Leaf KYOTO Delivered by Leaf, a local information magazine!

FOLLOW US

2025.1.9
  • LINE
  • FaceBook
  • twitter
Cafe & Goods Information for Enjoyment at Museums in Kyoto

Not Just Art! Information on cafes and goods to enjoy at art museums in Kyoto

Kyoto is known as a center of various cultures, with its ancient traditions, architecture, and landscapes that retain the atmosphere of the ancient capital. Did you know that Kyoto is also dotted with many art spots where works of art from all over the world gather? We have selected some of the best art museums for you to visit. We also introduce original goods and café menus that can only be purchased at these museums! Why don't you take a break from the busyness of your daily life and enjoy the comfortable silence and unique art?

1.[The Kyoto Kyocera Museum of Art offers a refined beauty of space and artworks / Okazaki, Japan

Kyocera Museum of Art Exterior

The Kyoto Kyocera Museum of Art opened in 1933 as the Tairé Memorial Museum of Kyoto in the Okazaki area, home to world-famous temples, shrines, and theaters, and has spun a long history as an art spot in Okazaki. In 2020, the museum will take on a new name and be reborn as an art museum with a new wing, café, and museum shop. In addition to the exhibits, visitors can enjoy the beautiful interior, including the streamlined glass ribbon facade and the central hall with its spiral staircase.

Exhibition Schedule for 2025
January 10 (Fri.) - February 24 (Mon., holiday) Collection Room Winter Special: "The World Fascinated with Kyoto Ceramics: Divine Art of the Meiji Era
January 11 (Sat) - March 16 (Mon) The Triangle Morimi Sakamoto: Fire, Earth, and What You Want to Eat
January 11 (Sat) - March 30 (Sun) Mika Ninagawa Exhibition with EiM: Light on the other shore, shadow on this shore
March 7 (Friday) - June 8 (Sunday) Monet: A Time of Water Lilies
March 29 (Sat) - June 1 (Sun) The Triangle, Eriko Ye
April 25 (Fri)-September 7 (Sun), 2010 Yayoi Kusama: The World of Prints - Repetition and Proliferation
September 13 (Sat) - December 7 (Sun): 100 Years of Mingei: The Beauty of Everyday Life Spun by Kyoto
September 25 (Thu) - December 7 (Sun) Hello Kitty Exhibition - As I Change, So Does Kitty

Kyocera Museum of Art Collectibles

After enjoying the art, you will have an enjoyable time at the museum store [ART RECTANGLE KYOTO], where you can choose from exhibition goods, limited edition products and original goods that allow you to enjoy Kyoto's traditional culture. Rediscover the charm of art in a new way.

ENFUSE Cuisine

The "Kyoto Ingredient Side Dish Plate" at Museum Cafe ENFUSE (1,750 yen) features a lineup of 15 different side dishes. The ingredients are carefully selected with an emphasis on seasonality, and the plate allows you to fully enjoy the four seasons of Kyoto.

If you are looking for a place to fill up before or after viewing art, head to ENFUSE, a museum café. The menu features a variety of elaborate dishes prepared using ingredients and cooking methods unique to Kyoto. The open space with curved glass windows creates a relaxing atmosphere. The café can also be used as a stand-alone restaurant.

Kyoto Kyocera Museum of Art

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • 124 Enshoji-cho, Okazaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • Short walk from bus stop "Okazaki Park, Museum & Heian Jingu-mae".
    Approximately 8 minutes on foot from Exit 1 of Higashiyama Subway Station
  • Tel. 075-771-4334
  • Hours/10:00-18:00 (last admission depends on the exhibition)
    Museum Shop / 10:30-18:30
    Cafe ENFUSE / 10:30-19:00 (LO/18:00)
  • Closed/Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday), year-end and New Year holidays (December 28 - January 2)

2.Special exhibitions one after another! A new art experience every time you visit [The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto] / Okazaki, Japan

Exterior view of The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

[The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto is located in Okazaki Park. The permanent "Collection Gallery" exhibits a wide range of modern art from Kyoto and other western Japan, including Japanese-style paintings, Western-style paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, lacquerware, dyed textiles, jewelry, photography, and contemporary works. In addition to the permanent collection, a series of special exhibitions that change about five times a year are also on display! The museum is a must-visit destination throughout the year, as you can always find something fresh and stimulating for all five senses.

Exhibition Schedule for 2025
-March 2 (Sun) 120th anniversary of the birth of Living National Treasure Tatsuaki Kuroda: A Journey of Wood, Lacquer and Raden (mother-of-pearl inlay)
March 25 (Tue) - June 29 (Sun) - Colors and Poems of the Soul 1890-1918
July 19 (Sat) - September 15 (Mon): The Secret of Kimono: Where Yuzen is Made
October 7 (Tuesday) - November 24 (Monday, holiday): 50 years after his death: Impression Domoto (tentative name)

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Shop

In addition to exhibition catalogs and art books, the museum store [AR-PRU] offers a lineup of glass artifacts and museum goods from overseas. [Check out the original goods available only here, such as postcards of artworks from the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Cafe Menu

Carbonara with pancetta and fresh mushrooms: 1,450 yen. At [café de 505], which is based on the concept of "a café with delicious pasta," you can enjoy hot pasta made with fresh homemade pasta.

The café de 505 (café de Gomargo), which is attached to the building, is a hot spot where visitors can enjoy drinks, sweets, and light meals while admiring the view of Lake Biwa's waterway! The café is also popular as a place to enjoy nature to your heart's content, such as cherry blossoms and autumn leaves, depending on the season.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

  • National Republic of Korea National Art Museum
  • Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • Short walk from bus stop "Okazaki Park, Museum & Heian Jingu-mae".
    10 min. walk from Exit 1 of Higashiyama Subway Station
  • Tel. 075-761-4111
  • Hours: 10:00-18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays when special exhibitions are held)
    Admission until 30 minutes before closing
  • Closed/Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, closed the following day), exhibition change periods, year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 - January 3)
  • https://www.momak.go.jp/

3.Enjoy art appreciation in a historic building more than 100 years old [Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art] / Nagaokakyo

Oyamazaki Villa Exterior

The Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art opened in 1996 after restoring the English-style Oyamazaki Villa, which was built between the Taisho and early Showa eras. The museum's collection includes approximately 1,000 unique works, including works related to the folk art movement supported by Tamesaburo Yamamoto, the first president of Asahi Beer Company (now Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.), and the masterpiece "Waterlilies" series by Claude Monet, a master of the Impressionist school. The vast garden, which covers an area of approximately 5,500 tsubo (approximately 1,860 square meters), is decorated with trees whose expressions change with the seasons, allowing visitors to enjoy the changing nature of the four seasons.

Exhibition Schedule for 2025
Sunday, April 6: Matsumoto Shunsuke: City and People - Painting with a Brilliant Eye
April 19 (Sat) - July 6 (Sun): Connecting Mingei (folk art) En-Gururi - from the collection of Tamesaburo Yamamoto

Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum Shop

The museum store on the first floor of the main building offers original goods related to the museum's collection and books about the Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art. Be sure to stop by after enjoying the art.

Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art Cafe

Hot tea 650 yen and Asahi Beer's special wine cake 550 yen, available at the coffee shop on the second floor. The wine cake contains 4% alcohol and has a rich flavor of wine that spreads in the mouth.

The coffee shop offers a wide variety of coffee menu items such as cakes, coffee, and Asahi beer! The terrace seats offer a view of the three rivers Kizu, Uji, and Katsura, as well as the garden, allowing you to relax and enjoy the rich natural surroundings. Depending on the time of year you visit, a menu in collaboration with an exhibition may also be available, so check the official website for details.

Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art

  • Asahi Group Oyamayamayama Zaki Sanso Art Museum
  • 5-3 Zenihara, Oyamazaki-cho, Otokuni-gun, Kyoto
  • Approx. 10 min. walk from JR Yamazaki Station
    10 minutes walk from Hankyu "Oyamazaki Station".
  • Tel.075-957-3123 (general information)
  • Hours/10:00-17:00 (last admission/16:30)
  • Closed: Mondays (closed the following day if Monday is a national holiday), year-end and New Year holidays, and other occasional holidays Closed: December 9 (Mon.) - January 3 (Fri.)

4.Immerse yourself in the world of Japanese art surrounded by the vast nature of Arashiyama [Fukuda Art Museum] / Arashiyama

Fukuda Art Museum Exterior

Located in Arashiyama, Saga, the Fukuda Art Museum is an art museum that is popular both in Japan and abroad as a source of Japanese culture where beautiful nature and Japanese art are beautifully combined. The museum's beautiful, art-like interior, with exhibition rooms designed to resemble storehouses and exterior glass walls designed in the Ajiro pattern, is also noteworthy. The museum's concept is "to create works of art that are inspiring even for those who are not familiar with art," making it an art spot that even beginners to art museums can easily visit.

Exhibition Schedule for 2025
February 1 (Sat) - April 13 (Sun) Higashiyama Kaii and the Journey of Landscape Painting from Japan to the World
April 26 (Sat) - July 6 (Sun): The Life of Kyoto's Master Painter, Sakuraya Kijima
Saturday, July 19 - Monday, September 29: New Japanese Painting at the Expo: The Beauty of Japan in Full Bloom (tentative)
October 11 (Sat) - January 18 (Sun), 2026: Enjoying Uemura Shoen's beautiful paintings (tentative)

Fukuda Art Museum Shop

The museum store sells exhibition catalogs and original goods. The shop offers a variety of goods that stimulate the senses, including crafts and collaboration goods by artists associated with Kyoto.

Fukuda Art Museum Cafe

Seasonal blessed parfaits served at the cafe from 1,500 yen. Using seasonal ingredients, the parfait changes with the seasons, so you can look forward to tasting new items on the menu!

Bread, Espresso, and Fukuda Art Museum, a collaboration with the nationwide coffee shop Bread, Espresso, and Fukuda Art Museum, is a café open only to museum visitors. Visitors can enjoy a variety of drinks, light meals, sweets, and other elaborate menu items. Visitors can relax and soak up the afterglow of the art in a space that has a soft impression with the look of wood grain.

Fukuda Art Museum

  • Fukudabi jutsukan
  • 3-16 Sagano-baba-cho, Tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 4 minutes walk from Randen “Arashiyama Station”
  • Tel.075-863-0606
  • Hours/10:00-17:00 (last admission/16:30)
  • Closed/Exhibition change period, year-end and New Year holidays (Dec. 30 - Jan. 1)

5.Directly connected to Kyoto Station! [Discover art of various eras at Museum of Art "Eki" KYOTO/Kyoto Station

Museum "Eki" Kyoto Exterior

Located on the 7th floor of JR Kyoto Isetan in the JR Kyoto Station Building is the Museum of Art "Eki" KYOTO, which exhibits a wide range of art from classical to contemporary art, paintings, photography, and animation. It is a beloved spot as an art museum where visitors can encounter genre-less art, unbound by time. The museum is directly connected to Kyoto Station, making it easy to drop by on a rainy day or during a shopping trip. Forget the hustle and bustle of the city and experience art.

Exhibition Schedule for 2025
Jan. 2 (Thu) - Feb. 3 (Mon) Kyoto: Hitoshi Komatsu, a painter and hermit who lived in Ohara, Kyoto: "Maze the Nature" (Closes at 18:00 on Jan. 2 only)
February 7 (Fri)-16 (Sun) Kyoto New Exhibition of Nihonga 2025
February 19 (Wed) - March 30 (Sun) Crane Town Museum Collection: The World of Realistic Paintings

Museum "Eki" Kyoto Shop

In addition to goods related to the exhibition, the store also offers a variety of railroad goods related to JR West, and as a facility operated by JR West, it is a great place to purchase goods that are full of originality. (*Railroad goods available change according to the time of the year.

Museum "Eki" KYOTO

  • art museum in Kyoto
  • Adjacent to JR Kyoto Isetan 7F Higashi Shiokoji-cho, Shiokoji-sagaru, Karasuma-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • Directly connected to each line "Kyoto Station"
  • Tel.075-352-1111 (Representative of JR Kyoto Isetan)
  • Opening hours/10:00-19:30 (last admission/19:00)
  • Closed on the same days and hours as those of Isetan JR Kyoto.

6.[Enjoy a moment to deepen your knowledge of Japanese art and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at the Saga Arashiyama Bunkakan / Arashiyama

Saga Arashiyama Bunkakan Exterior

Saga Arashiyama Bunkakan is an art museum located about a 5-minute walk from Togetsu Bridge in Arashiyama. After its renovation in November 2018, the museum was reborn as an art museum that introduces Japanese art more broadly, while deepening the contents of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu. The museum has been reborn as an art museum that introduces a wider range of Japanese art.

Exhibition Schedule for 2025
February 1 (Sat) - April 13 (Sun) I LOVE Hyakunin Isshu
April 26 (Sat) - July 6 (Sun): The Life of Kyoto's Master Painter, Sakuraya Kijima

Saga Arashiyama Bunkakan Goods

The museum store sells original goods and books related to the Hyakunin Isshu and the exhibition. The Hyakunin Isshu cookies (432 yen (2 cookies)) are popular as unique souvenirs! This is a great place to check out when visiting the museum, as unique and original goods are available for purchase.

Saga Arashiyama Bunkakan Cafe

Kuchidoke Mochiko's Ogura An Butter Toast with Vanilla Ice Cream 800 yen, which can be enjoyed at the café attached to the store. Anko (red bean paste) and vanilla ice cream are boldly placed on rice-flour bread that looks like a rice cake.

At the attached [Arashiyama OMOKAGE Terrace], you can enjoy a café while relaxing and gazing at the garden that changes from season to season with its beautiful nature. In addition to coffee and sweets, there is a full food menu, making it the perfect place to fill up before or after viewing art! You can also use the cafe only, so feel free to use it during your stroll in Arashiyama.

Saga Arashiyama Museum of Culture

  • Saga earthquake and Yamagata prefecture (Chuugoku area)
  • Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City
  • 7 min. walk from Arashiyama Sta. on the Randen Line
  • Tel. 075-882-1111
  • Hours/10:00-17:00 (last admission/16:30)
  • Closed/Exhibition change period, year-end and New Year holidays (Dec. 30 - Jan. 1)
*Please note that the information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
*Since this site uses automatic translation, the translation may differ from the original Japanese content.

I want to read together

NewsNews

Feature articleFeature article

Featured eventFeatured event

↑

notice