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

The National Museum of Nature and Science is located in Ueno Park , Taito Ward, Tokyo.

Its creation dates back to the Meiji era (1868-1912). At the time, it was called the Museum of Education but was already in Ueno, not far from its current location. The new museum was built in 1930 .

This museum is separated into 3 distinct parts :

• the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno (Tokyo).
• The Institute for the Study of Nature at Shiroganedai (Tokyo).
• The Botanical Garden and the Research Center of Tsukuba (Ibaraki).

Many temporary exhibitions are also installed over the months. Currently at the Ueno Museum you will find an exhibition called "The Body - Challenging the mystery" until June 2018.

The permanent exhibitions are divided into two spaces :

• Nihon-Kan (the Japan Pavilion) since 1930.

The architecture of this period, the Shôwa era (1926-1989), is remarkable. On the 3rd floor, discover the entire history of the archipelago , with fossils attesting to the formation of the first islands, meteorites and minerals. On the 2nd floor are exposed the first human traces with the fauna and flora of the time, up to the famous dog Hachiko of Shibuya. Finally, on the 1st floor are the engine room and other measuring instruments such as the first telescope and the first seismograph in Japan. You will also find the 360° cinema space where films are projected on a kind of dome, allowing total immersion in images of nature and science, with a different subject each month. The 360° cinema was created for the Nagoya International Exhibition in 2005, on the theme of the wisdom of nature.

• Chikyû-Kan (the Earth Pavilion) since 1999.

The 3rd floor consists of a taxidermy area with a lot of animals from all over the world to discover and educational games for children between 4 and 6 years old. The 2 nd floor presents the evolution of science and technology from their appearance to the present day. The whole history of humanity , the importance of biodiversity and the preservation of the environment are explained on the 1st floor and you will also see an extraordinary specimen of giant squid. The lower floors are dedicated to dinosaurs . An impressive mammoth and many skeletons have been reconstructed to make us imagine these fabulous animals that populated the whole Earth tens of millions of years ago. On the very last lower floor there are spaces retracing the appearance and evolution of the first men . Then to end the visit, discover space on our solar system and the presentation of lunar rocks brought back from the Apollo missions.

See also: Ueno Zoo

In addition to all these exhibitions which should take you several hours, you should not forget to eat in the restaurant or in the café for a small snack. You will find a terrace with free access for picnicking , very pleasant with the added bonus of a garden to relax.

To understand everything, audio guides are available at reception (in English) for 310 yen (2€35). In each room, touch screens make your experience even more fun and learn as much as possible.

Other museums in Tokyo:

• Edo Museum
• Ghibli Museum
• photography museum