Festival & seasonal event in Kyoto
Kyoto Railway Museum Special Tour: Experience Everything About the Series 500 Shinkansen!
This special tour is held on only two dates: December 12 and January 23. Before the museum opens, join a curator to explore the driver's cab and learn about the pantograph of the Series 500 Shinkansen.
- Dates
- Dec 12 (Sat) – Jan 23 (Sat)
- Hours
- 09:30 – 10:00
- Venue
- Kyoto Railway Museum
- Nearest station
- Umekoji-Kyotonishi
- Admission
- Adults ¥3,000; university and high school students ¥2,800; elementary and junior high school students ¥2,000; children aged 3 and over ¥1,700. Museum admission included
About this event
The 500 Series Shinkansen is famous for its striking, streamlined design. This special tour takes visitors inside its driver's cab before the Kyoto Railway Museum opens to the public. Museum curators explain the train's engineering, guiding a small group around its exterior, interior and pantograph. With just five to ten participants, the approximately 30-minute tour offers a closer look at the technology behind Japan's high-speed rail system. Afterwards, visitors can explore the museum's regular exhibitions, including its large railway diorama.
Highlights
- Exclusive access to the 500 Series Shinkansen driver's cab
- Expert explanations of the train and its pantograph
- An approximately 30-minute tour for a small group
- Explore the railway diorama and other exhibitions afterwards
- Good for
- Families with train-loving children and travelers interested in railway engineering.
Good to know before you go
- Advance reservations and credit card payment are required.
- Meet at 9:15 AM, before the museum opens.
- The tour may be canceled if fewer than five people register. Cancellations are announced by email.
Pochikichi's story cornerWhat's inside the driver's cab of a 500 Series Shinkansen?
The 500 Series Shinkansen is instantly recognizable by its distinctive streamlined body. This special tour offers access to the driver's cab, an area normally closed to museum visitors. Seeing the train from the driver's perspective is quite different from looking out of a passenger window.
A curator from the Kyoto Railway Museum introduces the train's exterior and interior before explaining its pantograph. This device collects electricity from overhead wires, making it an essential part of the system that powers electric trains.
The museum's guiding concept is to see, touch and experience railway technology. Its exhibits include a railway diorama and driving simulators, encouraging visitors to explore not only trains themselves but also the engineering and people that keep railways running.
The vehicle itself becomes a classroom during this special tour. So when looking at the 500 Series Shinkansen, pay attention to the shape of its nose and the pantograph above.
Sources: Kyoto City Official Tourism Guide: 500 Series Shinkansen Special Tour (Japanese), Kyoto Railway Museum Official Website (Japanese)
Long ago, around hereWhat stood in Umekoji before the museum?
Umekoji preserves an important chapter in Kyoto's railway history. The present Kyoto Railway Museum opened on April 29, 2016, bringing together and expanding upon the former Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum in Kyoto and the Transportation Science Museum in Osaka.
What makes this location special is its connection to the railways themselves. Through real locomotives and hands-on exhibitions, visitors can trace Japan's transportation history from the age of steam to the era of high-speed trains.
Today, the museum is within walking distance of JR Umekoji-Kyotonishi Station, and railway history has become an attraction in its own right. So when walking through Umekoji, look for the preserved steam locomotives that tell the story of an earlier age.
Sources: Kyoto Railway Museum Official Website (Japanese), Kyoto Railway Museum Access Information (Japanese)
FAQ
- What is Kyoto Railway Museum Special Tour: Experience Everything About the Series 500 Shinkansen!?
- The 500 Series Shinkansen is famous for its striking, streamlined design. This special tour takes visitors inside its driver's cab before the Kyoto Railway Museum opens to the public. Museum curators explain the train's engineering, guiding a small group around its exterior, interior and pantograph. With just five to ten participants, the approximately 30-minute tour offers a closer look at the technology behind Japan's high-speed rail system. Afterwards, visitors can explore the museum's regular exhibitions, including its large railway diorama.
- When is Kyoto Railway Museum Special Tour: Experience Everything About the Series 500 Shinkansen!?
- From Dec 12 (Sat) to Jan 23 (Sat), 2027.
- What are the opening hours?
- 09:30 – 10:00
- How much does it cost?
- Adults ¥3,000; university and high school students ¥2,800; elementary and junior high school students ¥2,000; children aged 3 and over ¥1,700. Museum admission included
- Where is it and what is the nearest station?
- Kyoto Railway Museum. The nearest station is Umekoji-Kyotonishi.
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