Nara National Museum

Check what is open before you come, because until 2028 this is not quite the museum the guidebooks describe. The Buddhist Sculpture Hall, finished in 1894 to a design by Katayama Tokuma and the first full Western-style building in Nara, closed for renovation on 14 September 2026 and is due to reopen around spring 2028. That hall normally shows close to 100 Buddhist statues from the Asuka to the Kamakura periods, and it was the reason to visit outside exhibition season.

While it is shut, a selection of statues has moved upstairs in the Bronze Gallery, a 1937 storehouse joined to the old hall, whose ground floor keeps the Sakamoto collection of ancient Chinese bronzes. The selection opened on 15 September 2026, follows Buddhism from India to Nara, and includes a 9th-century seated Yakushi that is a National Treasure. Entry to the Bronze Gallery is free for the whole closure, which makes it an easy stop between Kofuku-ji and Todai-ji. Enter by the slope on its east side.

The event of the year is the Shosoin Exhibition, held every autumn in the East and West New Wings. The Shosoin treasures are around 9,000 objects tied to Emperor Shomu and 8th-century Nara, kept under imperial seal, and only a selection comes out each year. The 78th exhibition runs from 24 October to 9 November 2026, 80 years after the first in 1946. This year's pieces include a lacquered ewer shaped after Persian water jugs and a white glass bottle. Tickets are timed-entry, 2,000 yen for adults, bought in advance; walk-up tickets are sold only if a slot has space. Hours are 8:00 to 18:00, until 20:00 on Fridays, weekends and holidays. The museum itself warns that the morning until about 15:00 is the most crowded, and even with a ticket you will see much of it over other people's shoulders. It suggests early or evening slots instead, and the evening ones are cheaper.

Outside the exhibition the museum opens 9:30 to 17:00 and closes on Mondays. There is no car park and no coin lockers. The cafe, restaurant and shop in the underground passage are open to anyone, ticket or not.