Nagoya City Science Museum
名古屋市科学館
A science museum in central Nagoya marked by a giant silver sphere, loved for its 35m planetarium dome and hands-on shows like an indoor tornado.
The science museum with the silver sphere
Nagoya City Science Museum is a city-run museum in Shirakawa Park, close to Sakae in the heart of Nagoya. It opened in 1962 with a planetarium, and a new building was completed in 2011. The silver sphere that seems to float between the buildings houses the planetarium dome.
Since April 2026, the Aichi company FUJI has held the naming rights (a system in which a company pays to give a facility its name), so the museum is now nicknamed "FUJI Nagoya Science Museum". Its official name is still Nagoya City Science Museum, and the planetarium dome is now nicknamed "FUJI Sky Dome".
A planetarium 35m across
The planetarium dome is 35m in diameter, and in 2011 Guinness World Records recognised it as the largest planetarium in the world. The theme of the shows changes every month.
Tickets are sold only on the day of your visit, and some shows sell out. The official website shows how many seats are left that day, so it is worth checking before you set off.
Big hands-on exhibits
The museum is full of large exhibits you can see and feel for yourself. Highlights include the Tornado Lab, where an artificial tornado 9m tall is created, the Electric Discharge Lab, where you watch a 1.2-million-volt discharge up close, and the Deep-Freezing Lab, where you experience a world of minus 30°C.
Outside, a test vehicle of the H-IIB rocket used in Japan's space programme is on display.
Getting there
Get off at Fushimi Station on the Higashiyama or Tsurumai subway line and walk south from exit 4 or 5 for about 5 minutes. The museum asks visitors to come by public transport.
Admission fees are being revised on 1 October 2026. Check opening days and prices on the official website.
Tips
- The planetarium can sell out, so buy your ticket as soon as you arrive.
- Closed days follow the museum's opening calendar. Check the official website before you go.
- Special exhibitions are held too (as of September 2026, an Ice Age exhibition). Allow plenty of time to see these as well as the permanent displays.
Sources
Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.
