SCIENCE AND TECH MUSEUMS

The Yamanashi Prefectural Science Center (山梨県立科学館) is a great spot to spend a couple hours. It’s connected to Yamanashi’s Kodomo no Kuni, has up to 200 free parking spaces and is a short 30 min drive to the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Literature. …

The Minato Science Museum is a new Interactive Science Museum and Planetarium with great interactive exhibits about the human body, nature, the city and water. It’s ideal for elementary kids and older, but still fun for little ones and adults! A great place to spend a couple hours. The Science …

There are hundreds of art museums in the Tokyo area, but here are our favorite family, Tokyo art museums. Very few Japanese art museums have permeant exhibits, but instead rotate exhibits 3-4 times per year. The exhibits ration typically follow the seasons. To help make decision making easier, we update …

Ever wonder why Tokyo does not flood as much as other typhoon struck Asian cities? It is because of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Underground Flood Control Discharge Area in Saitama. The Flood Control area, which is north of Tokyo, controls the floodwaters from five rivers before the water dumps into the Edo …

Sona Area Tokyo (Ariake, Tokyo) – Earthquake & Disaster Prevention Experience Learning Facility is a free educational center for individuals or groups to come and learn about how to survive the first 72 hours after an earthquake. The Sona Area Tokyo is a disaster space which is prepared for an …

The Sumida Incineration Plant was a fantastic 1/2 day outing to learn what happens to our burnable trash in Tokyo. Our early elementary children grasped the entire cycle, and the parents were amazed at the process and science — a great free educational outing in Tokyo. Sumida Incineration Plant is …

A trip to Tokyo Tower (東京タワー) with the kids is a must do for visitors or newly arrived Tokyo expats. Not only is the view great, but the ride up is really, really cool! For Special Discounts purchase tickets online via Voyagin (trusted partner). There are two observation levels; one …

Top Train and Railway Museums in Japan To help you discover and explore a few of the amazing trains Japanese engineering has produced throughout the years we`ve listed a few of our favorites. Explore the interiors of the historical train cars, view the antique collections, learn the mechanisms of the …

As moms of six kids aged 3-18 years, we know our Tokyo kids` museums. From history and architecture to science and technology there is a museum listed here for everyone’s interest. Tested by our families to make sure yours will enjoy the day at the museum. Have fun! The below …

The JR West Kyoto Railway Museum (京都鉄道博物館), formerly the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, was expanded and modernized, and reopened in April 2016. It is the newest and largest railway museum in Japan surpassing JR East`s Omiya Railway museum in Saitama (30 minutes from Shinjuku Station) and JR Central`s SC Maglev …

If you have children ages 5 and up I recommend you attend the Ikebukuro Life and Safety Learning Center 池袋防災館.  Sign-up to take the FREE 1 hour 40 min tour and get a full education on the risk of fire, smoke, and earthquakes. The tour leaders are retired firemen and women …

Have a kid who love things that go? Trains, planes & cars we got you covered. Our sons were obsessed with transportation when they were 3-5 years olds so we have first hand experience at all of the recommended locations. Whether a museum, interactive experience or shopping all of our …

The Tokyo Water Science Museum is a great FREE hands-on, educational museum – a great spot to take the kids on a hot, rainy or cold day. The museum takes about 60 – 90 minutes to tour depending on how much Japanese you can read and how much time the …

Kids and Firefighting fans will enjoy a few hours at the Fire Museum in Yotsuya, Tokyo. This  free five-floor museum run by the Tokyo Fire Department both explains the history of fire and earthquake prevention and protection in Japan and is a fun, interactive environment for kids to climb on …

The Tokyo Police Museum 警察博物館 will inspire all youngsters to be a person in blue. If you are a fan of the Tokyo Fire Museum, the Police Museum is a must visit. The museum reopened in May 2017 following a one year remodel. Five floors of Tokyo police history, criminal investigation techniques …

If your children love trains, planes and cars than a visit to the Tokyo Subway Museum in Kasai will be a win. Adults will also learn about the 90-year history of the Tokyo Subway system. After visiting this museum, you will never ride a Tokyo subway again and not think …

If you are looking for an educational, hands-on and FREE museum in Tokyo to take the kids on a hot or rainy day head to the Gas Science Museum in Toyosu. The museum is located in beautiful modern building right near the LalaPort shopping mall, Toysou pier and park. Great …

The SC Maglev and Railway Park is a great museum for train enthusiasts young and old. It houses 39 of JR`s rolling stock displays, some with marked world speed records. Visitors can see, touch and tour the interior of the trains, learn the mechanics behind the bullet train and Maglev as well …

The Tokyu Train and Bus Museum is a small museum located at Miyasakidai Station. The museum has many functioning miniature trains as well as actual train cars and busses on display. It holds a virtual driving simulator for both a bus and a train, a panorama theatre of miniature functioning …

The Tobacco & Salt Museum is a great museum for kids in upper elementary to adults to learn about the history, production, and trade of tobacco and salt. The multi-floor modern museum, opened in 2015, is beautifully laid out with multimedia, 3D some hands-on exhibits. The museum is subsidized by …

21-21 Design Sight is a very innovative museum. There is no permanent exhibit but rather original exhibits that rotate every five to six months. I attended the present exhibit “Measuring: This much. That much. How much?” with my son who does not like math so much. He and I had …

The Sony ExploraScience in Odaiba is an engaging and educational science and technology centre for kids eight years through teens for 1-2 hours. There are two large rooms on the 5th floor of the Mediage building in Odaiba that are filled with interactive displays that explain light and sound principals …

The Panasonic Center Tokyo is filled with 3 floors of FREE interactive fun! Begin your journey on the main floor Active Learning Camp discovering facts about the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Learn about diverse cultures around the world, participate in knowledge workshops, browse through Olympics related books and test equipment used …

Space Museum TenQ is an entertainment museum set up to deepen your knowledge about the universe. Patrons can visit 9 different space related areas beginning with their projection mapping room. Sit and watch the walls undergo a variety of transformations then watch visuals of space and philosophers from past to …

***Note the Museum will be closed June 24th-28th 2019 for maintenance***** National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館) Ueno, Tokyo – The newly renovated (completed July 2015) National Museum of Nature and Science is a great place to slow down, have fun and learn! I was very impressed with the renovations in the …