Not always included in "must see" in Tokyo guides, the National Museum of Natural History and Science is surely a valid alternative to spend a half day in Tokyo, especially on rainy days.
The Museum is located in Ueno Park, area that abounds with museums and exhibitions to visit,especially the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. It is also home to Ueno Zoo . You can reach it few minutes from Ueno Station.
The Museum covers both science and natural history with attention on physics and robotics experiments. An entire section is dedicated to special exhibitions, which require extra ticket. The permanent exhibition is divided in two pavilions: the Global Gallery and the Japan Gallery. The global gallery dive us into the evolution of life on Earth. Five exposure floors that analyze life from primordial organisms to big scientific discoveries. The exhibitions are focused on mammals and birds life diversity on Earth and their relationship with their specific ecosystems. You can discover how plants and animals have adapted to the change environment. There are reconstructions of different species, with particular interest to dinosaurs and many interactive exhibits that allow you to experience the notions instinctively. Very interesting is an exhibition hall for children aged 4 to 6 along with their guardians, where children can learn science and history while playing. Japan Gallery focuses on birth and evolution of life in Japan.On Japanese islands, with their complex and unique geological history, numerous species of plants and animals have repeatedly appeared, flourished, and become extinct. Very interesting is the reconstruction of human life in Japan from the appearance on earth until today. The exhibition continues with some Japanese inventions of the Edo period onwards, and their interaction with foreign cultures.
A big attraction is the Theater 360, a movie theater in spherical 3D, a movie experience in which the viewer is surrounded on all sides by a seamless sphere of video and sound.
The Museum opens at 9 am and closes at 5 pm ( Visitors are admitted until 30 minutes before closing time). On Fridays and Saturdays it closes at 8 pm. It is closed on Mondays.A general ticket costs ¥620. Audio guides are available in four languages: English, Mandarin, Korean and Japanese for ¥310.
