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The Tokyo National Museum was inaugurated in 1871. The Science Museum concentrates mainly on the evolution of life on Earth. But its comprehensive permanent displays and exhibitions cater to nearly all aspects of scientific endeavor. Getting to National Science Park The museum is located in Ueno Park. The museum is 5 minutes' walk from Koen Exit (Park Exit) of JR Ueno Station. You can also take a 10 minutes' walk from Ueno Station of Ginza and Hibiya Lines or 10 minutes' walk from Ueno Station of Keisei Line. So getting here is not at all difficult. About the Museum The National science focuses more on natural history than technology. Dinosaurs and stuffed animals are the major characteristic, but there's also a section on the solar system plus interactive galleries where you can carry out your own little experiments. The museum has two chief areas to explore, the Main Building and the New Building. You will also find the "Midori-Kan Building". In addition, there are two outdoor exhibits worth checking out. Main Building The first floor of the Main Building of National Science Museum traces the phylogeny of living creatures from dinosaurs to Homo Erectus. The theme of the second floor of this building is Natural Selection. A stuffed and portly Stella Sea lion will welcome you as you step into the second floor. The third floor on the other hand exhibits plants and animals of Asia. You will also get to see a small collection of conventional Japanese clocks and also different items relating to the exploration of space like the real flag planted on moon during the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 space mission, and many others. There is a cafeteria. Here you will get some spicy and mouth watering Japanese foods here like curry, tonkatsu, curry with tonkatsu, ramen, etc. You will also get spaghetti and sandwiches here. The New Building The New Building has five floors. The basement consists of fossils and dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period. Moving upstairs and interaction becomes the name of the game in the "Discovery Plaza" and "Discovery Wood". The first floor has a semi-chintzy exhibit of the oceans' diversity of life. The second floor consists of all kinds of hands-on science experiments. There's a room with tilted floors and mirrors to exemplify how our sense of space works, an audio room with sounds coming from different places, a helicopter-bike thing that rises a bit off the floor if you pedal hard, a sound parabolic mirror thingy and much more. The third floor is set up as a wooded area, with stuffed deer, a wild big, a raccoon and some birds. The animals are floor-level so the kiddies can touch them. The remaining floors are reserved for special exhibitions. The Midori Kan Building The Midori Kan Building is the smallest building here. You must visit this place for two reasons. One, you will get to see the stuffed body of Hachiko is on the second floor. Hachiko is a legendary dog, who waited for his master years together in the station. The second reason is the giant pickled squid with all its legs extended. There is also a restaurant on the first floor. Outdoors The biggest attraction of this museum is the mammoth size steel blue whale, held aloft in a diving position by sturdy steel posts. The eyes are about the size of basketballs, and the mouth is near ground level. Visiting Hours The museum is opened from 9am till 4:30 pm. The ticket office closes at 4:00 pm. In addition, on the first and third Saturdays of the month, the museum is open for two hours after sundown for astronomical observation. The museum is closed on Monday except national holidays and Tuesday if Monday was a national holiday. You must grab an opportunity to visit this museum when you are in Tokyo. You kids will surely have a gala time here. They will both enjoy and learn here. As you walk through the buildings of the museum it will be the very journey of discovery itself.
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