Museum of Kyoto
Shijo-Karasuma, Kyoto
- Tue to Sun
- 10:00 to 19:30
- Mon
- Closed
Hours for the history galleries and annex, last entry 19:00. Special exhibitions close at 18:00, 19:30 on Fridays. Open on holiday Mondays and closed the next weekday. Closed 28 December to 4 January.
Source: bunpaku.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
The Museum of Kyoto covers the city's history on its second floor and puts on large special exhibitions above. Even if you skip both, walk through the annex, the old Bank of Japan Kyoto branch, a red-brick building finished in 1906 to a design by Tatsuno Kingo and his student Nagano Uheiji. It's an Important Cultural Property and free to enter.
More photos of Museum of Kyoto
Insider tip
The history galleries are ¥600 (¥400 for university students, free for high schoolers and under), and the same ticket gets you into the third-floor film theatre. Special exhibitions charge separately. The galleries stay open to 19:30, so it works as an evening stop. It's closed on Mondays.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Museum of Kyoto
Upcoming events at Museum of Kyoto, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Yoake no Uta EXHIBITION: Two Million Stars
夜明けの唄 EXHIBITION 〜Two Million Stars〜
Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed Wednesdays and 11 and 12 Oct, museum admission applies Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 2 min walk
An exhibition on the manga Yoake no Uta in Gallery 4 on the second floor of the Kyoto International Manga Museum, free with museum admission.
ESU, CC BY 3.0 The Children Who Grew Up with Manga: 40 Years of Manga Culture in Europe
「Mangaと育った子どもたち：ヨーロッパにおけるManga文化の40年」展
Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 2 min walk
How Japanese manga was translated, read, criticised and taken up over 40 years in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Germany, ending with work by Europeans who grew up on it and now draw manga themselves. It's included in the museum ticket, and the museum is closed on Wednesdays.
ESU, CC BY 3.0 Kan'ei: Beauty Nurtured by Peace
特別展「寛永 太平がはぐくむ美」
Time 10:00 to 18:00, Fridays to 19:30 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk
Marking 400 years since Emperor Go-Mizunoo's visit to Nijo Castle, the museum shows the Kan'ei culture of Hon'ami Koetsu, Tawaraya Sotatsu and Nonomura Ninsei, with scrolls and screens of the imperial procession and a Kano Sanraku hawk painting from Nijo Castle. It's closed on Mondays (open 12 Oct) and 13 Oct, and the ticket covers the permanent galleries too.
Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0 Japanese Road Movies, Travelling Period Dramas (film series)
ジャパニーズ･ロード･ムービー ──旅する時代劇
Time Screenings at 13:30 and 17:00 or 18:30 depending on the day, 3rd floor Film Theatre Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk
The museum's Film Theatre shows classic Japanese period films from its collection, two screenings a day, from 2 October to 1 November.
Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0 Tanomura Chokunyu and Nanga Painting in Modern Kyoto
田能村直入と近代京都の南画 自然のアンビエンス
Time 10:00 to 19:30 (last entry 19:00), closed Mondays except 12 Oct and 23 Nov, and 13 Oct and 24 Nov Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk
A gallery exhibition on Tanomura Chokunyu and the literati painting tradition in Meiji-era Kyoto, marking 130 years since the Nanga association formed.
Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0 Smaller local events nearby
Pedro Vian plays Jon Hassell Performance
Sun 25 Oct · Lobby Lounge, Ace Hotel Kyoto, Karasuma Oike
A 90-minute listening session of Jon Hassell's music, presented in the Lobby Lounge.
16:00 to 17:30 · Map · Source: Ace Hotel Kyoto · Modern Obscure Music SPA at Ace Hotel Kyoto
KYOTO by Noritake Exhibition
On now, until 31 Oct · Ace Hotel Kyoto, Karasuma Oike
A solo exhibition by the illustrator Noritake at Ace Hotel Kyoto, made during his artist residency in the city.
Free · Map · Source: Ace Hotel Kyoto · KYOTO BY NORITAKE
Nearby
Around Shijo-Karasuma
Kyoto's old bank corner, with kimono streets one block back
Shijo-Karasuma is the crossing where the subway meets the Hankyu line from Osaka, and by 1915 three of the big banks stood on it. It doesn't look much like the Kyoto on the posters. Walk one block west, though, and you're on Muromachi-dori, the old kimono wholesalers' street, near the lanes where the Gion Matsuri floats are built every July.
Shijo-Karasuma has 16 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 4 shops, 3 shrines and temples, 3 cafes, 3 museums, 1 restaurant, 1 bar and 1 neighbourhood. Read the Shijo-Karasuma guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Museum of Kyoto?
- 623-1 Higashikatamachi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市中京区高倉通り三条上る東片町623-1).
- What are the opening hours of Museum of Kyoto?
- Tue to Sun 10:00 to 19:30; Closed Mon. Hours for the history galleries and annex, last entry 19:00. Special exhibitions close at 18:00, 19:30 on Fridays. Open on holiday Mondays and closed the next weekday. Closed 28 December to 4 January.
- How do I get to Museum of Kyoto?
- The nearest station is Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line). Museum of Kyoto is in Shijo-Karasuma, Kyoto.
- How much does Museum of Kyoto cost?
- Museum of Kyoto is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Museum of Kyoto?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Museum of Kyoto?
- Late afternoon.
Stay near Museum of Kyoto
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