Nara National Museum

Nara National Museum stands at 50 Noborioji-cho in Nara Park, a short walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station and from Kofuku-ji. Founded in 1889 as the Imperial Nara Museum, it opened on 29 April 1895. Katayama Tokuma's main building, finished in 1894, is the Buddhist Sculpture Hall, the first Western-style building in Nara Prefecture. That hall is closed from 14 September 2026 until around spring 2028. Until then the open permanent room is the Ritual Bronzes Gallery, and admission there is free. Ordinary hours are 9:30 to 17:00, later on some Saturdays, last entry 30 minutes before close, shut most Mondays. There is no parking. The 78th Shosoin exhibition fills the East and West New Wings from 24 October to 9 November 2026, open every day, 8:00 to 18:00 and until 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Last admission is sixty minutes before close. General advance tickets are ¥2,000, about $13 at the Bank of Japan's 9 October rate of ¥158.33 to the dollar. Late entry is ¥1,500, about $9, from 16:00 Monday to Thursday and from 17:00 on Fridays, weekends and holidays. University and high school advance tickets are ¥1,500. Buy them on e-tix.jp/shosoin-ten/en, Lawson Ticket, or the Bijutsuten Navi app. Same-day tickets at the special counter are ¥2,200 if any remain, and nothing can be changed or refunded. The ticket also covers the bronzes. Noon to 15:00 is the crush. During the exhibition the Shosoin repository near Todai-ji opens its grounds from 10:00 to 16:00, free, with no treasures on view. Confirm the open wing on narahaku.go.jp before you leave Kyoto.