[Autumn/Winter 2026] Museum Guide to Okazaki, Kyoto: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, National Museum of Modern Art and Hosomi Museum

In the Okazaki area of Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the Hosomi Museum, the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design and Heian Jingu Shrine are all within about a 10-minute walk of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line. In autumn and winter 2026, the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art is showing “Zen and Ghibli” (until December 6) and an exhibition on Seika Yamaga (until December 20). At the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, “Who Does Jewelry Dream Of?” opened on Saturday, October 24. Here are each museum’s exhibitions, opening hours, prices and access, based on official information.

Why are there so many museums in Okazaki?

The history of cultural facilities in Okazaki goes back to the Meiji era. Heian Jingu Shrine was founded in 1895, on the 1,100th anniversary of the transfer of the capital to Heian-kyo, as a shrine for all the city’s residents. In April 1909, the Kyoto Prefectural Kyoto Library, designed by Goichi Takeda, opened here. According to the prefectural library’s history, the old building also served as a kind of art museum, hosting solo exhibitions by Takehisa Yumeji and Ryusei Kishida.

The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (Kyoto City Museum of Art) opened in autumn 1933 as the “Enthronement Commemoration Kyoto Museum of Art.” According to the museum, it was one of the earliest public art museums in Japan, created through the efforts and funding of citizens from Kyoto’s business, political and academic circles. Its main building is said to be “the oldest building among Japan’s existing public art museums.” On March 21, 2020, after a major renovation by Jun Aoki and Tezzo Nishizawa, it reopened as the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art.

Prices are also changing in autumn 2026. The national museums have revised admission to their collection exhibitions, and the collection exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto rises from 430 yen to 1,000 yen for adults from October 24. Meanwhile, the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto and the Hosomi Museum have a partnership under which each other’s tickets earn a discount.

Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art: Zen and Ghibli, Seika Yamaga and the Collection Room

“Zen and Ghibli” (until December 6) in the Higashiyama Cube of the new wing is an immersive exhibition that introduces Zen ideas through Studio Ghibli films. The space is organized around the film “The Boy and the Heron” (2023), with famous lines, film stills and calligraphy by Toshio Suzuki. From Saturday, October 31 it switches to priority entry for visitors with reservations, and from Sunday, November 1 it opens at 9:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only (except November 8, 15 and 21).

After it closes, the museum will hold the Kyoto showing of “The Zen of Hakuin-san, Planned and Produced by Studio Ghibli,” which it positions as the second part, from Thursday, December 17 to Monday, January 11, 2027 (a public holiday). It presents works by the Rinzai Zen monk Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768) together with videos expressing the messages they contain. The relationship between the two exhibitions is explained in detail in our article on the Zen and Ghibli exhibition.

On the 1st floor of the South Gallery of the main building, “Seika Yamaga, Textile Artist: 140th Anniversary of His Birth – Imagination Soaring Through Space” runs until Sunday, December 20. Seika Yamaga (1885–1981) was a dyeing and weaving artist who devised “teori nishiki,” hand-woven brocade in which a single artist handles everything from conceiving the design and choosing the threads to weaving. The exhibition introduces “Constellations, Moon and Rocket” (1958), “Tokyo Tower” (1958), hangings for floats of the Gion Festival and the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival, and the large mural for the Miyako Hotel. The second half of the display began on Tuesday, November 3 (a public holiday), and the exhibition travels to the Tokyo Station Gallery from February 20, 2027.

In the Collection Room on the 1st floor of the North Gallery of the main building, the special feature “Museum Story: The Birth of the City Museum” runs until Sunday, December 13. It traces the background of the museum’s opening in 1933 and its early collection. Animal paintings such as Takeuchi Seiho’s “Bear” (1910) and landscapes depicting autumn leaves are also on view. In The Triangle, “Soshi Matsunobe: Wall,” a solo exhibition by an artist who uses everyday motifs such as wallpaper, rubber bands and graffiti, is on view free of charge until December 20.

In the new year, the Collection Room’s winter feature “Painting Time: Modernity Reflected in Kyoto Lacquer” and an exhibition by Yumiko Fujino in The Triangle follow from January 15. On February 6, “Raphaël Zarka: Geometry, Time, Skateboarding” opens in the Higashiyama Cube of the new wing.

Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last entry varies by exhibition)
Closed: Mondays (open if a public holiday), New Year holidays (December 28 – January 2)
Admission: Zen and Ghibli: adults and university students 1,900 yen / Seika Yamaga: adults 1,800 yen / Collection Room: adults 730 yen (520 yen for Kyoto City residents) / Soshi Matsunobe: Wall: free
Address: 124 Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access: About an 8-minute walk from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line. Right by the “Okazaki Koen Bijutsukan / Heian Jingu-mae” city bus stop
Official website: https://kyotocity-kyocera.museum/

National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto: a jewelry exhibition and closure from January 18

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto presents “Who Does Jewelry Dream Of?” from Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, January 17, 2027. Taking postwar Japan as its viewpoint, the exhibition reexamines the expressive possibilities of jewelry with about 350 items. It presents works from the collection of the vocational school Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry on a large scale, along with works coming from Germany to Japan for the first time in about 50 years. The National Crafts Museum provides special cooperation, and the exhibition design is by Ryuji Nakamura (Ryuji Nakamura & Associates). Details of the exhibits are introduced in our article on the jewelry exhibition.

“Collection Exhibition 3, FY2026,” which starts the same day, consists of nine small exhibitions, including “MoMAK Masters,” which selects masterpieces from some 17,000 works in the collection, and “Bakusen Tsuchida: 90 Years After His Death.” There is also a section introducing wallpaper and textiles by Felice Rix-Ueno, and “The Diversity of Metalwork Expression” is linked to the jewelry exhibition. A jewelry exhibition ticket also covers the collection exhibition.

The museum will close from Monday, January 18, 2027, to the end of March for improvements to its interior environment. In April, a café, “Ogawa Coffee National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (provisional name),” is scheduled to open on the 1st floor.

Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays during special exhibitions; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on November 23 and January 11), Tuesday, November 24, December 29 – January 3, Tuesday, January 12
Admission: Jewelry exhibition: adults 2,000 yen, university students 1,300 yen, high school students 600 yen, junior high school students and younger free (night discount on Fridays after 18:00) / Collection exhibition: adults 1,000 yen, university students 500 yen, free for high school students and younger, those under 18 and those 65 and over
Address: 26-1 Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access: About a 10-minute walk from Exit 1 of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line. Right by the “Okazaki Koen Bijutsukan / Heian Jingu-mae” city bus stop
Official website: https://www.momak.go.jp/

Hosomi Museum and Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design

Hosomi Museum: from Ryokan to contemporary Meissen porcelain

The Hosomi Museum holds about 1,000 works of Japanese art from the Jomon and Yayoi periods to the Edo period, including works by Ito Jakuchu. The building, designed by architect Tadasu Ohe, has three floors above ground and two below, housing galleries, JAKUCHU CAFÉ and a shop. The special exhibition “Ryokan-san: The Man and His Zen,” on view until Sunday, November 8, presents the calligraphy and poetry of the late Edo Zen monk Ryokan (1758–1831) in three chapters.

From Saturday, November 21, “Tales (Märchen) Painted by the Master Heinz Werner: The Porcelain Art of Contemporary Meissen” runs until Sunday, January 31, 2027. Werner (1928–2019) studied porcelain painting at the training school within the Meissen porcelain manufactory and is said to have created many works of contemporary Meissen. From March 6, 2027, an exhibition on Itaro Yamaguchi and the “Tale of Genji Brocade Picture Scrolls” (provisional title “The Beauty of Silk, the Art of Weaving”) is planned.

Hours: 10:00–17:00
Closed: Mondays (the following day if Monday is a public holiday), during exhibition changes, New Year holidays (December 24, 2026 – January 5, 2027)
Admission: Both the Ryokan and Heinz Werner exhibitions: adults 2,000 yen, students 1,500 yen
Address: 6-3 Okazaki Saishoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access: 10-minute walk from Exit 2 of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line. 3-minute walk from the “Higashiyama Nijo / Okazaki Koen-guchi” city bus stop
Official website: https://www.emuseum.or.jp/

Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design

Located on the basement floor of the Kyoto International Exhibition Hall “Miyako Messe,” the museum introduces mainly the 74 traditional industries of Kyoto City. Its special exhibition room is showing “Tradition Meets Today #7” until December 28. Admission has been charged since September 2023, and visitors in kimono, among others, are free. The MOCAD Gallery and museum shop are free to enter.

Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)
Closed: See the calendar on the official website (October 26, November 24, etc.)
Admission: Adults (including university students) 500 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 400 yen. Free for preschool children, elementary, junior high and high school students living in Kyoto City, and visitors in kimono, among others
Address: Kyoto International Exhibition Hall “Miyako Messe” B1F, 9-1 Okazaki Seishoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access: About a 10-minute walk north from Exit 1 of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line
Official website: https://kmtc.jp/

Heian Jingu Shrine’s garden and the Kyoto Prefectural Library

The Shin-en garden of Heian Jingu Shrine is a pond-stroll garden of about 33,000 square meters created by the Meiji-era landscape gardener Jihei Ogawa VII and others, and was designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in December 1975. It consists of four gardens, East, Middle, West and South, surrounding the shrine buildings. The Garyukyo stepping-stone bridge uses pillars from the Sanjo Ohashi and Gojo Ohashi bridges, built in the Tensho era.

On the evenings of Monday, November 2 to Sunday, November 29, “WONDER NIGHT JINGU – Gekka –” takes place, an immersive night walk through the shrine grounds with light and sound (our article on WONDER NIGHT JINGU). Kyoto’s autumn nighttime temple visits and light-ups are gathered in our guide to Kyoto at night.

The Kyoto Prefectural Library replaced the old building that opened in 1909 and opened its new building in May 2001. Inside, it features the mini exhibition “Meeting Textile Artist Seika Yamaga Through Books” and a mini corner, “Kamisaka Sekka: 160th Anniversary of His Birth,” on Kamisaka Sekka, under whom Yamaga studied. Opening hours are 9:30–19:00 Tuesday to Friday and 9:30–17:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Heian Jingu Shin-en garden: Open 8:30–17:30 until October 31 (last entry 17:00), and 8:30–17:00 from November 1 to the end of February (last entry 16:30). Admission: adults 600 yen, children 300 yen
Address: 97 Okazaki Nishitenno-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Access: 10-minute walk from Exit 1 of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line
Official website: https://www.heianjingu.or.jp/

Access and discounts: the partnership discount and the M4 reciprocal discount

The nearest stop for Okazaki’s museums is the “Okazaki Koen Bijutsukan / Heian Jingu-mae” city bus stop. Taking route 5 from stop A1 at Kyoto Station brings you right to the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art and the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, and within a 5-minute walk of the Hosomi Museum. By subway, each museum is about an 8- to 10-minute walk from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Line. The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the Hosomi Museum and Heian Jingu Shrine have no parking for general visitors.

There are three main discount schemes. The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto and the Hosomi Museum offer a partnership discount: showing a paid same-day ticket (stub accepted) for an eligible exhibition gets 100 yen off (some exhibitions are excluded). The jewelry exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto is eligible for the “M4 reciprocal discount”: showing a ticket for an eligible exhibition at the Kyoto National Museum, The Museum of Kyoto or the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art gets 100 yen off a same-day ticket. “Zen and Ghibli” and the Seika Yamaga exhibition at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art also give 100 yen off each other, for same-day tickets only.

If you are heading beyond Okazaki, Osaka’s museums are introduced in our museum guide to Nakanoshima, Osaka, and the National Crafts Museum, which provides special cooperation for the jewelry exhibition, in our guide to art spots in Kanazawa.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a reservation for “Zen and Ghibli”?

From Saturday, October 31, visitors with reservations get priority entry. You can usually enter without a reservation, but when it is crowded you may have to wait or may not be able to enter. The organizers expect crowds on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, long weekends and toward the end of the run, and recommend reserving a date and time.

When does the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto close?

It closes for improvements to its interior environment from Monday, January 18, 2027, the day after the jewelry exhibition and the collection exhibition end, until the end of March. Plans from April onward will be announced once decided.

What should I be aware of if I visit on October 22, the day of the Jidai Matsuri?

On the day of the Jidai Matsuri (October 23 in case of rain), Heian Jingu Shrine changes its gate hours to 6:00–12:00, and worship is not possible from 8:00 to 9:30. Reception for the Shin-en garden is 9:30–12:00 (last entry 11:30). The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art asks visitors to use public transportation, as traffic restrictions are in place in the area and crowds are expected.

*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (photo: Tokyo-Good, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements by each organizer and facility (as of October 20, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team