Visit Japan Web Kyoto Railway Museum
Visit Japan Web invites you to explore the Kyoto Railway Museum, established in 2016 by JR West on the former site of the Umekoji Train and Locomotive Museum. It is situated approximately a twenty-minute walk west of Kyoto Station. It features over 50 retired trains, ranging from steam locomotives to modern electric trains and shinkansen. Visitors are also able to walk underneath and observe the inner workings of a retired freight locomotive.
Moreover, the museum showcases railway uniforms, tools, and numerous other artifacts from past eras. It also boasts one of Japan’s largest dioramas, where miniature trains are controlled by a skilled operator. Additionally, interactive exhibitions allow visitors to experience the duties of a train conductor or operate a train simulator. The museum’s restaurant, located on the second floor directly below an observation deck, offers excellent views of the passing trains along the JR Kyoto Line and Tokaido Shinkansen.
Next to the primary structure is a circular building with a turntable dating back to 1914. This circular building boasts the largest collection of well-maintained steam locomotives in Japan. Visitors have the opportunity to observe real-time locomotive maintenance through windows in a hall specifically designed for steam locomotives. Additionally, for an extra fee of 300 yen, guests can enjoy a one-kilometer steam locomotive-powered train journey for ten minutes.
At the museum’s exit stands the Nijo Station Building, an old-fashioned and picturesque structure that was relocated from the nearby Nijo Station in 1997. Originally constructed in 1904, it is the oldest of its kind in Japan. It also evokes an era before the widespread use of concrete in train station construction.
