THE 10 BEST Kyoto History Museums
History Museums in Kyoto
Category types
26 results sorted by traveller favourites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
Recommended Museum Tickets and Passes (3)
Revenue impacts these recommendations, learn more.
Speciality Museums • History Museums
City Center
History Museums
Nishijin District
History Museums
City Center
History Museums
Nishijin District
History Museums
Northern Kyoto
History Museums
Shinkyogoku Shopping District
History Museums
Shimogyo-ku
History Museums
Shimogyo-ku
Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites
Southern Kyoto
History Museums
Southern Kyoto
History Museums
History Museums
Northern Kyoto
History Museums
Northern Kyoto
History Museums
History Museums
Northern Kyoto
Speciality Museums • History Museums
History Museums
City Center
What travellers are saying
- maaparMount Pleasant, SC968 contributionsSo glad that we found this small museum. It was beautifully laid out and artists and craftsmen were actually demonstrating various crafts. It was fascinating and I cannot believe more people do not know about it. It should definitely be rated higher as a must seeWritten 20 December 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- yyyzzz_utahSalt Lake City, UT616 contributionsI really want to give a 5 star. But the place was half closed with the main hall not available. Plus, no photos around the exhibits. Slightly disappointed after visiting the national museum in Tokyo, which allows everything.
The food of the restaurant is fine.Written 16 December 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Phillip RSydney, Australia91 contributionsThis is a fab museum - well worth visiting if only to see the inside of a traditional Japanese house. Kawai Kanjiro was a famous potter and this house is absolutely delightful.Written 7 July 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Ryan MBelfast, UK59 contributionsThis museum has some unique things to see which other museums don't have, just remember that you won't be able to take pictures throughout most of exhibits as that seems to be what I experienced but it was still fantastic time with lots of historical knowledge bombs.Written 22 March 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- DuckbattleCanberra28 contributionsWe visited this museum to see cloisonné by a famous artist, Namikawa, and the works of art were gorgeous, the best we've ever seen. The flowered vases and small plates with views of lakes and boats were my favourites. It's a small museum, but it is housed in Namikawa's own house, which was also the site of his workshop. So in addition to the gallery of superb cloisonné objects and the medals Namikawa won for his work, you can also see tools, photos and the old kiln room; the living areas of the house preserved from the 1920s; and the old kitchen. The traditional-style garden is a quiet and lovely oasis in the middle of the city. Highly recommended if you like cloisonné and/or house museums.
The museum proved to be easy to reach by following the directions on its website. Take a bus from the centre of Kyoto and then a short walk through suburbia (which was interesting in itself).Written 6 October 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - KwakakuSakai, Japan2,224 contributionsWe kept walking along San'nen-zaka Hill, Ninen-zaka Hill, and Ryoma-zaka Hill to get to Ryozen Museum of History. The museum is known (well-known? or who-knows?) with its exhibition of Bakumatsu stuffs; the slippers of San'jo Sanetomi (a royalist noble) , the fan of Takasugi Shinsaku (a royalist samurai of Choshu) , the finger bowl of Katsura Kogoro (another royalist samurai of Choshu)…… Most of them are daily necessities which have nothing to do with the revolution, but were breathtaking for my daughter as well as for other Bakumatsu freaks.
Ryozen Museum is built within Ryozen Shrine, which is one of Gokoku (national guardian) shrines which were established in Meiji Era. The exhibition's character is naturally anti-Shogunate and royalist. However, its souvenir shop had rental Shinsen-gumi haori for the guests to take photos with it on. Who cares which party a certain hero belonged as long as he is a hero? My daughter, however, didn’t wear one, and narrowly evaded being called a political opportunist.
Ryozen Shrine has a huge grave yard, which has graves or monuments of more than 300 of those who sacrificed themselves for the Meiji Restoration. If you count in those who don't have their own graves but are memorialized in a group, the number will rise to over 1300! The souvenir shop sells a national map which is dotted with the birthplaces of the sacrificed. No wonder Bakumatsu pilgrimage never goes out of fashion. The map demonstrates almost every town in Japan has its own Bakumatsu hero. Moreover, the number, of course, excludes those who sacrificed themselves against the Meiji Restoration, such as Shinsen-gumi. If they were to added, the total number of Bakumatsu heroes will surely soar.Written 3 May 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - travelgalAvonAvon, CT408 contributionsSmall, free museum definitely worth a short visit. Introductory film (with English subtitles) and historic photos and maps of this engineering marvel. Most written in Japanese but there is enough English to make it understandable.
Air-conditioned and rest rooms make a nice break from walking around the cityWritten 5 October 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Robert MKyoto, Japan15 contributionsThe items on view were top notch, although the building itself was a bit dilapidated, and you seem to enter through the office. The staff were more than happy to walk through with us and explain things, and it was well worth the stop to see the varieties of pottery from over the past 2000 years unearthed in Kyoto.Written 21 April 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- TravellerB17Oxford, UK50 contributionsThis little museum is very good value. The staff are very friendly and the range of artefacts is really interesting. There were very thorough and interesting guides in English so you could easily access the information. Beautiful art work too ajdnthe building itself is lovely!Written 24 May 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Kimitaka STaichung, Taiwan15,598 contributionsI passed by this place several times, but I had never noticed this museum. Apparently it is a quite new facility. According to the explanation, Goto Shojiro used to stay here as he was in Kyoto. The museum is small, but nicely informative. The entrance is free, so it should be a topic of conversation.Written 13 July 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
