Japan Kanji Museum & Library

The Japan Kanji Museum and Library is a language museum located in Higashiyama-ku dedicated to Japanese writing systems. It houses historical documents, interactive displays, and educational materials exploring how kanji characters function in modern and historical Japanese communication.

The building originally served as a school before its conversion to a museum in 2011. This transformation reflected efforts to preserve and teach Japanese writing traditions to new generations.

The museum serves as a center for understanding how written characters shape Japanese identity and daily communication. Visitors experience how kanji connects people across generations and remains central to the culture.

Plan your visit for morning hours when the space is less crowded and you can explore displays at your own pace. The interactive zones allow hands-on practice and help you understand how kanji works in real writing.

The museum preserves 2,000-year-old wooden tablets with Chinese characters, offering insight into the ancient roots of written communication in the region. A vintage Toshiba typewriter from the 1980s shows how technology was engineered to handle the complexity of thousands of characters.

Location: Higashiyama-ku

Inception: April 2014

Official opening: June 29, 2016

Address: 551 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0074

Phone: +81757578686

Website: https://kanjimuseum.kyoto

GPS coordinates: 35.00333,135.77667

Latest update: December 14, 2025 16:42