An Insider’s Guide to the Best Museums in Kyoto

Discover woodblock ukiyo-e prints housed in a studio that rarely opens to the public, learn about the history of Japan’s second-largest liquor brewery or take part in a manga workshop at the best museums in Kyoto.
As the country’s imperial capital for over 1,000 years, Kyoto has played a significant role in the progress of Japanese culture. Best known for its shrines and temples, the city also has many museums dedicated to history, arts, crafts and much more.

If you’re planning to visit multiple museums during your stay, consider buying the Kansai Grutto Pass for ¥1,100 (£8), which provides free or heavily discounted admission to over 100 museums and galleries in the Kansai region. You can buy one every month except during February and March. The pass expires three months from its first use.
Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum
Bar, Japanese
Take in the history of Japan’s second-largest liquor brewery. Only a stone’s throw from Fushimi Inari Shrine in the country’s liquor-brewing capital of Fushimi, the brewery was opened by the Gekkeikan Sake Company in 1909. Discover the history of traditional tools and methods of sake-making with 400 sake production materials displayed (limited information is available in English-language leaflets). Be transported back to the old brewery days, with the traditional chants of sake makers echoing throughout the museum. All visitors who have paid the ¥400 (£3) entry receive a free sake tasting or postcard at the end of the visit.
The National Museum of Modern Art
Building, Museum

Ukiyoe Small Museum
Museum
If you happen to pass by resident artist Ichimura Mamoru’s studio when it’s open, you’re in luck. A humorous sign about the studio’s opening hours reads: “Open when I wake up and closed when I must go to sleep. When I’ve had enough the store is closed,” but the real gem is found behind the door. Have a peek at Mamoru’s traditional woodblock prints, known as ukiyo-e, to uncover a world of Japanese folk tales, animals and landscapes. There are now only a handful of artists practising the art, common between the 17th and 19th centuries, making this a truly rare experience.
Kyoto National Museum
Museum

The Museum of Kyoto
Museum
Formally the Kyoto branch of the Bank of Japan, The Museum of Kyoto is housed within a compelling red-brick building and details the city’s rich history. Wander the first section of the museum, home to reconstructed Edo-period cafés and shops. In the second section, admire paintings by Western and Japanese artists, beautiful Kyoto dolls known as kyo-ningyo and a hall for films about Kyoto with English subtitles. The museum hosts a range of fascinating exhibitions, covering both Japanese and international themes. Admission is ¥500 (£3.60).
Kyoto International Manga Museum
Museum

Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum
Museum
Popularised during the Edo period, netsukes (miniature sculptures) were originally to prevent people’s personal belongings, including their inro (medicine box), yatate (writing set), tobacco and pouches, from being stolen. These small but exquisitely crafted artworks would hang from kimono belts and were made from an array of materials including animal bones, wood, ceramic and metals. As soon as Japan opened to the West during the Meiji era, netsukes became the ultimate fashion statement, with some collectors paying the price of a house in exchange for a rare one. Now you can gaze upon the collection of 400 antique and contemporary netsukes at the former home of the Kanzaki family, the only surviving samurai residence in Kyoto and a Tangible Cultural Property in Japan. Take a moment to appreciate the byobu folding screens, garden and polearms once used to defend the premise. Admission is ¥1,000 (£7.25).
Kyoto Railway Museum
Museum

Spanning across three floors in a 30,000-square-metre (322,900-square-foot) building, the Kyoto Railway Museum offers visitors the opportunity to experience Japan’s steps towards transport innovation, exhibiting 53 retired trains, from steam locomotives to more modern electric trains and the high-speed Shinkansen. This family-friendly museum showcases railway uniforms, offers interactive exhibitions where visitors can perform the duties of a train conductor and flaunts one of Japan’s largest dioramas – miniature trains controlled by a skilled operator. For an extra ¥300 (£2.20), visitors are invited on a one-kilometre (0.6-mile) journey on a steam train that lasts around 10 minutes. English explanations are limited, so opt for the English audio tour guide at the start. Admission is ¥1,200 (£8.70). All aboard!
Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts
Museum
Kyoto has been at the centre of traditional Japanese crafts for over 1,000 years. Learn about the time-honoured techniques and materials used in the museum’s permanent exhibition, which showcases 74 categories of industries that blossomed in Kyoto. From umbrella making, kyo-yaki (Kyoto pottery), nishijin-ori (silk weaving) and kyo-yuzen (silk dyeing) of kimonos and kyo-sensu (folding fans), to name a few. You can even watch how Japanese candles, lacquerware and family crest paintings are made by skilled artisans during the craft demonstrations. Or be captivated by the maiko (apprentice geisha) and geiko (geisha) performances. Admission is free.
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!


Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.


KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.