Uzumasa
At the western edge of Kyoto, a few streets of Edo-period Japan have been standing since 1975 — not as a museum, but as a working film set. The wooden shopfronts, the replica Nihonbashi Bridge, the Meiji-era police box: all of it was built to the exacting standard of a camera lens, which means the grain of the timber and the curve of the roof tiles hold up at close range in a way that most recreations don't.
This is Uzumasa Kyoto Village, the public-facing side of Toei's Kyoto studio complex — one of Japan's largest, with over 2,000 films made here since 1951. A major renovation running from 2024 to 2028 is expanding the site in phases, with the first phase open from spring 2026.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to time it for the evening hours, when the streets run until 9pm and the lanterns are lit. The daytime version is interesting; the night version is something else entirely. Worth noting: Kōryū-ji temple, said to be Kyoto's oldest, is a five-minute walk away and holds the first Buddhist statue registered as a National Treasure — a quiet counterweight to the theatrical spectacle next door.
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How Uzumasa came to be
Toei Company established its Kyoto studio in 1951, and for decades it operated as a closed professional facility producing samurai films and period television dramas — the kind of work that defined a genre. In 1975, the outdoor sets were opened to the public, making Uzumasa the first theme park in Japan where visitors could watch live filming in progress.
The site remained largely unchanged for decades before a comprehensive redevelopment began in 2024. The renovation is staged across five years: Phase 1 opened in spring 2026, Phase 2 — including a historical entertainment district — is scheduled for spring 2027, and Phase 3 in spring 2028 will add the traditional Nakamuraza theatre and a bathing facility.
Who and what shaped it
Landmark buildings
Plan your visit
On the map
When to go
Spring (April–May) and autumn (October–November) are the most comfortable seasons, with mild temperatures and the added draw of cherry blossoms or changing leaves. Summer is hot and humid, with a rainy period from early June to mid-July and typhoon risk through September; if you visit then, the extended evening hours offer some relief from the midday heat.
Right now
Background & history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · specs from Wikidata (CC0) · weather from Open-Meteo · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · photos from Wikimedia Commons / Unsplash with per-image credit. No third-party reviews or social posts reproduced.