Best Living Japan – Tokyo Expat Family Guide Tokyo with Kids Guide for Globally Minded Families 
Related Articles
Kaleidoscopes do not pop to mind when one says Kyoto, but the Kaleidoscope Museum (京都万華鏡ミュージアム姉小路館) is a great place to visit for an hour if your kids are “templed out” or if the weather calls for an indoor activity. The one room museum has 20-30 kaleidoscopes that are from 
all over the world. All of the kaleidoscopes have English cards next to them explaining how to use properly. The staff does not speak much English, but they are incredibly passionate about showing you each one and how to use it. My four-year-old had a great time. Great value for a few hundred yen.
Kaleidoscope Museum, Kyoto
Make sure you stay for the light show which takes place about every 30 mins. The lights are turned off, and the kaleidoscopes are projected on the wall. Very cool. I would advise one adult with one child since many of the kaleidoscopes are very fragile and could break easily if dropped.
After enjoying touching and viewing all the beautiful Kaleidoscopes, you can have an inexpensive but healthy lunch in the small cafe and/or make your own kaleidoscope to take home. There are two types of kaleidoscopes which can be made -oil or a simple mirror type. We chose the mirror type for a little more than 500 JPY. It takes about 30 mins to construct the 
kaleidoscope, and you will have a very helpful staff member make sure you don’t make a mistake. We love the kaleidoscope we made with beautiful washi paper on the outside – a unique item to remember our trip.
Hours: Open Everyday 10:00 – 17:30Kaleidoscope Museum, Kyoto
Did 
you enjoy this article? If yes, please sign-up for the Best Living Japan newsletter so you don’t miss any great info. It is easy to sign-up just click here, and enter your email.
