The National Museum of Nature and Science is Japan's national museum of natural history and science, set in Ueno Park in north-east Tokyo. You will recognise it from the life-size model of a blue whale outside the entrance. Inside are two large buildings packed with dinosaur skeletons, meteorites, stuffed animals, old scientific instruments and hands-on displays. The National Museum of Nature and Science is one of the best rainy-day options in Tokyo and a reliable hit with children.
Why visit the National Museum of Nature and Science
The museum traces its history back to 1877, making it one of the oldest museums in Japan. Its collection is huge, and the displays are split between two buildings with quite different characters:
- The Japan Gallery is in the original museum building from the 1930s, a handsome structure with a central dome and stained glass. It covers the nature and people of the Japanese islands: geology, plants and animals, and how people came to live here.
- The Global Gallery is the larger modern building, covering the history of life on Earth, the evolution of animals, and science and technology. This is where you find most of the dinosaurs.
Much of the labelling is in Japanese, but the main displays have English text, and many objects need no explanation.
Getting to the National Museum of Nature and Science by metro
The nearest station is Ueno. From the JR lines, use the park-side exit and walk into Ueno Park; the museum is on the right after about 5 minutes, past the National Museum of Western Art. From the Tokyo Metro Ginza or Hibiya line platforms, follow the signs for Ueno Park and allow a few more minutes, as the subway exits are further from the park entrance.
Keisei Ueno station, for trains to and from Narita Airport, is also close, at the southern end of the park. Use a Suica or Pasmo card for all of these lines.
Tickets and opening hours
The permanent galleries have a modest entry fee for adults, and children and high school students have generally been admitted free. Special exhibitions are ticketed separately and can cost a good deal more. The museum is usually closed on Mondays, or the following day when Monday is a public holiday, and over the New Year break, and it may open late on some evenings. Check the official museum website (kahaku.go.jp) for current hours, prices and any advance booking requirements.
Highlights of the museum
The dinosaurs
The basement of the Global Gallery is given over to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, with full skeletons including a Tyrannosaurus and a Triceratops posed as if in action. This is usually the busiest part of the museum.
Hachiko
The preserved body of Hachiko, the loyal Akita dog famous for waiting at Shibuya station every day for years after his owner's death, is kept in the Japan Gallery. Nearby is Jiro, one of the sled dogs left behind in Antarctica that survived a winter there in the 1950s.
The Japan Gallery building
Take a moment in the central hall under the dome to look at the stained glass and the stone staircase. The building is a registered cultural property in its own right.
Science and technology displays
Look for early Japanese clocks, calculating machines and engines, and hands-on areas where children can experiment with simple physics.
Theater 360
A spherical theatre where you stand on a bridge inside a dome and are surrounded by projected images above and below. Shows are short and included in admission, but queues can build.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Weekday mornings are the calmest. On weekends and during school holidays, the dinosaur hall and the hands-on areas get crowded, so head there first when the doors open. Allow at least two to three hours; a full day is possible if you read everything. There is a restaurant and rest areas inside, and the roof garden of the Global Gallery has a herb garden and views over the park.
Nearby on the same stop
Ueno Park is Tokyo's museum quarter. The Tokyo National Museum is a few minutes' walk away, with the National Museum of Western Art right next door and Ueno Zoo just across the park. In spring, the park's main avenue is one of the city's best-known cherry blossom spots.
See more near the station on the National Museum of Nature and Science page, and plan the rest of your days with our Tokyo subway guide.