Permanent collection of 1.000 years of Japanese art in the Higashiyama district; adult admission ~700 ¥.
The Kyoto National Museum is one of the four great national museums of Japan and the most important in the Kansai region for classical Japanese art. Founded in 1897, its permanent collection spans more than 12.000 pieces covering a time arc of more than 1.000 years: Heian court paintings, Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, lacquerware, swords, textiles and manuscripts from the Nara, Heian, Kamakura and Edo periods. The main permanent-collection building —the Heisei Chishinkan pavilion, designed by Taniguchi Yoshio— is itself a work of architecture. Admission to the permanent collection costs 700 ¥ for adults; the temporary exhibitions are priced separately. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 to 17:00. Photography is not allowed inside. The museum is in the Higashiyama district, a few minutes' walk from Sanjusangendo temple, which makes it possible to combine both visits in the same morning. Opposite the museum is also the Toyokuni shrine.
