Nara’s free museums

This item appears on page 22 of the March 2009 issue.

In Nara, the first capital of Japan, as of Sept. 6, 2008, international visitors receive free tickets at four museums simply by showing their passports.

A 30-minute train ride from central Kyoto, these include Nara Museum of Art (17th-century Ukiyo-e woodblock prints), Nara Complex of Manyo Culture in Asuka Village (Manyoshu, Japan’s oldest collection of poetry), Nara Museum of Folklore (Machiya-style houses, tools) and Archaeological Institute of Kashihara (items from 1938 excavation of Fujinoki Burial Mound). 

Open 9-4:30 Tuesday-Sunday. Visit www.pref.nara.jp/nara_e/area01/04.html.