The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Group Visits

Individuals

Hours

10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Entry is permitted until 4:30 p.m.

Closing days

The Museum is closed every Wednesday. When a national holiday falls on a Wednesday, the Museum is closed instead on the following day.
The Museum is closed from December 28 until January 4 for the year-end and New Year period.

◇ The Museum may be closed because of bad weather.
When a storm warning is announced for Osaka city and the northern Osaka area, and also when the Natural and Cultural Garden is closed because of the weather, the Museum will also be closed. For further information, please call 06-6876-2151.

Admission charges

  Individual Groups
(20 persons or more)
Adults \580 \490
College and University Students \250 \200
High School Students and Younger Free Free
  • An additional charge may be necessary for Special Exhibitions.
  • Ticket Counter is on the 2nd Floor of the Main Exhibition Building. (Tickets for Special Exhibitions are also available at the ticket counter of the Special Exhibition Hall.)
  • In the Main Exhibition Building, Entrance Hall, Museum Shop, and Restaurant on the 1st Floor, and the Information Zone on the 2nd floor are available free of charge.
  • Please show an admission ticket when you participate in Special Lectures and Performances, and Minpaku Film Shows or Minpaku World Cinemas.
    *Participation in Minpaku Seminars is free of charge(No need to purchase a ticket).
Payment Methods for Admission Charges

Admission charges can be paid with the following credit cards and prepaid cards.

VISAカードマスターカードJCBカードアメリカン・エキスプレスカードダイナースクラブカードディスカバーカードUnionPayカードPiTaPaカードEdyカードiDカード
Visitors with disability certificate

Admission is free for visitors with a disability certificate and also for one accompanying person. Parking fees in the Expo'70 Commemoration Park may be waived.

Entering the Natural and Cultural Gardens

  • For high school students and younger to pass through the Natural and Cultural Gardens (paid area): tell the person at the window of the garden (center, west, or north entrance) that you are going to Minpaku and receive a pass.
  • For college students and general visitors: please buy a museum ticket at the ticket windows of the Natural and Cultural Gardens (center, west, or north entrance). Ticket holders can pass through the garden at no charge.
  • From Koen-Higashiguchi station, you can visit the Museum without passing through the area that requires admission fee in the Natural and Cultural Gardens, as well as from the dedicated path to the National Museum of Ethnology on the right side of Japanese Garden Gate.
    Click here for passing through the Nihon Teien Mae Gate
  • If you are a member of the Minpaku Associates, please notify that you are going to the Museum at the manned entrance gates (Central Gate, West Gate and North Gate) of the Natural and Cultural Gardens and receive a free passing ticket.

Click here for detailed information [in Japanese]

Entering the Museum

  • Groups of twenty or more are eligible for a group discount.
  • Please make a reservation for a group visit prior to the event.
    Application form [in Japanese]pdf
    *It is recommended that event organizers and school group leaders visit the Museum prior to the event, except the closing days (Wednesdays, or the following Thursday if Wednesday is a national holiday).
  • School teachers responsible for the group tour are free of charge.
  • Groups of visitors with disabilities are required to submit a publicly authorized certificate with the seal of the institution, stating the date of visit, the group name, the number of visitors with disabilities and accompanying staff members on the visiting day.
    Fees for the parking lots around the Expo Park may be waived. For further details, please contact the Expo Park.
    Expo Park website [in Japanese]
  • A “Group-Visit Guide” that includes tips for organizing a group tour as well as museum policies and security instructions can be downloaded in a pdf file.
    Group-Visit Guide [in Japanese]pdf
  • Only one group-visit ticket is issued per group. Payment is due upon arrival at the Museum. We cannot accept payment for the ticket before or after the visit. This ticket is non-refundable so please double check the number of visitors before the purchase.
    *Discount coupons are not applicable for group-visit tickets.
  • We would like group leaders to distribute copies of the “Visitors’ Guide” to the group members before entering the exhibition hall. Please collect them at the reception desk located on the 1st floor.
    Copies of the "Visitors' Guide" can be obtained upon request during a pre-visit, or they can be sent by post, COD.
  • Minpaku Digital Guides are available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean language. Please make a reservation in advance.
    Minpaku Digital Guide
  • "Minpaku Introduction DVDs” useful for pre-visit study are available to borrow upon a request.
    Please download and fill out an application form should you wish to borrow the "Minpaku Introduction DVD”, and send it to the Museum by fax. The DVD can be returned when you visit the Museum, or by post.
    Download [in Japanese]pdf
  • A learning kit for children, called Min-pack, is lent to schools and other educational institutions. They are available free of charge for a period of two weeks. Only shipping charges apply. Please use it as a tool before and after visits to the Museum.
    Min-pack
  • Minpaku worksheets are available on the website. They provide quizzes so that children learn about the Permanent Exhibition on specific themes, or about Special Exhibitions and Thematic Exhibitions as they complete the sheet.
    Worksheets
  • There is no parking lot exclusively for Museum visitors. Please park at the Nihon-Teien-Mae Parking Lot, which is five-minute walk to the Museum, and use the gate that is designated for Museum visitors.
    See details here.

Contact us

Public Relations Planning Section, Office of Administration
National Museum of Ethnology
10-1 Senri Expo Park,
Suita, Osaka 565-8511,
Japan

Telephone: +81-6-6876-2151
Fax: +81-6-6875-0401