The Cultural Museum of Kyoto — Attraction in Kyoto

I left the museum more confused than anything else. The beautiful old building is completely empty, unused, despite its great potential. The main building, the modern part, is very, very large... and it feels empty. The entrance fee is cheap, but at the same time, I wouldn't have paid more for only two or three rooms with so little content. I learned a few things, thanks to Google Translate since everything is in Japanese. What was shown was fine, but where are the artefacts? I wouldn't call a museum a place that shows more projections of artwork than actual art pieces in "flesh-and-blood". They did have a temporary exhibition on top of the permanent one but it was about the new season of an anime that just came out, and I was looking to learn about japanese/Kyoto's history. I left almost convinced that I had missed a good part of the museum, but I asked two staff members and apparently not. The ground floor is also very confusing, with scattered shops and empty spaces... It's a real shame, there is a lot of potential for such a museum in a country and a city with such a rich history. The texts should also be translated, or at least have some audios in English that summarize them. Museums should be accessible to everyone as long as people are respectful of the place. I'm still giving it 3 stars because the staff was very welcoming, a lady from the staff took the time to explain certain parts to me in English, thank you very...

I really enjoyed my visits to The Museum of Kyoto. The special exhibition on Oda Urakusai: Samurai Tea Master was quite touching, when I think about the feeling the organizers and the Temple concerned put into trying to use material culture to rehabilitate/explain the reputation of a key cultural figure in Japanese history. The english language supplement guide was very helpful, and the exhibits were beautifully displayed. I especially enjoyed the 'Clamp' celadon bowl, and Urakusai's handmade tea scoops, which each have their own name and even descriptions of how it felt to use them written by his guests.

The regular exhibit space about Kyoto, the city, is also a favorite. A special exhibition ticket gets you in for free, and you shouldn't skip it. The guides are really kind, and the 4 screen display of famous Kyoto city scapes in art is awesome. You can also see smaller local exhibits, often timed to the seasons or local events. Right now there is a wonderful one, with full English pamphlet, on a specific type of kimono dye process particular to Kyoto. There is also an exhibit on the excavation of local pottery production in the museum's neighborhood - brought wonderfully to life by local artists inspired by this new excavation to creste their own knitting, sculpture, painting, light displays,...

Museum is not recommended for tourists. Here's why: Unclear after careful study of flyers and website what parts are free and what require an entrance fee. The staff does not know English. In the City History exhibition (yes, this is not the general exhibition, but exists as well and is arguably the main part), only titles are printed also in English. While Translation apps are allowed, I do not want to read off my phone screen in machine translated English. I could have read a book or articles at home as well... Another example: the talk about Heian-Kyo, but only tell in the following room that this is the old name for Kyoto. I go to a museum to learn not to do the research beforehand at home or on my phone. Information is also not well presented, if at all. Regarding the rashomon gate for example, it mentions it was destroyed several times. The internet knows more about it, yes, but this is not the role...