Visiting exhibitions and art museums alone at the "Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art", Japan's oldest public art museum
Because I love architectural aesthetics and fine arts, coming to Kyoto, the "Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art" as Japan's oldest public art museum is a must-visit!
I like to watch slowly by myself, savor carefully, and control my own time. I stayed in the museum for an entire afternoon👀📷☕️
⛰【Travel Tips】Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art
📍Detailed address: 124 Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
🚗Transportation tips: Take the BUS on various routes within Kyoto City to "Heian Jingu-mae" and walk for 1 minute.
🕙Opening hours: 10:00-18:00, closed on Mondays
💰Ticket price: Free, some exhibitions charge a fee
🌟Highlights:
The Kyoto City Museum of Art, located at 124 Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, is very accessible. Opened as a museum in 1933, it is famous for its collection of modern Japanese art. As the oldest public art museum in Japan, it has a history of over 90 years, and its architecture has maintained its original style. In 2019, the Kyoto City Museum of Art was officially renamed the "Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art".
✅The current Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art was redesigned by two famous Japanese architects, Jun Aoki and Tetsuo Nishizawa, with innovative concepts and reopened in 2021 after a 3-year renovation. The museum integrates pure white modern design elements on the basis of retaining the original elements, perfectly blending the old and new styles, creating a brand-new image for the museum.
📷The entire museum building is a perfect piece of art, photo check-in spots:
✅The museum has one basement level and two above-ground floors, with a typical imperial-style exterior and an exceeding expectation of pure white interior design style. The most beautiful spiral staircase that has been wildly shared by visitors to the museum is a must-see!
✅On the lower level, the west side of the building has a plaza with a streamlined glass curtain that uses a gentle slope with a 3-meter drop like a glass ribbon, leading visitors to the entrance. The main entrance is connected to the museum shop and café, and after 3 p.m., the transparent glass ribbon corridor is bright with sunlight, making it an ideal place to sit and rest!
✅On the first floor, walking along the right-hand corridor, the glass walkway offers a view of the outdoor Japanese-style garden. When we visited, the museum was celebrating its 90th anniversary with an exhibition by Takashi Murakami, and a huge sculpture by Murakami about 10 meters tall called "Flower Parent and Child" and a piece combining an LV suitcase were being installed in the courtyard.
✅The 16-meter-tall pure white central hall: Entering from the main entrance hall on the basement level, it is a hub connecting three floors of exhibition rooms (basement level, two above-ground floors, north wing, south wing, Higashiyama Cube, and Japanese garden), with two-story balconies and a large glass roof, the transparent space is known as the "Hall of Light", and this is where the most photogenic internet-famous white spiral staircase is located.
✅The west hall is the most easily overlooked, where the original design details are preserved, and you can take photos with a sense of the era in the elegant atmosphere of the old building in minutes!
✅The exhibition hall in the south wing is a museum workshop exhibition, free to visit, and almost no one visits here. It retains the original architectural style, suitable for taking scene photos.
📌Little Tips: If you are interested in art, it is recommended to take the time to visit the Kyoto City Museum of Art's 90th Anniversary Exhibition Takashi Murakami's "Takashi Murakami: Spiritual Kyoto", many new works are exhibited for the first time, and it is very worth watching (to be continued⌛️)
🕐Exhibition period: February 3, 2024 - September 1, 2024, 🎫2200 yen/person
🍽️There is a café at the entrance on the first floor of the museum, serving coffee, light meals, with a ribbon-like winding and transparent large floor-to-ceiling windows, with excellent sunlight and a bright environment!
🗺️Recommended nearby attractions: Heian Shrine, Okazaki Park, Kyoto Zoo, and more