone path beside a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal, and turn off it for the temples on either side. Honen-in's grounds open at 6:00, and you don't pay to go in.
Ginkakuji has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 7 shrines and temples, 2 museums, 2 restaurants, 1 viewpoint, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood and 1 bathhouse. Read the Ginkakuji guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kyoto University Museum?
- Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区吉田本町).
- What are the opening hours of Kyoto University Museum?
- Wed to Sun 9:30 to 16:30; Closed Mon, Tue. Last entry 16:00. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays even when they are holidays, 28 December to 4 January, 18 June, and the Wednesday of the third week of August.
- How do I get to Kyoto University Museum?
- The nearest station is Hyakumanben bus stop (City Bus 3, 7, 31, 201, 203, 206). Kyoto University Museum is in Ginkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Kyoto University Museum cost?
- Kyoto University Museum is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kyoto University Museum?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Kyoto University Museum?
- Rainy days.
Stay near Kyoto University Museum
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