Do you want to take your children to the Kyoto Railway Museum, but wonder what it looks like and whether even small children can enjoy it?
I was too.
As it turns out, the Kyoto Railway Museum is a museum that not only children but also adults can enjoy, with many life-size exhibits, driving simulators, dioramas, and steam locomotives that you can actually ride.
I took a lot of pictures, so I will introduce the Kyoto Railway Museum in detail with actual images.
By reading this article, you will look forward to visiting the Kyoto Railway Museum!
\If you want to enter the museum smoothly, advance admission tickets are recommended/
Learn more about tickets for the Kyoto Railway Museum
Where is the Kyoto Railway Museum? What is the nearest station?
Location of Kyoto Railway Museum
The Kyoto Railway Museum is located in Umekoji Park. It is about a 15-minute walk west from Kyoto Station.
Nearest station
The nearest station is Umekoji Kyoto Nishi Station on the JR Sagano Line, a relatively new station that opened in March 2019.
It is the first station from Kyoto Station on the JR Sagano, which we also used.
It takes about 2 minutes on foot from the station to the Kyoto Railway Museum. When you get off the station, the Kyoto Railway Museum is right in front of you.
There is also a Starbucks in front of the station, so I had a cup of coffee before leaving.
The Kyoto Railway Museum does not have a parking lot, so public transportation is recommended.
Introduction to Kyoto Railway Museum!
Enter the Kyoto Railway Museum immediately. The building you see at the back of the entrance is the old Nijo Station building.
It is a wooden station building designated as a tangible cultural property by Kyoto City, and inside there are exhibits and a museum store.
1F Promenade
The Promenade is just inside the entrance hall.
SL C62-26, Series 80 train, and Series 0 Shinkansen were lined up.
My son, who loves Shinkansen, was so excited. The colonized head is nostalgic and also cute.
You can also visit the inside of the 0 series Shinkansen.
We were also able to see the driver's seat. My son looks very happy to sit in the driver's seat.
Other retro vehicles were also on display, including those used on the Osaka Loop Line in the past.
The very popular "Type 923 Doctor Yellow Lunch Box" and "N700A Shinkansen Lunch Box" are also available at the Promenade.
Please see another article for more details if you like.
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1F Inside the Museum
In the main building on the 1st floor, exhibits were divided into the areas of "Railway History," "Railway Facilities," "How rolling stock works," and "Rolling Stock Factory.
The area immediately after entering the museum was the "How rolling stock works" area, where the 500 Series Shinkansen, 581 Series, and 489 Series rolling stock were on display.
The leading part of the Series 500 Shinkansen is very stylish with its pointed shape.
My son was so excited to see the actual size of the train that he went close to the train by himself.
This is the "History of Railroads" area. The nostalgic streets and stations of the Showa era were reproduced.
There was a Shinkansen of 100 series.
My son liked this Shinkansen train exhibit the best for some reason.
He was going back and forth around this exhibit.
Apparently, they were interested in this driver's seat. He came to the driver's seat many times and touched various things.
Inside the 2nd floor
On the 2nd floor, there are many hands-on exhibits such as a driving simulator, a railroad diorama, and a command center.
On the 2nd floor, we saw a railroad diorama.
Many different trains ran by, and my son was so happy every time he saw them.
Not only JR trains but also private trains were running.
On the wall of the railroad diorama venue, model cars actually running in the railroad diorama were also displayed.
On the 2nd floor, visitors can experience purchasing a ticket. Press the "Adult" or "Child" button to get a ticket that can be used at the museum's automatic ticket gate.
Here is the ticket that came out.
I put it through the automatic ticket gate and was able to practice riding the train.
I was going to try the driving simulator and model driving experience, but my son didn't seem to be interested in it yet, so we decided to do it again next time.
Restaurant and Rest Area on the 2nd floor
On the 2nd floor of the museum, there is a restaurant and a rest area.
We recommend a seat by the window. Children who love trains will be delighted to see the running trains of the Tokaido Shinkansen, JR Kyoto Line, and JR Sagano Line while eating.
(Prices may have changed.)
The restaurant menu looked like this. What is nice is that you can bring your own food and drink into the restaurant and rest areas.
My son brought in his "N700A Shinkansen Lunch Box" that he bought at the Promenade to eat.
Some families brought their own lunch boxes and ate at the restaurant.
I had the old-fashioned hamburger steak.
1F fan-shaped garage
Since I am showing you the tours in the order I visited them, the fan-shaped garage on the 1st floor is next.
This is Japan's oldest existing reinforced concrete fan-shaped garage.
Twenty steam locomotives are preserved and displayed in the garage.
I also rode on the SL Steam train. You can ride on a coach pulled by a real steam locomotive.
My son was amazed at the sound and the smoke coming out of the locomotive. He was a little scared, but it was a good experience.
Museum store on the 1st floor
We decided to stop by the museum store inside the exit "Old Nijo Station Building" where we could buy some souvenirs.
I think the standard souvenirs are cookies, chocolates and other sweets that are easy to give, but there were many different kinds.
There was also a corner for Tomica and Plarail, which are very popular among children.
My son had promised to buy a Plarail after visiting the museum, so he looked at the various trains, picked one up, and thought about which one he would like to buy.
My son chose this plastic rail. He was so happy that he held it in his hand for a long time.
A line of toys that would make a child excited.
There were also many chopsticks, spoons and forks in the shape of a train.
If you eat with these, you might play with them before you finish eating.
There were various kinds of cups, dishes, and lunch boxes.
If I stayed longer, I was likely to want this and that, so I decided to buy a plastic rail and leave right away.
Finally
The museum is full of hands-on exhibits, which tickled my curiosity and made the time go by quickly.
I encourage everyone to visit the Kyoto Railway Museum.
Thank you for reading to the end.
\If you want to enter the museum smoothly, advance admission tickets are recommended/
Learn more about tickets for the Kyoto Railway Museum