Nagoya City Science Museum: There is More than the World's Largest Planetarium! 

"Nagoya City Science Museum" is famous for the world's largest planetarium certified by Guinness World Records.

But in fact, it is also one of the largest hands-on science museums in Japan. This time, we would like to give a thorough report on how to enjoy not only the planetarium, but also the Nagoya City Science Museum. There are plenty of highlights, such as the "Deep Freezing Lab" where you can experience the world of minus 30 degrees Celsius, and the "Electric Discharge Lab" where you can experience a huge electric discharge of 1.2 million volts!

About Nagoya City Science Museum

A 5-minute walk from Fushimi Station on the Higashiyama Line and Tsurumai Subway Line

The Nagoya City Science Museum opened in November 1962 (Showa 37). In 2011 (Heisei 23), it reopened as a new facility equipped with the world's largest planetarium and four large-scale exhibitions.

The shining silver planetarium dome "Brother Earth". The naming rights partner is Brother Industries, Ltd., headquartered in Nagoya.

It was named with the hope that children, who will be responsible for the next generation, will deepen their interest in and understanding of space and develop a heart to protect our beautiful earth. The "World's Largest Dome with an Inner Diameter of 35 meters" has been recognized by Guinness World Records.

Science and Technology Building

Life Sciences Building

Astronomy Building

The Nagoya City Science Museum consists of three areas, the Science and Technology Building, the Life Sciences Building, and the Astronomy Building.

The exhibits are organized according to the "Guidelines for the Course of Study," with each floor leading to a higher grade. It is a science museum where visitors can learn what they have learned in school while experiencing it more deeply. For this reason, admission is free for junior high school students and younger.

<Admission Fee>
Exhibition and planetarium: 800 yen for adults, 500 yen for university and high school students
Exhibition only: 400 yen for adults, 200 yen for university and high school students

*Junior high school students and younger are free
*Student ID required for university and high school students
*Additional fees may be required for special exhibitions.

Experience the Wonder of Nature
"4 Large Exhibitions"

The Nagoya City Science Museum tends to get a lot of attention for its planetarium, but you can't miss the 4 Large Exhibitions where you can experience the wonders of nature.

<4 Large Exhibitions>

① "Deep Freezing Lab," a cryogenic space of minus 30 degrees Celsius
② "Electric Discharge Lab," a giant 1.2 million volt electrical discharge experience device
③ "Tornado Lab," a 9-meter-high artificial tornado
④ "Exploring Water," a large scale and diverse contraption of water, sound and ligh

Numbered tickets are required for the "Deep Freezing Lab" and "Electric Discharge Lab" due to capacity restrictions (first-come, first-served for the Electric Discharge Lab on weekdays except during spring, summer and winter vacations). Distribution times can be checked from here。

This time, I actually experienced four large-scale exhibitions!

Large Exhibition ① "Deep Freezing Lab"

The maximum number of participants per session is 20. The program lasts approximately 20 minutes.

First of all, I came to the "Deep Freezing Lab" on the 5th floor of the Science and Technology Building.

You can experience the extremely low temperature space of minus 30 degrees Celsius! Minus 30 degrees Celsius, what kind of world is it? While my heart is pounding, it's time to take on the challenge.

After receiving an explanation from the staff in the guidance room, change into a cold-weather coat that can be rented free of charge.

Leave your luggage here, except for valuables. (Cameras and smartphones may get condensed, so be sure to keep them in your pocket.)

For shoes that expose a lot of skin, such as sandals and heels, you can rent boots.

The Deep Freezing Lab is divided into three rooms. The first is the "Polar Information Room" at -10 degrees Celsius, where you will gradually acclimate your body to the cold. It is quite cold at this point!

Finally, we went to the "Polar Experience Room" where the temperature is -30 degrees Celsius!

We can experience the extremely low temperature for five minutes, but after two or three minutes, my face began to tingle and ache. I was raised in the Northern area of Japan, but minus 30 degrees Celsius was indeed an unknown world to me. I was surprised to learn that Antarctic research teams are working hard every day in such a harsh environment.

You can also touch actual Antarctic ice and drift ice. It's COLD!

On the ceiling, you can see the northern light and midnight sun panoramic videos. If you are lucky, you can see a live image of Antarctica.

"Polar Research Lab" Introduces the buildings at Showa Station and the Antarctic Research Expedition.

Once again, we acclimatize our bodies in a room with a temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius. It is strange that minus 10 degrees Celsius, which felt so cold earlier, feels so warm now.

It is not often that you get to experience the world at minus 30 degrees Celsius. By experiencing it with my own body in this way, I feel I am able to imagine Antarctica more realistically. I hope you will experience it for yourself!

Large Exhibition ② "Electric Discharge Lab"

The maximum number of participants per session is 60. The program lasts approximately 20 minutes.

Next, we headed to Electric Discharge Lab ,where you can experience 1.2 million volts of electrical energy!

Here you can experience dynamic electrical energy through a 1.2 million volt discharge generated by a huge electrical discharge experience device. 1.2 million volts sounds more nerve-wracking than minus 30 degrees Celsius!

First, you will learn what "electrical discharge" is. Discharge is the current state of electricity passing through the air. A familiar example is static electricity.

On the table there are two metal spheres, one large and one small. This is a "Van de Graaff electromotive force generator," a machine that generates electricity through friction caused by a rotating rubber belt. When a person selected from the audience touched one of the spheres, it generated an electric shock.

After learning how electric discharge works, it is time to start experiencing energy through discharge!

The lights in the auditorium went dark, voltage was applied to two large coils (Tesla coils), and a cueing sound began to be heard. Even through the wire fence, I could feel the tension in the air.

After a while, electric discharge will shoot out in front of your eyes with a tremendous roar and sparks! It is so powerful that you can't help but cover your ears!

The discharge takes place three times, and the third time you can view from directly below. The light and sound last for several tens of seconds, enough to make even adults feel a thrill.

The electric sparks that continue to move through the air as if they were plodding through the air provide a real sense of the intensity of electrical energy. The electrical discharge phenomenon seen in the discharge lab is 1.2 million volts. Lightning discharges several hundred million volts, so you can see how tremendous the electrical energy of lightning is.

However, you cannot leave the lab in the middle of the experience, so please use your best judgment if you have small children. Although you cannot hear the sound, you can see the discharge phenomenon from the windows on the 4th and 5th floors.

Large Exhibition ③ "Tornado Lab"

Next, head to "Tornado Lab" located in the atrium space on the 3rd and 4th floors.

This is an experimental device that can artificially create a huge air vortex that looks just like a tornado. No numbered tickets are required, as a tornado can be generated at any time by pressing a button.

In the Tornado Lab, a "Tornado Show" is held several times a day. Visitors can learn how tornadoes work through experiments.

The mechanism of a tornado occurs when a rotating current and an updraft combine. The Tornado Lab uses white smoke to make it visible, and the 9-meter-high artificial tornado is one of the largest in Japan!

In the tornado show, the audience is chosen to take part in the experiment. What happens if a person gets inside a tornado? What happens if a balloon is thrown into the tornado? This time, a little girl took up the challenge.

If you are interested in the results of the experiment, please check it out at the actual show!

Large Exhibition ④ "Exploring Water"

This is the last of the large exhibits! The last stop is the "Exploring Water" in the center of the Science and Technology Building. Many of you may have visited here before.

Using approximately 20 tons of water, visitors can enjoy many experiments on the properties of water in the cloud, rain, river, and sea stages. Water from the sea stage is carried to the cloud stage, and then flows to the river and sea stages. It represents the cycle of water on the earth.

There are 19 exhibits in "Exploring Water", and I tried "kaiten-guruma (rotating wheel)" from among them!

In this exhibit, visitors can experience how the "kaiten-guruma" moves when they get on it and walk, and how the Archimedes pump rotates with the force of walking.

Is it easy? You may think it is, but it is much heavier than you imagine. I had to put a lot of pressure on my stomach! The kaiten-guruma moved and the Archimedes pump carried the water to the tank. This is something that even adults get carried away with.

The 4 large exhibits allowed visitors to actually experience the exhibits with their own bodies, making it possible for them to enjoy learning about natural phenomena and science, which is difficult to understand only through classroom learning.