Gunze Museum Annual Visitors Exceed 80,000 for the First Time in FY2025, Hitting a Record High!
The Gunze Museum, a corporate museum operated by Gunze Limited in Ayabe, Kyoto, surpassed 80,000 annual visitors in FY2025. This record high was driven by popular photogenic spots, local exhibitions, and community events.
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- 📰 Published: April 6, 2026 at 23:00
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Gunze Limited announced that its corporate museum, the Gunze Museum, surpassed 80,000 annual visitors for the first time in fiscal year 2025 (April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026), marking an all-time high.
Built in Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture—the birthplace of the company—by renovating Taisho-era cocoon warehouses, the Gunze Museum currently serves as a hub for community coexistence and cultural transmission. This new attendance record is the result of recent expansions in exhibition content and strengthened collaboration with regional events.
Background of Exceeding 80,000 Visitors
In FY2025, the museum launched initiatives blending history with modern trends so that all generations could enjoy their visit.
- Creation of Photogenic Spots Utilizing 'Taisho Roman': Events leveraging the atmosphere of the historic warehouse buildings became a hot topic on social media, leading to a rapid increase in visits from young people and tourists.
- Enhancement of Special Exhibitions: Exhibitions focusing on local history and lifestyle, such as masterpiece displays by a local Living National Treasure and the '100 Years of Showa Exhibition', garnered support from repeat visitors.
- Promotion of Community Coexistence Events: Participatory events for families, such as the 'Silkworm Festival' and 'Everyone's Hinamatsuri', are held regularly, establishing the museum as a place of relaxation for local residents.
About the Gunze Museum
Opened in 1996 to commemorate Gunze's 100th anniversary, the museum was created by renovating cocoon warehouses used during the Taisho era. Taking the opportunity of the 120th anniversary in 2016, it was renewed again, reorganizing the exhibits into the 'Founding Warehouse', 'Modern Warehouse', 'Future Warehouse', and 'Gathering Warehouse'.
- Founding Warehouse: Displays the origins of Gunze and its journey with the community since its founding in 1896.
- Modern Warehouse: Introduces current technologies that have evolved from textiles to plastics and medical businesses.
- Future Warehouse: Presents a future vision as a circular manufacturer aiming for a sustainable society.
- Gathering Warehouse: A multipurpose space used for local exhibitions, presentations, and various events.
Website: https://www.gunze.co.jp/gunzehakubutu/
Future Outlook
As a company that provides a 'feeling of comfort', Gunze will continue to propose a prosperous future lifestyle through this museum while respecting history. Starting in April 2026, the museum will open a new explanatory exhibit on the 'Plastic Resource Circulation Strategy', depicting the company's transformation into a 'circular manufacturer' that not only reduces plastic use but continuously circulates waste as resources. We look forward to welcoming everyone by planning attractive exhibitions and events in the future.
Built in Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture—the birthplace of the company—by renovating Taisho-era cocoon warehouses, the Gunze Museum currently serves as a hub for community coexistence and cultural transmission. This new attendance record is the result of recent expansions in exhibition content and strengthened collaboration with regional events.
Background of Exceeding 80,000 Visitors
In FY2025, the museum launched initiatives blending history with modern trends so that all generations could enjoy their visit.
- Creation of Photogenic Spots Utilizing 'Taisho Roman': Events leveraging the atmosphere of the historic warehouse buildings became a hot topic on social media, leading to a rapid increase in visits from young people and tourists.
- Enhancement of Special Exhibitions: Exhibitions focusing on local history and lifestyle, such as masterpiece displays by a local Living National Treasure and the '100 Years of Showa Exhibition', garnered support from repeat visitors.
- Promotion of Community Coexistence Events: Participatory events for families, such as the 'Silkworm Festival' and 'Everyone's Hinamatsuri', are held regularly, establishing the museum as a place of relaxation for local residents.
About the Gunze Museum
Opened in 1996 to commemorate Gunze's 100th anniversary, the museum was created by renovating cocoon warehouses used during the Taisho era. Taking the opportunity of the 120th anniversary in 2016, it was renewed again, reorganizing the exhibits into the 'Founding Warehouse', 'Modern Warehouse', 'Future Warehouse', and 'Gathering Warehouse'.
- Founding Warehouse: Displays the origins of Gunze and its journey with the community since its founding in 1896.
- Modern Warehouse: Introduces current technologies that have evolved from textiles to plastics and medical businesses.
- Future Warehouse: Presents a future vision as a circular manufacturer aiming for a sustainable society.
- Gathering Warehouse: A multipurpose space used for local exhibitions, presentations, and various events.
Website: https://www.gunze.co.jp/gunzehakubutu/
Future Outlook
As a company that provides a 'feeling of comfort', Gunze will continue to propose a prosperous future lifestyle through this museum while respecting history. Starting in April 2026, the museum will open a new explanatory exhibit on the 'Plastic Resource Circulation Strategy', depicting the company's transformation into a 'circular manufacturer' that not only reduces plastic use but continuously circulates waste as resources. We look forward to welcoming everyone by planning attractive exhibitions and events in the future.