Kyoto Railway Museum

Kyoto Railway Museum Photos ( 20 )

The whopping complex railway systems of Japan would stun any first-time visitors of the country. For those intrigued by its past and present, there is a detailed big story to find at the Kyoto Railway Museum. Here, one can get hands-on experience by touching or even interacting with retired trains - spanning from antique steam locomotives to cutting-edge Shinkansen bullet trains - and read historical materials to learn how the systems revolutionized Japan’s society.

Based on the site of the old Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, the Kyoto Railway Museum has three floors, each with a different focus: the first on exhibition of actual retired trains, the second on a huge railway system diorama, and the third on recreation. The museum is especially kid-friendly, for its instructive nature and lots of engaging funs.

What to Do at Kyoto Railway Museum?

On the first floor: 

 Witness a wicked-cool exhibited collection of 54 trains that span over a century, ranging from typical steam locomotives to modern Shinkansen bullet trains. For fans of steam locomotives, go visit the Roundhouse, which is dedicated to such types retired from the Meiji to Showa periods (1868 - 1989).

EF52-1, Japan's first home-made DC locomotive

230-233, one of the oldest English-style steam locomative

 Buy a ticket from Steam Locomotive Boarding Station for a 1-km (0.6-mile) round-trip ride on SL Steam train, which is steam-powered. The train takes you to the old Nijo Station, built in 1904 and listed as a Tangible Cultural Property.

 Visit SL Steam Locomotive No.2 Service Shed and watch how steam locomotives are being repaired or serviced. Note that whether the shed can be visited depends on what type of work is going on. 

 Have fun learning some physics about how trains actually work, like what roles cogs, couplers, railway bridges, etc, are playing.

Kids having fun learning how the cogs work

Boy interacting with rail equipment

 Play as track maintenance staff by experiencing a ride on a four-wheeled rail bicycle. Note that this can be experienced only on weekends and national holidays.

Panoramic view of the interior from 2nd floor

A panoramic view of the Roundhouse

On the second floor: 

 See how Japan's railway system looks like in miniature. The huge diorama is 30 meters (98 feet) wide and 10 meters (32 feet) deep, displaying major facilities of the system.
 Play as train driver via a simulator and learn about tools used during driving.
 Having fun learning about the railway safety systems by driving a mini train along a model track.
 Stand on the Connecting Deck to have a panoramic view of Kyoto’s cityscape and the trains exhibited on the first floor.

 See how the train station equipment of the early Showa peiod (1926 - 1989) is different than it of the present day.

Exhibitions inside a train

Kid running inside a train

On the third floor:

Relax on the open-air Sky Terrace, and watch trains flashing by outside on tracks like JR Kyoto Line and Tokaido Shinkansen Line. There is also a library for anyone with an ever-curious mind.

Model railway for kids

Kid playing as an train worker

Know Before Going

Opening hours: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (last entry: 16:30)

Closing days: 
Every Wednesday (close on next day if national holiday falls on Wednesday);

December 30 – January 1 (New Year holidays).

Admission: 1,500 yen/per adult; charges from 200 to 1,300 yen/per kid based on their age.

How to Get There from Kyoto Station?

The museum is just a 20-minute walk south from Kyoto Station.

Nearby Attractions

 Kyoto Aquarium (6 min’s walk to the east): If you have kids with you, add the nearby Kyoto Aquarium to your itinerary before or after the museum would make for a perfect tour.
 Toji Temple (1.2 km/0.7 mi away, 17 min’s walk to the southeast): Toji was the guardian of Kyoto City at the ancient times and the center of Esoteric Buddhism; it’s UNESCO-listed.

Kyoto Railway Museum Photos & Video