Aug. 21, 2020 UPDATE

Japan Kanji Museum & Library

- 漢字ミュージアム -
Traveler Friendly
Right now all the information in the museum is in Japanese, but they are planning on the exhibition in English, Chinese, and Korean too. There are many interactive games on the second floor so there are many things you can try even if you don’t understand Japanese, so those of our readers who are interested in kanji should definitely go.
Information
Only Japanese.
Languages spoken
Only Japanese.
734 5 7.0 1 reviews
Aug. 21, 2020 UPDATE

Japan Kanji Museum & Library

- 漢字ミュージアム -
Traveler Friendly
Right now all the information in the museum is in Japanese, but they are planning on the exhibition in English, Chinese, and Korean too. There are many interactive games on the second floor so there are many things you can try even if you don’t understand Japanese, so those of our readers who are interested in kanji should definitely go.
Information
Only Japanese.
Languages spoken
Only Japanese.
734 5 7.0 1 reviews
Story & Recommendation
Kanji Museum in Gion is a place where you can learn about the history of Chinese characters through interactive games
The Kanji Museum opened in June 2016 in front of Yasaka Shrine in Gion, and it’s the first kanji, or Chinese character museum in Japan. When you think of museums you may think of exhibitions and historic material on display, but what is special about the Kanji Museum is that you can learn about Chinese characters by seeing and touching them. The museum has two floors; the first one having a movie theater and graphic displays about the birth, history, and evolution of Chinese characters, and you can freely walk around this floor and look at the historic materials. On the second floor you can learn about kanji through games and quizzes. Besides these they also have a library where you can study kanji, and you can try a smartphone with the Kanji Kentei, or the Japan Kanji Aptitude Test, app on it and see how many kanji you can recognize, plus they also have kanji workshops for families. This Kanji Museum is a place where children, and of course adults too, will be absorbed into the world of Chinese characters.
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User Reviews
7.0 Great
experience8.0 access7.0 photogenic6.0
Laura - Japan
Dec. 07, 2018
Details
Open Hours
9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entrance to the museum until 4:30 p.m.) ※The open hours was changed. Monday~Friday:11:00~17:00(Entrance to the museum until 16:30)  Saturday,Sunday,Public Holiday:9:30~17:00(Entrance to the museum until16:30)  ※2020 August 1~23:9:30 open
Reservations
Not necessary. Big groups need to make an advance reservation.
Closed
Monday,Tuesday
Price range
Adults ¥800, university and highschool students ¥500, elementary school students ¥300, Children younger than elementary school students and those with disabilities get in for free
Credit cards
Not accepted
Other
The museum irregularly holds workshops every week on either weekdays or on weekends. In these workshops you can do things like make Chinese character keyrings or make stamps out of erasers, and anyone can join them. They also sometimes hold workshops for adults too. The latest information can be seen on their homepage so if you are interested I recommend checking the website often.
※There have audio guides available in English,Chinese and Korean for 500 yen per person.
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