The Railway Museum
A railway museum with 42 real train cars, most of which you can board.
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The Railway Museum
SaveA railway museum with 42 real train cars, most of which you can board.
From the rooftop decks you look down on real shinkansen and local trains going past.
MoreWhat kind of place
The Railway Museum opened on October 14, 2007, in Omiya, Saitama, as the main project marking JR East's twentieth anniversary.
Forty-two cars are on display, 36 of them standing together in the largest hall, the Vehicle Station.
The South Building followed in July 2018, and the museum was reorganized into five stations: vehicles, history, railway work, science, and the future.
The collection itself is far older than either building, gathered over roughly a hundred years since the first Railway Museum opened.
Sources and evidence (10)
- Strollers are rented through a service called Babycal, which charges a fee and requires you to register as a member.source
- Free Wi-Fi works at the Main Building's first-floor entrance, in the third-floor Shinkansen Lounge, and throughout the South Building.source
- It opened on October 14, 2007, in Omiya, Saitama City, as the main project of JR East's twentieth-anniversary program.source
- The South Building opened in July 2018, when the Main Building's permanent displays were fully renewed and the museum was divided into five stations: vehicles, history, railway work, science, and the future.source
- Forty-two cars are on display, including those outdoors, and 36 of them stand in the Vehicle Station, the largest exhibition hall.source
- With a few exceptions, you can go inside the displayed cars and touch them.source
- The Mini Train Ride and the various simulators let you try driving a train, and there is also one of Japan's largest model railway dioramas.source
- Age limits apply to the hands-on activities: driving the Mini Train Ride is for elementary school age and up (anyone may ride along), the D51 simulator is for junior high school age and up, and the conductor and E5 simulators and the train driver class are for elementary school age and up.source
- The displays draw on material collected over roughly a hundred years, starting when the first Railway Museum opened.source
- From the Main Building's rooftop Panorama Deck and the South Building's rooftop Train Terrace, you can watch bullet trains and local trains running past.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If your kids lose patience in look-but-don't-touch museums, here they can climb aboard and put their hands on most of the 42 real train cars.
The driving simulators start at elementary school age, but in the area built for younger children (Teppaku Hiroba) a smaller child can still drive a small train, the Mini Hayabusa.
You can bring your own lunch and eat it on the rooftop deck (Panorama Deck), with the bullet trains running past as you eat.
There is no set route, so you can walk straight past whatever does not hold them, and two to three hours covers a visit.
Sources and evidence (6)
- For younger children there are Kids Plaza, the Kids Library, and Teppaku Hiroba, where they can drive a Mini Hayabusa train.source
- A long pre-opening queue that moves fast. The jams are the simulators, mini train and model railway.source
- Five baby rooms. Kids Plaza is roomiest: 3 changing tables, 2 nursing booths, hot water in all five.source
- At 10:45 the Shinkansen Lounge window seats were full, back tables free; the 455 Lunch Train had room at 13:00.source
- Heat and an afternoon downpour killed the outdoor plans; the noon turntable show and a 2F ekiben saved it.source
- Just after noon on a Sunday the parking lot was nine-tenths full (1,000 yen/day). Simulator queue about 20 minutes.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1From the Panorama Deck on the main building's roof and the Train Terrace atop the south building, you look out at real shinkansen and local trains running past. A baby in your arms sees exactly what you see, following the sound and the motion each time one goes by. There is a Kids Plaza and a Kids Library for the smallest visitors.Nursing rooms and diaper changing tables are in the same five places: Kids Plaza, the north restroom on 1F of the Vehicle Station, the south restroom on 2F of the Vehicle Station, and the 1F and 4F restrooms in the south building. The formula-water warmer is in the baby rest room. Ostomate restrooms and some women's restrooms also have fold-down changing tables. A diaper vending machine stands on 1F of the main building in front of the 455 Lunch Train, selling sizes M and L plus wipes in packs of 70. You can go through the museum with a stroller, but the loan service, Babycal, is a paid one that requires signing up as a member, so bringing your own is quicker. Eating and drinking are not allowed inside the exhibition rooms.
- Ages 2-3Of the 42 cars on display, all but a few can be boarded and touched with your own hands. At Teppaku Hiroba there is a mini Hayabusa a child drives themselves. The 455 and 183 Lunch Trains are free spaces where you sit in a real train seat and eat the lunch you brought.Ticket pricing starts at age three: 200 yen in advance, 300 yen on the day, for preschoolers aged three and up. No eating in the exhibition rooms - the places to eat are the benches on the main building's rooftop Panorama Deck and the south building's Train Terrace outdoors, the 3F Shinkansen Lounge indoors, and the two Lunch Trains. The Mini Driving Train requires elementary school age to drive, but anyone may ride as a passenger. Re-entry is allowed, so lunch outside and back in afterwards works too - tell the entrance counter on your way out, though they may decline when the museum is busy.
- Ages 4-6There is no set route, so a child chooses which of the 42 cars to visit - 36 of them stand in the Vehicle Station, the largest hall. They can drive the mini Hayabusa at Teppaku Hiroba themselves, and ride the Mini Driving Train even though driving it starts at elementary school age. There is also one of the largest railway dioramas in Japan.Age rules on the hands-on programs: driving the Mini Driving Train and the conductor, E5 simulator and driver's classroom all start at elementary school age, and the D51 simulator at junior high. Before school age, the mini Hayabusa and riding the Mini Driving Train are the two that count as working the controls yourself. Programs that need booking are entered through the Teppaku lottery app. The official time estimate is 2-3 hours; one family with a three- and a five-year-old stayed five hours from entry (2026). The car park can fill up on weekends and holidays. Exhibit labels are mainly in Japanese, but the museum app carries commentary in English, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Korean, Thai and more.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayOf the 42 railcars on display, 36 stand in the largest exhibition hall, the Rolling Stock Station. The rooftop Panorama Deck of the main building and the rooftop Train Terrace of the south building, where you watch Shinkansen and conventional trains go by, are outdoors.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed2–5 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：yes
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
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
A long pre-opening queue that moves fast. The jams are the simulators, mini train and model railway.
In at 10am on a Sunday: how crowded the Railway Museum really was, with two hours to spend
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Five baby rooms. Kids Plaza is roomiest: 3 changing tables, 2 nursing booths, hot water in all five.
Omiya Railway Museum: a look inside all five baby rooms, changing tables and nursing booths
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
At 10:45 the Shinkansen Lounge window seats were full, back tables free; the 455 Lunch Train had room at 13:00.
Lunch at Omiya Railway Museum with children: where to eat and when
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Heat and an afternoon downpour killed the outdoor plans; the noon turntable show and a 2F ekiben saved it.
Even a one-year-old enjoys Omiya Railway Museum: a family visit, access, fees and dodging the crowds
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Just after noon on a Sunday the parking lot was nine-tenths full (1,000 yen/day). Simulator queue about 20 minutes.
Five hours at the Railway Museum with a three-year-old and a five-year-old
The Railway Museum · Links & reads ▾
Where it is
Before you go
- Eating and drinking are not allowed inside the exhibition rooms.source
- You can leave and come back the same day by telling the entrance counter on your way out, though this may be refused when the museum is crowded.source
- Pets cannot come in, but service dogs (guide, mobility-assistance, and hearing dogs) may enter, and there is a washing area for them at Teppaku Hiroba.source
- You can buy tickets online in advance without creating an account, and also at Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and Ministop convenience stores.source
- Hands-on programs that need a reservation are booked through the museum's lottery app (Teppaku Chusen).source
Basics
- Fee：Advance (by the day before): ¥1,500 general / ¥500 school students (elementary to high school) / ¥200 children aged 3 to preschool. On the day: ¥1,600 / ¥600 / ¥300. Holders of a disability certificate and one carer pay ¥800 / ¥300 / ¥150. Annual passports are ¥6,200 / ¥2,500 / ¥1,000. Car parking is ¥1,000 per day. The restaurants and museum shop are all inside, so admission is needed to use themsource
- Hours：10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30). Closed every Tuesday and over the New Year — check the official opening calendar. Re-entry is possible: tell the entrance counter on your way out (they may decline when it is crowded)source
- Time to allow：2–5 hsource23
- Booking：Admission tickets can be bought online in advance (no account needed) or at Seven-Eleven, Lawson and Ministop; buying by the day before gets the advance price. Ticket machines at the museum open at 10:00 and take IC cards and cash. Programs that need a reservation are booked through the museum's lottery appsourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (11)
- You can get around the museum with a wheelchair or a stroller, and wheelchairs are lent out on request at the entrance counter.source
- The address is 3-47 Onari-cho, Omiya-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, and the phone number is 048-651-0088 (10:00 to 17:00, except on closed days).source
- From JR Omiya Station, take the New Shuttle to Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan (Railway Museum) Station, one minute on foot from the museum.source
- Tickets bought in advance, up to the day before, cost 1,500 yen for adults, 500 yen for elementary through high school students, and 200 yen for young children (age 3 up to school age).source
- Tickets bought on the day cost 1,600 yen for adults, 600 yen for elementary through high school students, and 300 yen for young children (age 3 up to school age).source
- A visitor with a disability certificate and up to one carer get a reduced rate of 800 yen for adults, 300 yen for elementary through high school students, and 150 yen for young children.source
- Annual passes cost 6,200 yen for adults, 2,500 yen for elementary through high school students, and 1,000 yen for young children, and are sold at the entrance counter.source
- Parking costs 1,000 yen a day for a car and 2,040 yen a day for a bus, and the lot can fill up on weekends and holidays.source
- The restaurants and the museum shop are all inside the paid area, so you need an admission ticket to use them.source
- The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30, and is closed every Tuesday and over the New Year holidays.source
- A visit takes about two to three hours, and because there is no fixed route, you can look at only the parts that interest you.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (7)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Diaper changing table
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: main site
The museum opened in Omiya in 2007, built for JR East's 20th anniversary. Inside, five halls cover rolling stock, history, work, science and the future; the largest holds 36 train cars. Mini trains and simulators offer a turn at driving, and the model railway layout is among the largest in Japan. Kids Plaza, a children's library and an outdoor yard with a small Hayabusa train are aimed at younger ones. Old train cars parked as the 455 Lunch Train are free spaces to eat a packed lunch.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers can be used inside. Rental is through the paid 'Babycal' service (membership registration required); ask at the entrance counter. Wheelchairs are lent by the museum itself | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp | |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Changing tables are at Kids Plaza, the north toilets on 1F and the south toilets on 2F of the Vehicle Station, and the 1F and 4F toilets of the South Building. Folding tables are also fitted in the ostomate toilets and in some women's toilets. A diaper vending machine (sizes M and L, plus wipes) stands in front of the 455 Lunch Train on 1F | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (5) | Nursing rooms at five places: Kids Plaza, the north toilets on 1F and the south toilets on 2F of the Vehicle Station, and the 1F and 4F toilets of the South Building. A formula-mixing water heater is in the baby rest room | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Yes | Packed lunches are welcome, but eating is only in set places: outdoors on the benches of the Main Building's rooftop Panorama Deck and the South Building's rooftop Train Terrace, indoors in the 3F Shinkansen Lounge. The 455 and 183 Lunch Trains are free spaces to eat inside old train cars. No food or drink in the exhibition rooms | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp |
| English support | English menu & signs | Exhibit captions are mainly in Japanese, but the museum app gives commentary in English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, Thai, Indonesian, French, German and Spanish. Free Wi-Fi covers the Main Building 1F entrance, the 3F Shinkansen Lounge and the whole South Building | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | Most exhibits are indoors across the Main and South Buildings, but the Mini Driving Train, Teppaku Hiroba and the two rooftop decks are outside, and some of the 42 train cars are displayed outdoors | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | railway-museum.jp |
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet |