Kyoto International Manga Museum

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is a public museum in central Kyoto dedicated to the collection, preservation and study of manga. It opened in the 2000s in a repurposed former elementary school building and holds a large reference collection for researchers and fans.

Exhibition galleries present the history and production of manga alongside rotating special exhibitions and artist events. The museum’s large public reading room offers thousands of manga volumes that visitors may read on site, and the permanent collection includes historical magazines, original artwork and secondary literature.

The museum was established to conserve manga as a cultural asset and to provide resources for education and scholarship; it occupies a renovated school building in Nakagyo Ward. Since opening it has hosted international exchanges, exhibitions and artist programs that connect local and global manga communities.

Situated in central Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward near Karasuma-Oike Station, the museum is within walking distance of other central cultural sites and is easily reached by subway or on foot from Kyoto Station.

• Access: Located near Karasuma-Oike in central Kyoto, it is easy to reach by subway and is often busiest on weekends and holidays.
• Reading policy: The museum allows on-site reading of many titles; some rare or fragile items are viewable only in displays or by appointment.

What to See #

• Main reading room: A multi-level reading room occupying the building's historic classrooms where visitors may read thousands of manga titles on-site, free with admission.
• Collection size: The museum's permanent collection of printed manga, magazines and related materials totals around 300,000 items, including historic and contemporary works in multiple languages.