National Museum of Nature and Science 国立科学博物館

The National Science Museum is one of Japan's leading museums. Visitors of all ages will enjoy and deepen their understanding of natural history, science and the history of technology.

The museum is accessible by train and then on foot.

The National Museum of Nature and Science is near Ueno Station, inside Ueno Park . Ueno Station is on the JR Yamanote Line, four stops from Tokyo Station . Take the park exit at Ueno Station. It is less than a five-minute walk to the museum's entrance.

Japan as a leading force in design and aesthetics, but it is also well-known for its scientific advancements. Of Japan's 28 Nobel Laureates, 26 have been in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine.

You should definitely make time see Theatre 360. The dome theater and 3D images were originally created as a special exhibit for Expo 2005 in Aichi . The seven films rotate, with one selected each month.

The movies are in spherical 3D, in which you stand on a bridge surrounded on all sides by a seamless sphere of video and sound 12.8 meters in diameter.

The Taxidermy Hall has more than 100 animal displays, including a tiger, bear, gorilla, camel, and others.

The museum's Japan Gallery (in its permanent collection) includes multiple floors of exhibits on the history, nature, organisms and human civilization of Japan. It serves a critical part of the museum's function in research and education. You'll find the famous dog Hachiko, immortalized in Shibuya .

Other popular exhibits include the D51 steam engine at the entrance, and the full-scale replica of a blue whale. The entrance fee is very reasonable, and admission is free for high school students (including technical college students) and younger and those aged 65 and over.