An ink jet recording apparatus, in which ink is ejected from a recording head to a recording medium to carry out recording, includes a cap which covers an ink ejection port of the recording head, a cap holder which holds the cap, a cap base which rotatably and vertically movably supports the cap holder, and a base member which rotatably supports the cap base. When the cap is separated from the recording head by a predetermined distance, a position of the cap holder is controlled in a state in which the cap holder is oblique at a predetermined angle relative to the cap base so that an abutting plane of the cap is substantially parallel to an ink ejection port surface of the recording head. According to the apparatus, the structure is compact and inexpensive, the cap member can be surely held in close contact with the ejection port surface of the recording head with a constant pressing force, and the ejection port surface can be covered while surely maintaining airtightness.