The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, the group that annually announces the single character best symbolizing the year, will open a facility in June where visitors can learn about kanji in a fun atmosphere.

The Kanji Museum, located in the city of Kyoto, will feature a 10-meter-tall tower whose surface is printed with some 50,000 kanji that appear in various kinds of Japanese literature.

Characters that have been selected as the year’s symbolic kanji will also be printed on the tower, which will stand in the center of the museum.

Among interactive features, visitors will be able to learn four-character idioms by solving puzzles. They will also have opportunities to deepen their knowledge about the shape, sound and meaning of each kanji by using touch panels.

The kanji foundation’s headquarters will be relocated to the museum, which will open June 29 in the Gion district. A library will be located on the second floor.

“We hope the museum will be a place where people can learn about Japan’s kanji culture,” a foundation official said Tuesday, adding the organization will aim at drawing an annual 200,000 visitors.

The foundation has yet to decide on admission fees.

KEYWORDS Kyoto, Kanji, tourism