Kagoshima Municipal Science Hall
A science museum about the Sakurajima volcano and space, with a 280-seat planetarium.
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Kagoshima Municipal Science Hall
SaveA science museum about the Sakurajima volcano and space, with a 280-seat planetarium.
One third-floor exhibit lets you pedal a human-powered plane over the crater of Sakurajima.
MoreWhat kind of place
Kagoshima marked its 100th year as a city by building this science museum, six stories and 43.37 meters tall, and it opened in December 1990 in the same complex as the public library.
Four million people had come through by April 2021, and the exhibit floors reopened in March 2026 after their fourth renewal.
Its nickname, Big Eye, means two things at once: a big eye turned toward science, and the big affection the city's residents have for it.
Sources and evidence (28)
- Five strollers are available to borrow on the second floor.source
- Three wheelchairs are available to borrow on the first floor.source
- The fourth floor has a rest area, a water fountain, and vending machines.source
- The third floor has a multipurpose room, a science lab, a craft workshop, a special exhibition room, and a meeting room.source
- There is no dedicated parking lot, but the neighboring Kamoike Park parking lot is free for up to three hours; bring your parking ticket into the museum.source
- Parking costs 150 yen an hour for a regular car and 300 yen an hour for a large vehicle.source
- The Space Theater on the fifth floor shows planetarium programs and dome films, and it seats 280.source
- The planetarium projects about 10 million stars, showing even the faint Milky Way as the mass of individual stars it is.source
- A showing runs about 45 minutes: the planetarium is roughly 15 minutes of live sky commentary plus a 30-minute program, while a dome film is a single 45-minute program.source
- There are five or six showings a day, at 10:10, 11:10, 13:10, 14:10, and 15:10, plus 16:10 on weekends and holidays.source
- The third floor is about earth science, with exhibits on the Sakurajima volcano, the symbol of Kagoshima, and on the structure of the Earth.source
- The Sakurajima Sky Cycle is a large ride where you pedal a human-powered plane over the volcano, with a lava route and a coastal route to pick from.source
- The Sakurajima Walk-Through is a giant model of the volcano at 1:2,000 scale, split into two halves so you can walk between them and study the terrain and the inside.source
- The earthquake exhibit shakes you side to side along with video. You pick a weak shake or a strong one (levels 1 to 3, or 3 to a strong 5, on Japan's own intensity scale). It is loud, and staff sometimes stop it for that reason.source
- The wind exhibit lets you dial the wind from a light breeze up to 20 meters per second and feel that force on your own body.source
- The fourth floor is split into two areas, Kagoshima and space, and science in everyday life, and it also has a corner of exhibits from companies and universities in the prefecture.source
- Kagoshima Prefecture, where Japan's rocket launch sites are clustered, is known as the country's gateway to space.source
- The rocket engine AR exhibit is a real LE-5, the second-stage engine of the H-1 rocket; hold up a tablet and you see it fire and fly through space.source
- Gravity Challenge uses track-and-field video to show how gravity differs from one world to the next, and you move your body to take part.source
- The sun exhibit projects images of the sun onto a two-meter dome, and a trackball moves what you see.source
- The Hayabusa simulator puts you at a mock control console to run the asteroid probe's mission; there are two consoles and six missions to try.source
- The original coaster corner, meant for preschoolers and younger elementary kids, lets them join rail pieces into a course and watch a ball roll down it.source
- The three primary colors room casts red, blue, and green light so you can see how objects and light look and get a feel for why.source
- The three-dimensional wire loop game sends a current through the course when the loop touches it, so you race the clock while seeing how a circuit works.source
- Touch'n Music lets you lay out blocks to compose a tune and learn about tone and scale as you go.source
- The Foucault pendulum in the second-floor entrance hall hangs from 14 meters up on the fourth floor, and its weight is 16 kilograms.source
- From Earth to Space, on the second floor, projects video onto the floor: the view rises from the museum, goes out past the solar system and beyond the galaxy, then comes back to the museum.source
- Ball Jump, on the second floor, carries a ball upward at the push of a button and jumps it from platform to platform, so you can watch potential energy turn into motion.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If you want somewhere indoors where kids handle the exhibits instead of only looking at them, your child can climb onto a big pedal-powered plane on the third floor and pedal out over the crater of the Sakurajima volcano.
Showings in the fifth-floor planetarium run about 45 minutes and start at fixed times, so pick your showing when you pay at the second-floor desk and you can walk the exhibit floors without cutting one short to make the start.
Five strollers are lent at that same desk, and the fourth floor has a rest area and a nursing room, so a break doesn't mean leaving the building.
Children who have not started elementary school get in free, and one per adult can watch a show from a lap at no charge, so a preschooler costs you nothing unless they take their own seat.
Sources and evidence (5)
- Reopened March 2026 after its first big rebuild in 13 years: Earth on 3F, 'Kagoshima and space' on 4F, a 23m dome on 5F.source
- Late April after the rebuild: weigh things with pulleys, run and jump at a giant screen, feel an earthquake and a gale.source
- A year-pass parent's day: the quake room, a 20 m/s wind, planet-weight dumbbells. Bring lunch — little to eat nearby.source
- A wet day indoors: a dust-explosion demo, a free craft workshop, the Sakurajima sky cycle, then the library next door.source
- A 3-year-old sat through the 45-min dome film. Pulleys and coaster-building too; the parking lot filled on a match day.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1In the Space Theater on the fifth floor, a small child watching from a parent's lap is free, one child per parent. Ten million stars are projected onto the 280-seat dome, the faint Milky Way among them resolved into its individual stars. On the second floor the entrance exhibit From Earth to Space projects images of the planet and the galaxy onto the floor, so a baby in arms can look down at them. On the same floor hangs the Foucault pendulum, a 16-kilogram bob suspended from 14 meters up on the fourth floor.Preschool children enter free, but both entry and the Space Theater require a parent alongside. Using a seat in the theater costs the child rate; on a parent's lap it is free, one child per parent. Screenings last about 45 minutes and run five or six times a day at 10:10, 11:10, 13:10, 14:10 and 15:10, plus 16:10 at weekends and holidays. Five loan strollers are kept on the second floor. The nursing room is on the fourth floor; diaper changing tables are on the third and fifth floors, the fifth being the theater level, and a baby keeper seat is on the third. If stairs are impossible with a stroller, enter from the first-floor entrance and press the call button for a staff member. The museum is closed on Tuesdays - or the first following weekday when that falls on a public holiday or on 2 or 3 January - and from 29 December to 1 January.
- Ages 2-3On the third floor, Sakurajima Walk-Through is a giant 1:2000 diorama of the volcano split in two, and children walk through the gap between the halves. On the fourth, Mysteries of the Sun projects the sun onto a two-meter dome, and the image follows a trackball as it turns. On the second, Ball Jump sends a ball up at the press of a button and then from platform to platform, easy to follow with the eyes.Preschool children enter free and must have a parent with them. The Earthquake Experience on the third floor is loud and is sometimes paused for that reason. A Space Theater screening runs about 45 minutes; a seat costs the child rate, while a lap seat is free, one child per parent. The nursing room is on the fourth floor, a diaper changing table and a baby keeper on the third, and another changing table on the fifth. The fourth floor has a rest area with a water cooler and vending machines, and the second has a food and drink corner, coin lockers and vending machines. Re-entry is allowed on the same day: speak to the staff at the second-floor reception both when you leave and when you come back. There is no dedicated car park, but the neighboring Kamoike Park car park is free for up to three hours - take your parking ticket into the museum. Otherwise it is 150 yen an hour for an ordinary car.
- Ages 4-6The Original Coaster is a corner built for preschoolers and lower-grade elementary children: they assemble rails into a course and watch the ball run it. On the third floor, Sakurajima Sky Cycle is a large ride where you pedal a human-powered aircraft over the volcano, with a lava course and a coast course to choose between. Also on the third, Strong Wind Experience lets a child dial the wind from a breeze up to 20 meters per second and take the force on their own body. Three Primary Colors of Light is a room lit in red, blue and green where they can see for themselves how the look of things changes.Preschool children enter free, but a seat in the Space Theater costs the child rate, and each screening you watch is charged separately. A screening is about 45 minutes: the planetarium is roughly 15 minutes of live sky commentary plus a 30-minute program, the dome cinema a 45-minute program. The Earthquake Experience covers weak shaking at intensity 1 to 3 and strong shaking at 3 to upper 5, and is loud enough that it is sometimes paused. Electromagnet Art and How Pulleys Work should be skipped by anyone who must be careful around magnets, such as people with a pacemaker or a cochlear implant. Electromagnet Art, the 3D Buzz Wire and Touch-n-Music all close during the summer-holiday special exhibition, and the Space Theater has several block periods a year with no screenings, so check the schedule before you go. Exhibits on floors 2 to 4 are occasionally out of service for adjustment. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and from 29 December to 1 January.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayIt is indoors. Everything is inside one six-story building: the 280-seat Space Theater on the 5th floor shows planetarium programs and dome cinema, and on the 3rd floor you ride the Sakurajima Sky Cycle, a pedal-powered plane that flies over Sakurajima.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed3 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：with conditionsconditions
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (3)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Indoor / outdoor
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
Reopened March 2026 after its first big rebuild in 13 years: Earth on 3F, 'Kagoshima and space' on 4F, a 23m dome on 5F.
Science the Earth and space as if traveling: hands-on at Kagoshima Municipal Science Museum
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Late April after the rebuild: weigh things with pulleys, run and jump at a giant screen, feel an earthquake and a gale.
Space and Kagoshima: the newest hands-on exhibits at the renewed science museum
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A year-pass parent's day: the quake room, a 20 m/s wind, planet-weight dumbbells. Bring lunch — little to eat nearby.
Good even for preschoolers: a science museum where playing is learning
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A wet day indoors: a dust-explosion demo, a free craft workshop, the Sakurajima sky cycle, then the library next door.
Kagoshima in the rainy season with a 7- and 9-year-old: a day at the science museum
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A 3-year-old sat through the 45-min dome film. Pulleys and coaster-building too; the parking lot filled on a match day.
A family visit to Kagoshima Municipal Science Museum
Kagoshima Municipal Science Hall · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
Where it is
2-31-18 Kamoike, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima 890-0063source
Before you go
- If you have a stroller or a wheelchair and cannot take the stairs, come in through the first-floor entrance and press the call button for a staff member.source
- Exhibits on the second through fourth floors are sometimes out of service while they are being adjusted.source
- The electromagnet art, the three-dimensional wire loop game, and Touch'n Music are closed while the summer-vacation special exhibition is on.source
- People who have to be careful around magnets, such as anyone with a pacemaker or a cochlear implant, should skip the electromagnet art and the pulley exhibit.source
- The fifth-floor planetarium, called the Space Theater, closes for several days at a time a few times a year for equipment checks and special events.source
Basics
- Fee：Admission is split into adults (high school and up) and children (elementary and junior-high school). Pre-school children are free. The 5th-floor Space Theater is charged on top of admission, and each showing is charged separately. A pre-school child needs a child ticket only if they use a seat; one child per adult watches free on a lap, and a pre-school child must be with an adult both in the museum and in the Space Theater. There is a Kagoshima city-resident rate and a rate for everyone else; the resident rate needs ID showing your addresssource
- Hours：9:30-18:00, last admission 17:30. Closed Tuesdays (if that is a public holiday or 2-3 January, the next weekday instead) and 29 December to 1 January. The Space Theater also closes for several days at a time for equipment checks and special eventssource
- Time to allow：3 hsource
- Booking：Pay at the 2nd-floor reception; cards and e-money are accepted. An annual passport costs two visits' worth and comes as an admission pass, a Space Theater pass, or both. You may re-enter the same day — tell the reception staff on the way out and back insourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (23)
Hours and closures
Other
- The museum is run by the Kagoshima Education and Culture Promotion Foundation as the city's appointed operator.source
- Its nickname is Big Eye, meaning both a big eye turned toward science and the big affection the city's residents have for it.source
- It was built for the 100th anniversary of Kagoshima's founding as a city, sharing a complex with the Kagoshima City Library.source
- It opened in December 1990 and reached four million visitors in April 2021.source
- Its fourth exhibit renewal opened in March 2026.source
- The building is steel-frame reinforced concrete, six stories above ground and 43.37 meters tall.source
- You pay at the reception desk on the second floor, which takes electronic money and credit cards.source
- You can re-enter the same day; tell the staff at the second-floor reception desk when you leave and again when you come back.source
Fees
- Children who have not started elementary school get in free.source
- A preschool-age child who takes a seat in the planetarium needs a child's ticket.source
- A preschool-age child watching from a lap is free, one child per accompanying adult.source
- Preschool-age children must be with a parent or guardian both to enter the museum and to watch a planetarium show.source
- Planetarium shows cost extra on top of admission, and each showing you watch needs its own ticket.source
- To pay the city-resident rate you have to show ID with an address in the city.source
- An annual passport costs the price of two visits and can be used as often as you like for a year; it comes in three kinds, one for admission, one for the theater, and one for both.source
- Show a Japanese disability certificate (intellectual, physical, or mental health) at the second-floor desk and admission is waived; city residents aged 70 and over are also exempt.source
- One companion also gets in free with each holder of an intellectual, physical (grades 1 to 3, or grade 4 at age 65 and over), or mental health disability certificate.source
Getting there
- By car it is about 15 minutes from Kagoshima-Chuo Station and about 15 minutes from the Kagoshima interchange on the Kyushu Expressway.source
- By bus, get off at Kamoike Shiei Pool-mae or Shiei Pool-mae; the museum is about 100 meters from the stop.source
- By streetcar, it is about 500 meters from the Korimoto stop or the Kamoike stop.source
Contact
- The address is 2-31-18 Kamoike, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima 890-0063, and the phone number is 099-250-8511.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (6)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Nursing space
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: main site
The museum shares a building with the city library, nicknamed Big Eye. The third floor is earth science, with a 1:2,000 Sakurajima model split in two so you can walk through it. A quake rig and a wind rig running to 20m per second stand on the same floor. The fourth floor covers Kagoshima and space: a real LE-5 rocket engine and a mock Hayabusa control desk. A rail-and-ball corner there is built for pre-schoolers and the youngest school years. The fifth-floor Space Theater projects about ten million stars.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Five strollers are lent from the 2nd floor. If stairs are a problem with a stroller or wheelchair, use the 1st-floor entrance and press the call button for a member of staff | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | k-kagaku.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes (5) | Five strollers on the 2nd floor | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | k-kagaku.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (1) | One nursing room, on the 4th floor, which also has a rest area, a water cooler and vending machines | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | k-kagaku.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes (2) | Baby changing seats on the 3rd floor and the 5th floor (the Space Theater level) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | k-kagaku.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes (2) | Multi-purpose toilets on the 1st floor (with ostomate facilities) and the 5th floor. The 3rd floor has a baby keeper seat | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | k-kagaku.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | There is no museum parking lot, but the neighboring Kamoike Park parking lot is free for three hours if you bring the ticket to the museum (otherwise ¥150 an hour for a car). About 15 minutes by car from Kagoshima-Chuo Station or the Kagoshima IC. By bus, get off at Kamoike Shiei Pool-mae or Shiei Pool-mae, 100m away; by tram, Korimoto or Kamoike stop, about 500m. If stairs are a problem, use the 1st-floor entrance and press the call button | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | k-kagaku.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet |
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