About

An ancient city dating back over 1200 years, Kyoto is the cultural center of Japan.

Owing to Kyoto's central place in Japanese history, it has given birth to numerous arts and culture over the years, and is thus home to a large number of art museums and other museums.

When sightseeing in Kyoto it is likely that you will pay a visit to the city's famous temples and shrines, but Kyoto has much more to offer. Any trip to Kyoto should not be without a visit to the city's art spots such as its art museums and other museums.

Some art museums are based in important cultural property-designated Japanese houses as well as historical buildings, so please be sure to give them a visit.

This website introduces Kyoto's main art museums and other museums. We hope that it will in some small way contribute to you making an enjoyable and memorable trip to Kyoto.

Museum List

• General Museum
• Japanese Arts & Japanese Culture
• Manga & Subculture
• Contemporary Arts
• Kimono
• Temple & Buddhism
• Japanese History

Things you should know in order to enjoy Kyoto's art museums

• For the most part, it is OK to wear shoes in art museums. However, you will have to take your shoes off before entering some art museums which are based in traditional Japanese houses.

• Many of the facilities based in traditional Japanese houses have tatami and wooden-boarded floors. In such places, please take off your shoes and enter the building wearing your socks. Refrain from entering the facility in your bare feet. This is to avoid any sweat or oily skin secretions on the underside of your feet deteriorating the tatami or soiling the wooden floor.

  Please bring some socks in your bag if you are wearing sandals with bare feet. Taking off your sandals at the entrance to change into socks is fine. If you are wearing stockings, be sure to wear socks over them when entering the building.

  (The above rules also apply to general Japanese homes. The Japanese sometimes relax at home in tatami rooms with bear feet, but this is never done when visiting someone else's home.)

• Traditional Japanese buildings are mainly wooden structures with earthen walls and the wall surface may come loose simply by touching it. Therefore, please be sure to leave large hand luggage at the entrance as it is possible to unknowingly touch the wall or fittings with large luggage such as a rucksack while moving around the building.
  (Please take care to safeguard your valuables.) Avoid touching not only exhibits but also the walls and ceiling with your bare hands.
• For the most part, taking photos in an art museum exhibition room in Japan is prohibited. In rare cases it is permitted, but be sure to ask museum staff first.
• If there is anything you are not sure about when it comes to sightseeing in Kyoto, direct any queries you have to the "Kyo-Navi" tourist information center in Kyoto. There are English-speaking staff stationed in the center who can deal with a large variety of queries. (TEL:(+81)075-343-0548)
• We are informing you of these simple rules to ensure a harmonious time for both visitors and art museums.
  Please admire and enjoy Japanese culture to the full. We sincerely hope you can come and visit us.