Kyoto Attractions|Japan's largest railway museum—Kyoto Railway Museum
#One-day tour in the city
Attractions: Kyoto Railway Museum
📍Address: Kankiji-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
🕰️Business hours: 10:00-17:00, closed on Wednesdays (open as usual on national holidays) and during the New Year period (12/30-1/1)
💰Average consumption: Adults (over 18 years old) ¥ 1,500, college and high school students ¥ 1,300, junior high school and elementary school students ¥ 500
, children (over 3 years old) ¥ 200
💞Recommendation reasons:
The Kyoto Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Japan. It opened in 2016. The museum displays various types of railway trains, various train knowledge, and the history of Japanese railway development. In addition, there are SL steam trains that can be taken, and reservations can be made in advance to simulate driving, and experience the feeling of driving the Shinkansen and JR on the current line simulator. There is a railway restaurant in the railway museum, and you can dine on the second floor while enjoying the outdoor trains.
Transportation Guide: It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the museum from JR Kyoto Station. Take Kyoto Bus No. 205 or 208 from JR Kyoto Station Bus Stop for about 10 minutes. Get off at "Umekoji Park・JR Umekoji Kyoto Nishi Station" and walk about 3 minutes. Take Express 104, Express 110, 86 (operating on holidays), 88 (operating on holidays) and the journey takes about 10 minutes. Get off at "Umekoji Park, Kyoto Railway Museum-mae" and walk to the destination. Take Keihan Bus No. 2, 14, 15 (operating on holidays), 26, 26B, or 28A for about 10 minutes. Get off at "Umekoji Park・JR Umekoji Kyoto Nishi Station" and walk about 3 minutes. From JR Kyoto Station, take the Sagano Line and get off at Umekoji-Kyoto-nishi Station.
The museum has branches both inside and outside the building. Inside the museum, various Shinkansen and tram locomotives, train souvenirs, vintage steam locomotives, and a wealth of transportation knowledge are displayed, including train maintenance, high-voltage cables, and how the traffic control station controls the entry and exit of trains. There are many facilities that can be experienced, including display trains where you can also get on board to see the internal structure. Outside the museum is a fan-shaped garage with a turntable for easy maintenance and storage of trains. Many representative Japanese steam locomotives from various eras are displayed outdoors. You can also experience riding the "SL Stage", which is a special experience (an additional 300 yen admission fee is required). There is a dining car outside the building, which was built in 1970 and is the "Blue Train", a NASHI 20-24 sleeper express train. You can also buy railway bento and eat inside. The museum restaurant on the 3rd floor sells set meals, ramen, pasta, etc. You can eat while watching the trains, which is a great experience. Note that most of the guests are families. Finally, before leaving, there is a souvenir shop that sells many souvenirs related to trains, trams and Shinkansen.