Ryukoku Museum
Kyoto Station, Kyoto
- Tue to Sun
- 10:00 to 17:00
- Mon
- Closed
Last entry 16:30. Open on Monday public holidays, closed the next day instead. Also closed between exhibitions.
Source: museum.ryukoku.ac.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Ryukoku University's museum stands on Horikawa-dori facing Nishi Hongan-ji and puts on exhibitions on the history of Buddhism, from its start in India to Japan. Don't miss the full-size reconstruction of the corridor of Cave 15 at Bezeklik, near Turfan in Xinjiang, about 15 m long and 3.5 m high, with nine murals of about 3 m each.
Insider tip
Each exhibition sets its own price, and the smaller series shows are ¥550. The autumn 2026 exhibition, on Fumon-ji temple in eastern Aichi, runs to 23 November. Closed Mondays and between exhibitions. It's 12 minutes on foot from Kyoto Station.
What's on near Ryukoku Museum
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Ryukoku Museum, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji
御煤払い（西本願寺）
Time From about 7:00 Station Nishi Hongwanji-mae bus stop (City Bus 9), 1 min walk
Monks and followers beat the tatami of the Goeido hall with bamboo poles and fan a year's dust out with big paper fans, a cleaning held here for over 500 years, since the time of Rennyo. It starts at about 7:00 and anyone can watch.
xiquinhosilva, CC BY 4.0 NAKED GARDEN NIGHTS at Higashi Honganji and Shosei-en
NAKED GARDEN NIGHTS 東本願寺・渉成園
Time 18:00 to 22:00 (Higashi Honganji last entry 21:00) Station Gojo (Karasuma Line), 5 min walk
NAKED lights Higashi Honganji and its detached garden Shosei-en for an evening walk through five scenes. Adult tickets are ¥2,100 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,300 Friday to Sunday and on holidays (¥200 less in advance), and from 6 to 8 Nov and on 25 Nov only Shosei-en is open.
Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 Year-end Dust Cleaning at Higashi Honganji
お煤払い（東本願寺）
Time From 9:00 Station Kyoto (JR, Karasuma Line), 7 min walk
Followers from all over Japan line up across the tatami of the Founder's and Amida halls, beat it with split bamboo and fan the dust out with paper fans about 2 m across. Then the head of the temple traces the character for 'long life' on a paper screen with a bamboo pole.
Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival
京都モダン建築祭
Time Passport days 31 Oct and 1 Nov 10:00 to 19:00, 7 and 8 Nov 10:00 to 17:00 (hours vary by building) Station Kyoto (JR, Karasuma Line)
In its fifth year about 150 modern buildings take part, and on 31 Oct and 1 Nov and on 7 and 8 Nov a passport lets you walk into 61 that are usually closed or hard to visit, from houses, banks, schools and churches to a National Treasure. From 26 Oct a half pass is ¥3,000 and a full pass ¥5,000, sold online or for cash at the Kyoto General Tourist Information Center in Kyoto Station.
Nearby
Around Kyoto Station
Free temples and late ramen a few minutes from the platforms
Most visitors only see Kyoto Station on the way in or out, which is a shame. Higashi Hongan-ji is 7 minutes north on foot and free, To-ji's pagoda is 15 minutes south, and at the railway museum to the west a working steam engine will pull you along. After dark, 15,000 LEDs light the station's 171-step staircase.
Kyoto Station has 23 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 4 shrines and temples, 4 museums, 3 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 cafes, 2 parks and gardens, 2 bathhouses, 1 bar, 1 landmark, 1 viewpoint and 1 market. Read the Kyoto Station guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Ryukoku Museum?
- Horikawa-dori Shomen-sagaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市下京区堀川通正面下る（西本願寺前）).
- What are the opening hours of Ryukoku Museum?
- Tue to Sun 10:00 to 17:00; Closed Mon. Last entry 16:30. Open on Monday public holidays, closed the next day instead. Also closed between exhibitions.
- How do I get to Ryukoku Museum?
- The nearest station is Kyoto (JR, Karasuma Line, Kintetsu). Ryukoku Museum is in Kyoto Station, Kyoto.
- How much does Ryukoku Museum cost?
- Ryukoku Museum is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Ryukoku Museum?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Ryukoku Museum?
- Rainy afternoons.
Stay near Ryukoku Museum
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