Kyoto National Museum (京都国立博物館)

The Kyoto National Museum was established to collect, house, and exhibit to the public tangible cultural properties as stipulated by the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. The museum also conducts related research, surveys, and other projects in order to preserve and utilize these valuable national assets.
Source: Museum’s Official WEB site

This museum opened in 1897 as the Imperial Kyoto Museum. As a national museum in Kyoto, it houses approximately 14,600 cultural properties including Japanese and Oriental antiques and archaeological materials.

The main gate and the old building, the Meiji Ancient Capital Hall, are important cultural properties.

Currently, only the Heisei Chishinkan, which opened in September 2014, is open for exivisions.

The museum has both regular and special exhibitions. Smaller special exhibitions occupy one floor only. For large special exhibitions, the entire museum is devoted to them. In a large scale special exhibition, you will not be able to see the items that are normally on display. For this reason, it is advisable to check what exhibits are on display before visiting the museum.

Special exhibitions often feature cultural assets and history of Kyoto and the Kansai region.

Nearby spots from Kyoto National Museum

The famous Sanjusangendo temple is located just across the street from the museum entrance. So you can visit there easily from the museum.

Sanjusangendo (三十三間堂)