Nagoya City Science Museum
A science museum with a 9m indoor column of spinning air and 4m Tesla-coil sparks.
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Nagoya City Science Museum
SaveA science museum with a 9m indoor column of spinning air and 4m Tesla-coil sparks.
Its sub-zero lab, the first of its kind in Japan, holds -30°C while an all-dome aurora plays overhead.
MoreWhat kind of place
The museum stands in Shirakawa Park in central Nagoya, and the big silver sphere you can see from the park plaza is its planetarium, a dome seating 350.
The museum itself is made up of three buildings, one for science and technology, one for astronomy and one for life science, with 11 permanent exhibition rooms between them and about 73,000 square feet of exhibit space.
If the name on the official website does not match the one you started from, that is the naming rights: the city sold them to a corporate sponsor to help pay for improvements, so the site calls the museum FUJI Nagoya Science Museum and the dome FUJI Sky Dome. It is the same museum, and the same dome.
Sources and evidence (26)
- The name used on the official website is now FUJI Nagoya Science Museum, a naming-rights title for the Nagoya City Science Museum.source
- FUJI Sky Dome is the nickname for the planetarium dome, and the name came from the city's search for a corporate naming-rights sponsor to help improve the museum.source
- It sits in Shirakawa Park in central Nagoya, and the large silver sphere holding the planetarium, visible from the park plaza, is the landmark to look for.source
- The museum is made up of the Science and Technology Building, the Astronomy Building and the Life Science Building, with 11 permanent exhibition rooms covering 6,817 square meters (about 73,000 square feet) in all.source
- The site covers 13,661.95 square meters, about 3.4 acres, and the buildings hold 23,490.66 square meters of floor space, about 253,000 square feet.source
- Restrooms on every floor include accessible multi-purpose stalls, ostomate fittings, child-height urinals and baby seats.source
- The museum does not lend strollers.source
- The museum will not lend you a stroller or hold your own at the desk.source
- Wheelchairs can be borrowed by asking staff at the first-floor reception, though the number available is limited.source
- The cafe restaurant seats 60 and is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last food orders at 4:30 p.m. and last drinks at 4:45 p.m.; there is no way in from inside the museum, so you go out through the entrance hall on the first floor of the Science and Technology Building.source
- Hold on to your ticket until you leave, since you need it to get back in.source
- Coin lockers are free and give the coin back: 130 small ones on the first floor of the Science and Technology Building, and 18 medium and 16 large on the first floor of the Life Science Building.source
- There is a first-aid room on the first floor of the Science and Technology Building.source
- AEDs are in the entrance hall on the first floor of the Science and Technology Building, the first-floor lounge of the Life Science Building and at the planetarium entrance on the sixth floor of the Astronomy Building.source
- The planetarium is on the sixth floor of the Astronomy Building, a hall of 830 square meters (about 8,900 square feet) with 350 seats.source
- Be up on the sixth floor before the show starts: seating begins 15 minutes ahead, and once it has started, a ticket will not get you in and there is no refund.source
- For safety, children aged four and under watch the planetarium on an adult's lap, one child per adult, and a group with more children than adults is turned away.source
- Even small sounds carry inside the dome, so anyone whose voice is heard during a show is led outside the dome for a while.source
- The planetarium has an infrared hearing assistance system and a hearing loop.source
- The museum's four headline exhibits are the water area, the tornado lab, the spark lab and the sub-zero lab.source
- In the tornado lab you can watch a column of spinning air 9 meters (30 feet) tall, and show times use experiments to explain how tornadoes work.source
- In the spark lab, two Tesla coils throw electric sparks 4 meters (13 feet) long, with a sharp crack of noise.source
- The sub-zero lab is Japan's first exhibition room kept at -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), where an aurora film plays across the whole ceiling while you look at real ice, watch experiments and learn about the polar regions.source
- The water area has cloud, rain, river and sea stages where you can run experiments on how water behaves, and together they show how water circulates around the Earth.source
- The Life Science Building has a science hall in the second basement with 224 seats plus 28 extra chairs, and the Astronomy Building has a 66-seat science stage on the fourth floor.source
- Visitors are asked not to run inside the building and to leave pets at home.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If you picture a museum as a long row of glass cases, this one in central Nagoya gives kids four big exhibits to walk into instead: a water area, a tornado lab, a spark lab and a sub-zero lab.
In the tornado lab they look up at a column of spinning air 9 meters (30 feet) tall, and at set show times an experiment explains how tornadoes work.
The sub-zero lab and the spark lab each hold only so many people at a time, and the entry pass is what gets you in, so pick one up before you start on anything else.
Packed lunches are fine in the three lounges, 350 seats between them, and the third-floor one holds the baby room for nursing and diaper changes.
The baby room is women only, so a father who needs hot water for formula asks at the general affairs office on the first floor.
Sources and evidence (4)
- In at 13:00 with a five-year-old, two and a half hours. Lunch came from Fushimi station and was eaten in Shirakawa Park.source
- Three places to sit: 170, 84 and 96 seats across the three halls. Only one nursing room. The annual pass is 3,200 yen.source
- Hot water for formula in the baby room by the cafe. Yokoi Sumiyoshi is ten minutes' walk, ankake spaghetti 1,250 yen.source
- Same-day tickets go online at 8:50. The queue was long by opening, so they took a 14:00 slot and saw the exhibits first.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1In the Tornado Lab a nine-meter column of spinning air stands in the room, something to look up at from your arms. And the escalator facing the third-floor rest room in the Science and Technology Building has glass side panels, so the machinery working inside is right there to watch.The museum neither rents nor stores strollers, so bring your own. The baby room sits inside the 84-seat rest room on the third floor of the Science and Technology Building and is used for nursing and diaper changes. It is women-only, so a father who wants hot water for formula asks at the general affairs office on the first floor of the same building. Eating and drinking happen only in the rest rooms: 170 seats on the first floor of the Life Science Building, 84 on the third floor and 96 on the seventh of the Science and Technology Building. In the planetarium, children 4 and under watch from a parent's lap, one child per adult.
- Ages 2-3The Water Plaza is laid out in stages, cloud, rain, river and sea, with an experiment to try at each one. The museum has 11 permanent exhibition rooms in all, and admission is free for junior high age and under.In the Discharge Lab two Tesla coils throw four-meter sparks with a loud crack, so warn a child who dislikes noise beforehand. The Sub-Zero Lab and the Discharge Lab both cap attendance and hand out numbered tickets, so pick yours up soon after you arrive. Every floor has restrooms, with multipurpose stalls, child-height urinals and baby chairs. Visitors are asked not to run inside.
- Ages 4-6The Sub-Zero Lab is Japan's first exhibition room held at -30°C, where real ice, experiments and the polar regions come with an all-dome aurora playing overhead. At the Tornado Lab's show time, experiments explain how a tornado works. The planetarium is a 350-seat, 830-square-meter dome on the sixth floor of the Astronomy Building.Admission is free for junior high age and under; adults pay 400 yen for the exhibition rooms or 800 yen with the planetarium, rising to 500 and 1,000 yen on October 1, 2026. For the planetarium you must be on the sixth floor of the Astronomy Building before the show starts; after that your ticket will not get you in and is not refunded, and seating is called from 15 minutes before. Four-year-olds watch from a parent's lap for safety, one child per adult. The dome carries the smallest sound, so a child who calls out is taken outside for a moment. One family with a five-year-old went in at 13:00 and spent two and a half hours, skipping the planetarium.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayAll 11 permanent exhibit rooms and the planetarium are inside. The cafe restaurant cannot be reached from within the building — you step outside from the entrance hall on the first floor of the Rikokan building.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed2.5 h
How was it with your kids?
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Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (2)
Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Diaper disposal bin
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 translatedFirst-hand
In at 13:00 with a five-year-old, two and a half hours. Lunch came from Fushimi station and was eaten in Shirakawa Park.
Too much to see in one go: a family's route through Nagoya City Science Museum
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Three places to sit: 170, 84 and 96 seats across the three halls. Only one nursing room. The annual pass is 3,200 yen.
A family day at Nagoya City Science Museum: tickets, the annual pass, and where to sit
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Hot water for formula in the baby room by the cafe. Yokoi Sumiyoshi is ten minutes' walk, ankake spaghetti 1,250 yen.
Lunch and cafes near the museum that take strollers, and which ones have a nursing room
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Same-day tickets go online at 8:50. The queue was long by opening, so they took a 14:00 slot and saw the exhibits first.
The planetarium is booked out — is there a same-day ticket?
Nagoya City Science Museum · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
With a baby (0–1)
- Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and TechnologyIndustrial museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table2.8 kmA museum housed in the red-brick loom test factory Sakichi Toyoda built in 1911.
- Port of Nagoya Public AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table8.3 kmAn aquarium on the Nagoya port pier, where orcas train in public.
- Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical GardensZoo & botanical gardenStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.6 kmA zoo with one of Japan's largest elephant houses, and a botanical garden on one ticket.
For sights
- Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and TechnologyIndustrial museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table2.8 kmA museum housed in the red-brick loom test factory Sakichi Toyoda built in 1911.
- Port of Nagoya Public AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table8.3 kmAn aquarium on the Nagoya port pier, where orcas train in public.
- Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical GardensZoo & botanical gardenStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.6 kmA zoo with one of Japan's largest elephant houses, and a botanical garden on one ticket.
Where it is
Before you go
- The only parking on site is four spaces for wheelchair users and other visitors who have trouble getting around, and those spaces cannot be reserved.source
- There is an online ticket site, and it takes credit cards only.source
- The ticket desk in the entrance hall takes cash, credit cards, tap-to-pay IC cards and QR-code payment apps.source
- Tickets for the exhibition rooms only can be bought ahead at 7-Eleven, Lawson, Ministop and FamilyMart, for adults and for high school and university students.source
- The sub-zero lab and the spark lab both cap how many people can go in at once, so entry passes are handed out.source
Basics
- Fee：Until 30 September 2026: exhibition rooms plus planetarium ¥800 for adults and ¥500 for high school and university students (student ID required); exhibition rooms only ¥400 and ¥200. Junior-high students and younger are free. Nagoya residents aged 65 and over pay ¥200 / ¥100 with ID. From 1 October 2026 the rates rise to ¥1,000 / ¥600 (with planetarium) and ¥500 / ¥300 (exhibition rooms only). Special exhibitions are priced separately. A one-year pass is ¥3,200 (¥1,600 exhibition rooms only), and a combined ticket with the City Art Museum permanent collection is ¥500 for one person on one day. Visitors with a disability certificate and up to two carers are admitted freesource
- Hours：9:30-17:00, last admission and last ticket sale 16:30 (planetarium evening shows are an exception). Closed Mondays — when a Monday is a public holiday the museum opens and closes the next weekday instead — and on the third Friday of the month, moving to the fourth Friday when the third is a holiday. Closed 29 December to 3 January. The museum also closes all day if a storm (or snowstorm) warning is in force in Nagoya at 7:30amsource
- Time to allow：2.5 hsource
- Booking：Tickets are sold at the entrance hall counter on the day (cash, credit cards, e-money and QR payments). The official online ticket site takes credit cards only. Exhibition-room-only tickets can also be bought in advance at Seven-Eleven, Lawson, Ministop and FamilyMart (adult and high school/university rates only, valid one month; planetarium tickets are not sold this way). For the planetarium, be in the 6th-floor dome before the start time — entry closes once a show begins, with no refund, and times cannot be changedsourceOfficial booking site ↗
- Signs on site read 'FUJI Nagoya Science Museum' — a naming-rights name for the same museum; the planetarium dome is called the FUJI Sky Dome. In the planetarium, children aged 4 and under watch on an adult's lap, one child per adult — a group with more small children than adults is turned awaysource2
Basics in detail (19)
Getting there
- The address is 2-17-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0008, inside Shirakawa Park, the city's park of art and science.source
- The phone number is 052-201-4486, with a separate line for groups at 052-231-9771.source
- Get off at Fushimi Station on the subway Higashiyama or Tsurumai Line and walk five minutes south from exit 4 or 5.source
- Fushimi is one stop from Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama Line, on a train bound for Fujigaoka.source
- The museum has no parking of its own and points drivers to nearby lots, including Wakamiya Odori Park Shirakawa-mae and Times Shirakawa Park.source
Hours and closures
- The museum opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m.source
- Last admission is 4:30 p.m., and ticket sales stop at the same time.source
- It closes on Mondays, but stays open when the Monday is a public holiday and closes on the next weekday instead.source
- It also closes on the third Friday of the month, moving that closing day to the fourth Friday when the third falls on a holiday.source
- The museum is closed from December 29 through January 3.source
- If a storm or snowstorm warning, or the higher emergency warning, is in force for Nagoya at 7:30 a.m., the museum stays closed all day.source
Fees
- Through September 30, 2026, the exhibition rooms plus the planetarium cost 800 yen for adults and 500 yen for high school and university students, while the exhibition rooms alone cost 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for those students.source
- Children of junior high school age and younger get in free.source
- Nagoya residents aged 65 and over pay 200 yen for the exhibition rooms plus planetarium, or 100 yen for the rooms alone, by showing a senior citizens' handbook or similar ID, through September 30, 2026.source
- From October 1, 2026, prices rise to 1,000 yen for adults and 600 yen for high school and university students with the planetarium, and to 500 yen and 300 yen for the exhibition rooms alone.source
- Special exhibitions are charged separately, at a price set for each one.source
- A visitor with a disability certificate, along with up to two carers, gets into the exhibition rooms and the planetarium free; show the original certificate at the desk on the day.source
- Through September 30, 2026, a season pass costs 3,200 yen for the exhibition rooms plus planetarium or 1,600 yen for the rooms alone, and is good for one year from the day it is bought.source
- A combined ticket with the permanent collection at the city art museum costs 500 yen for adults, rising to 750 yen on October 1, 2026; it covers one person and must be used at both museums on the same day.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (7)
- Official: Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Outside food allowed, Stroller friendly
- Official: Nursing space, Diaper changing table, Family restroom
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: main site
Three linked buildings hold eleven permanent exhibition rooms and four large exhibits. The Tornado Lab raises a 9m column of spinning air; the Discharge Lab cracks 4m sparks from two Tesla coils. The Frozen Lab, Japan's first -30°C exhibition room, shows real ice under an all-dome aurora. The Water Plaza traces the cycle from cloud to river to sea. The planetarium on the sixth floor seats 350 under a dome nicknamed the FUJI Sky Dome. It stands in Shirakawa Park, the silver sphere visible from the lawn.
| Nursing space | Yes (1) | One baby room, on the 3rd floor of the Rikoh-kan, inside the 3rd-floor rest room; it is 12m² and used for both feeding and diaper changes. The baby room is women-only — men who need hot water for formula should go to the general affairs office on the 1st floor of the Rikoh-kan | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Diaper changes are done in the baby room on the 3rd floor of the Rikoh-kan (women-only) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes | A multi-function toilet on every floor, plus ostomate-equipped toilets in the men's and women's toilets on the 1st floor of the Rikoh-kan, on the 7th floor and at the cafe. Toilets are listed as having baby chairs | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | Children's urinals are among the toilet fittings. A child toilet seat or step stool: not stated | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Designated areas only | Eating inside the museum is confined to the rest rooms: 170 seats on the 1st floor of the Seimei-kan, 84 on the 3rd floor of the Rikoh-kan and 96 on the 7th. Visitors bringing a packed lunch are directed there. The cafe restaurant (60 seats) is outside the paid area — you leave through the 1st-floor entrance hall and need your ticket to re-enter | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | Entirely indoors — three connected buildings (Rikoh-kan, Tenmon-kan and Seimei-kan) with 11 permanent exhibition rooms over floors from B2 up to 7F, standing inside Shirakawa Park | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | No stroller rental and no stroller storage. Whether you may take your own stroller through the exhibition rooms: not stated | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ncsm.city.nagoya.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet |
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