The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto 京都国立近代美術館

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto is situated in the greenery of Okazaki Park. First established in 1963, the museum relocated to its current building in 1986. Its collection of approximately 13,000 items focuses on artworks from western Japan, especially Kyoto, ranging from applied art works, such as ceramics, textiles, metalworks, wood and bamboo crafts, and jewelry, to Nihon-ga (Japanese-style paintings), Yoga (Western-style Japanese paintings), prints, sculptures, and photographs.

・A comprehensive collection of modern and contemporary crafts and arts based in Kyoto

・Designed by architect Maki Fumihiko

・Museum shop & Café

The museum is situated in Okazaki Park, a hub of cultural facilities, and right beside the Torii Gate to Heian Jingu Shrine. It is ideally located for combining a visit to Heian Jingu Shrine, Nanzenji Temple, and Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art. It can be accessed by train, bus, and/or taxi from Kyoto Station, Keihan Gion-Shijo Station, and Kyoto City Subway Shijo Station. The nearest station is Kyoto City Subway Higashiyama Station, which is about a 10-minute walk from the museum. You can enjoy the rich greenery along the Shirakawa River on your way from Higashiyama Station to the museum.

The museum's collection has an emphasis on artworks and crafts from western Japan, especially Kyoto, providing visitors with an overview of modern and contemporary art history. Exhibitions are held around five times a year in the Collection Gallery on the 4th floor, featuring a mixture of works from varying genres, such as Nihon-ga, Yoga, photographs, textiles, and ceramics. Each exhibition revolves around a specific theme, including themes related to other seasonal or thematic exhibitions.

The museum building was designed by Maki Fumihiko, a world-renowned architect who received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often regarded as the Nobel Prize of architecture, and the Gold Medal of the International Union of Architects. The exterior walls feature a grid of Portuguese granite, along with an impressive gray texture. Take a step inside, and you will be transported to a space adorned with white marble. The windows combine transparent glass and milky-white opaque glass, filling the museum with gentle natural light. A reddish violet bench designed by furniture designer Fujie Kazuko is installed in front of the Collection Gallery on the 4th floor, from which visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Higashiyama as well as a close-up view of the Torii Gate to Heian Jingu Shrine.

The shop and café at the museum's entrance on the 1st floor are open to visitors without a ticket too. The shop offers original merchandise such as illustrated exhibition catalogs and postcards and clear file folders featuring items from the museum's collection, glass crafts, and merchandise from overseas museums. The café features a pleasant terrace facing the Lake Biwa Canal, where you can enjoy fresh pasta made with an authentic spaghetti machine imported from Italy, coffee, tea, and cakes. The special exhibition menus offered during thematic exhibition periods will make your visit even more enjoying.

Closed on Mondays (open on holiday Mondays and closed on the following days), during installation periods, and New Year holidays.