Nara’s free museums

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.