Kyoto Railway Museum

The Kyoto Railway Museum is a three-storey railway museum in Shimogyō-ku featuring more than fifty retired trains, from steam locomotives to shinkansen. The collection occupies a large building with halls, platforms, and a depot with a turntable.

The building started as the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum in the seventies and reopened after extensive work in spring 2016. The expansion brought modern exhibition halls and additional tracks for electric trains and bullet trains.

The name reflects the city's role as a rail junction since the Meiji era, when trains first connected Japan. Visitors see uniforms and tools that show the daily life of railway workers.

The site sits near Umekoji-Kyotonishi Station and is reachable on foot from the main railway station. Simulators and an observation deck offer views of active tracks, while a restaurant on the upper floor serves meals with trains in the foreground.

A roundhouse from 1914 holds steam locomotives on a working turntable that is used daily for demonstrations. Visitors can watch the machines being moved and experience the mechanics up close.

Location: Shimogyō-ku

Inception: 1972

Architects: West Japan Consultants Company, Tohata Architects & Engineers, Taisei Corporation

Official opening: April 29, 2016

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Fee: Yes

Operator: 西日本旅客鉄道株式会社

Address: 京都府京都市下京区観喜寺町

Opening Hours: Thursday-Tuesday 10:00-17:00; Wednesday off; December 30-January 01 off

Website: https://kyotorailwaymuseum.jp/kr

GPS coordinates: 34.98722,135.74250

Latest update: December 13, 2025 17:37