Kyoto Museum for World Peace
Kinkakuji, Kyoto
- Mon to Sat
- 9:30 to 16:30
- Sun
- Closed
Last entry 16:00. Also closed the day after a public holiday (when a Sunday is a holiday, it opens and closes the next day instead), over the New Year and on some university summer holidays.
Source: ritsumei.ac.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Ritsumeikan University opened this museum in 1992 and calls it the world's first peace museum run by a university. The permanent exhibition, rebuilt for the reopening in September 2023, starts with a timeline, then turns to four themes, from Japan's colonies and occupied lands and the harm Japan both did and suffered in the Fifteen Years' War to human security and world peace.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥400 for adults, ¥300 for junior high and high school students and ¥200 for primary school children. You don't need a ticket for the Peace Commons on the second floor. It's closed on Sundays and the day after a public holiday.
What's on near Kyoto Museum for World Peace
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Kyoto Museum for World Peace, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Okasai Cherry Blossom Festival at Hirano Shrine
桜花祭（平野神社）
Time Rite 10:00, procession 13:00, back about 15:00 Station Kinugasako-mae bus stop (City Bus 50, 205), 3 min walk
A procession of about 200 people in period costume, weaving maidens and a column of court poets among them, leaves the shrine at 13:00 and tours the neighbourhood. It's held on 10 April every year.
lienyuan lee, CC BY 3.0 Meigetsu-sai at Hirano Shrine
名月祭（平野神社）
Time Rite 18:30, performances from 19:00 Station Kinugasako-mae bus stop (City Bus)
A harvest moon rite at 18:30, then folk song, dance, koto, shakuhachi and gagaku from 19:00, with matcha served for a fee.
lienyuan lee, CC BY 3.0 Tenjin-ichi Market at Kitano Tenmangu
天神市（北野天満宮）
Time All day, lanterns lit from sunset Station Kitano-Hakubaicho (Randen Kitano Line), 5 min walk
The 25th is Kitano Tenmangu's monthly fair day, and stalls line the approach all day. From sunset the shrine lights its 350 stone and 250 hanging lanterns, and 25 January and 25 December are the busiest of the year, with about a thousand stalls.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Plum Garden at Kitano Tenmangu
梅苑「花の庭」公開（北野天満宮）
Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50), right by the stop
The shrine has about 1,500 plum trees of 50 kinds, and it opens its plum garden, with a tea stall and a viewing deck, while they flower. Opening depends on the blossom, usually early February, and the garden stays open to late March.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Baikasai Plum Blossom Festival
梅花祭（北野天満宮）
Time Tea ceremony 10:00 to 15:00 Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50), right by the stop
On the anniversary of Sugawara no Michizane's death, Kamishichiken's geiko and maiko serve matcha at an outdoor tea ceremony in the plum garden. It's also the 25th, so the Tenjin-san market fills the approach.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Nearby
Around Kinkakuji
Three World Heritage temples on one road under Mount Kinugasa
Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji and Ninna-ji all sit on Kinukake-no-Michi, a road that climbs about 2.5 km from Omuro-Ninnaji Station up to the Golden Pavilion. Start at Ryoan-ji, which opens at 8:00 from March to November, an hour before Kinkaku-ji. South of the road, Myoshin-ji's grounds don't close at all, and they hold more than 40 subtemples.
Kinkakuji has 14 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 9 shrines and temples, 2 museums, 1 cafe, 1 restaurant and 1 viewpoint. Read the Kinkakuji guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kyoto Museum for World Peace?
- 56-1 Tojiin Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市北区等持院北町56-1).
- What are the opening hours of Kyoto Museum for World Peace?
- Mon to Sat 9:30 to 16:30; Closed Sun. Last entry 16:00. Also closed the day after a public holiday (when a Sunday is a holiday, it opens and closes the next day instead), over the New Year and on some university summer holidays.
- How do I get to Kyoto Museum for World Peace?
- The nearest station is Ritsumeikan Daigaku-mae bus stop (City Bus 12, 50, 59). Kyoto Museum for World Peace is in Kinkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Kyoto Museum for World Peace cost?
- Kyoto Museum for World Peace is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kyoto Museum for World Peace?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Kyoto Museum for World Peace?
- A rainy day.
Stay near Kyoto Museum for World Peace
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