Permanent and special exhibitions

Museums collect and exhibit heritage (the ICOM definition); showing what the museum itself holds is the job of the permanent display, or collection exhibition. At the Kyoto National Museum, for example, the collection exhibitions present works the museum owns and works on long-term loan. Special exhibitions run for set dates. The Kyoto National Museum describes its special exhibitions as large-scale loan shows that typically use almost all of the galleries in one wing, and its collection galleries may be partly or fully cleared during them. Tickets differ by museum. For the Tokyo National Museum's special exhibition on Daitoku-ji (14 October to 6 December 2026), the ticket also admits you to the museum's collection exhibition (heijō-ten) on the day of your visit (except 30 November, when the collection galleries are closed); the Kyoto National Museum does not sell a separate collection ticket while a special exhibition is on.

See the collection and the special exhibition on the same day and compare how the works are set out.

• Permanent and special exhibitions 상설전과 특별전→Same topic in Seoul
• Permanent and special exhibitions 常設展與特展→Same topic in Taipei