The Kyoto Municipal Museum of art was established to commemorate the coronation of the Showa Emperor in 1928. It is the second largest public art museum in Japan. The Kyoto Municipal Museum was opened to the public in 1933. It was first called the Showa Imperial Coronation Art Museum of Japan or the Kyoto Enthronement Memorial Museum of Art. It was housed in a European style brick building with Palace like proportions. After the Second World War, the occupation forces took over the building temporarily. A new annex was added in the year 2000 to provide additional exhibition space. From the date of its inauguration the museum has steadily increased its collection through donations and purchases. The Kyoto Municipal Museum has a vast collection of paintings, sculpture, graphic art, photographs and prints. All works on display relate to Japan and the city of Kyoto. Most of the works were created after the Meiji era. The museum hosts art lectures, seminars, workshops and art related programs. Temporary exhibitions are also held and some display the works of international artists. The Museum also holds special exhibitions like the Kyoten Exhibition and the Nitten Exhibition annually. It stays open from Tuesdays to Sundays and is closed on Mondays and public holidays.

The National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto popularly known by the acronym, MOMAK is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of 20th century Japanese art. The unique architecture of the building housing the museum has made it a popular tourist attraction in Kyoto.
The National Museum of Modern art in Kyoto was first established as an annex of the Modern Art Museum in Tokyo. The present site was once the Kyoto Municipal Exhibition Hall for Industrial Affairs. MOMAK occupied the building from 1963. The entire building was given to the museum in 1967. In 1984, the old building was torn down and the present structure designed by Fumihko Maki was constructed. The Museum was opened for public viewing once again in 1986.
The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto has four floors and a basement. Contemporary works of Japanese and international artists are on display. One can view both Japanese style Nihonga paintings and western style Yoga paintings at the museum. There are also collections of sculpture and objects made of ceramics, bamboo, metalwork, lacquer and jewelry. Notable works are paintings by the French master, Matisse, the Japanese artist, Ryuzaburo Umehara and ceramic sculpture by Kawai Kanjiro. The Museum also holds temporary themed exhibitions of contemporary art. Most of the signs in the museum are in Japanese but there are pamphlets in English that visitors can follow to take a self guided tour.

The Hosomi Museum is a private museum that displays a collection of Japanese art and artifacts. The exhibits were collected by renowned Osaka based Japanese industrialist, Hosomi Ryo.
The Hosomi Museum was founded in March 1998. The building was designed by O.E Tadasu and has three floors above the ground and two below. The design won the 40th Building Contractors Society Architecture Prize. The museum conducts a daily tea ceremony in the Kokoan Japanese Tea room in the same building. There is an Art Cube shop selling museum replicas, souvenirs and books. Visitors can also get Japanese and Italian fare at the restaurant of the Museum called Café Cube.
The collection of Hosomi Ryo consists of over 1000 works of art from all periods and almost all categories. One section of the Museum is dedicated to figurines found in tombs and Buddhist ceremonial tools. There is also a large collection of narrative scrolls from the Muromachi period. The decorative arts section has a wide large of lacquer objects from different periods in Japanese history. The Museum also has the best collection of Rimpa art in the world. The Rimpa artistic technique combines Yamato e painting with ink painting methods. Art related seminars, lectures and special exhibitions are held at the museum to promote traditional Japanese Art.

The Japan Hair Museum, also called the Japanese Coiffure Museum, is a very interesting site, especially if you're interested in hairstyle fashion. Representing and promoting typical Japanese hairdos from ancient times to the present, notable attention is given to the Geisha's influence over the preservation of the traditional coiffures. The museum displays 1/4 scale examples of 115 different hairstyles, and over 300 exquisite hair ornaments to its visitors.

The Museum of Kyoto is dedicated to the history of the city from pre historic times to the present. It is housed in a building that was once the Kyoto branch of the Bank of Japan.
The Museum of Kyoto is housed in a western style building that was the typical architecture of the age after the Meiji Restoration. The tea room at the museum was once a large safe belonging to the Bank of Japan. The first floor has many restaurants and shops and the information center. The permanent exhibits displayed in the second floor are dedicated to the history and culture of Kyoto. The arts and crafts of Kyoto are displayed on the 3rd floor. There is also a film archive and movie theater here. The 4th, 5th and 6th floors are used for temporary and special exhibitions and the offices of the museum are on the 7th Floor.
Interesting exhibits at the museum are architectural models of traditional buildings, shrines, temples and markets of Kyoto. The film gallery has many Japanese classic films from silent movies to movies made about 20 years ago. Japanese movies are screened twice a day at the theater from Thursdays to Sundays every week.

The Kyoto Museum of Ikebana is found on the third floor of the Ikenobo Building, located near Rokkakudo Choho-ji Temple in central Kyoto. The museum is a heaven for flower lovers and for those who are interested in the traditional Japanese flower arrangement, ikebana. It houses the knowledge of generations of grand masters as well as vases, screens, scrolls, and items excavated in the area.