Toyama Science Museum is a great ally for rainy days and families with children! With a planetarium, moving dinosaurs, and more, it's a cost-effective way to have fun for hours.

[#263, approx. 3,600 characters, approx. 50 photos]
childrenDuring my trip to Toyama with Toyama Science Museum in the rain, I visited for the first time. I will write my impressions and review here.

▶︎ Conclusion

Since I didn't have high expectations, I was very satisfied! This is mainly because 1) there were many exhibits that allowed us to learn about science while exploring Toyama, 2) the price is low (free for high school students and younger!), and 3) we were able to watch the planetarium with the latest equipment. We spent about 3 hours playing inside. It is especially recommended for a "Toyama trip" x "with children" x "rainy day" scenario!

▶︎ Reason for visiting

During a 2-day, 1-night trip to Toyama with my two children, it started raining on the second day. Since I had been excited to go to Kurobe Dam or a facility with a large park from the morning of the second day, I was at a loss.

"I searched online for " Toyama children rain outing " and other terms. After looking at various candidates, I chose the Toyama Science Museum. I realized that when it rains while traveling, there really are no places to go😨

▶︎ Access

To get to the Toyama Science Museum, it takes about 10 minutes by bus (city tram) from Toyama Station. If taking the bus, get off at "Nishinakano-guchi" (240 yen), and if taking the city tram, get off at "Nishinakano" (210 yen) and walk for about 5 minutes.

After eating breakfast at Cafe Largo, I thought, "Since I've come all the way to Toyama, I have to ride the city tram!" and used the city tram from Sakurabashi.

The former Toyama Museum of Art was adjacent to the Toyama Science Museum (operated until 2016).

▶︎ What is the Toyama Science Museum?

Opened in 1979 as the Toyama Science and Culture Center. It has had a planetarium in operation since then, which was said to be one of the latest and largest in Japan at the time. Later, in 2007, it was renovated and renamed the Toyama Science Museum (English name: Toyama Science Museum), which continues to this day.

The total number of visitors in fiscal year 2023 was 129,875 people (is that a lot considering about 355 people per day?). Revenue was 21 million yen, expenditures were 241 million yen, resulting in a deficit of 220 million yen.

Adult admission is 530 yen, and high school students and younger are free! Looking at the breakdown of the total number of visitors in fiscal year 2023, individual adult paid admissions were 24,316, and the total for individual infants through high school students was 41,190. I wondered if they could eliminate the deficit by charging admission to high school students and younger, but it doesn't seem like that would be enough at all.

When you purchase your admission ticket, you also reserve a time for the planetarium. The planetarium fee is included in the admission price. Although it is small in scale, being able to see a planetarium show (45 minutes) for 530 yen feels like a good deal. For children, they get to see it for free.

✔️ 1st Floor: Toyama - A Journey Through Time

The 1st floor introduces the formation of Toyama Prefecture's topography, as well as the nature, living things, and the relationship with the people who live there. There are also exhibits of rocks and fossil specimens from different eras, and a Tyrannosaurus robot named "Tira-chan".

I thought the Toyama Science Museum was just a facility for learning about science. However, since many of the exhibits were content tied to "Toyama", it was very informative for me as a traveler as well.

This feeling was common to what I felt at the Gunma Museum of History, even though the genres are different.

Of course, for the people in this region, I thought that gaining local knowledge from a scientific perspective was very meaningful content for understanding the place where they live.

The most popular animatronic at this facility, "Tira-chan". When you press a button, it roars, shakes its head, and blinks its eyes. It charms you quite realistically. However, some children were genuinely scared of it😅

✔️ 2nd Floor: Toyama - A Journey Through Space

The 2nd floor explains Toyama Prefecture by dividing it into 5 zones (High Mountains, Mountainous Areas, Hills and Plains, Rivers, and Sea).

✔️ 2nd Floor: Fun Experiment Plaza, etc.

In addition, there are various exhibits on the 2nd floor.

This is a corner where children and adults alike can touch and experience experimental equipment themselves to get interested in science. All of them were bustling with children.

Nobel laureates with ties to Toyama Prefecture are introduced. Tasuku Honjo's registered domicile is also in Toyama City. It is fresh in our memory that in 2020, Tadashi Yanai donated a total of 10 billion yen as an individual to research conducted by Tasuku Honjo and Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University (Reference).

Knowing that so many great people have been produced from near Toyama, even when I heard that the Toyama Science Museum was in the red, I felt it was an investment in the future.

On the day, they were holding the "Japan Astrophotographers Association Photo Exhibition - Starry Landscapes 2025 - ". Photographing the starry sky is easy if you have a good set of equipment and the right location, so it seems like it would be fun if you get hooked on it 💰

✔️ 3rd Floor: Journey to Space

I was looking forward to the 3rd floor's planetarium. It uses state-of-the-art equipment that was just renewed in 2023.

Even 15 minutes before the planetarium show started, there were 30 to 40 people in line. There are 179 seats. If you want to use the 'reclining seats' or 'parent-child seats,' you might want to line up about 30 minutes in advance.

However, the 'reclining seats' are in the front row, so it's hard to see the whole screen, and I didn't feel I could recommend them much. Also, the 'parent-child seats' don't recline. Therefore, I thought the seats behind the general seating area were the most comfortable and offered the best view of everything.

We watched 'Nintama Rantaro.' Surprisingly, the kids stayed awake and watched the whole thing (I drifted off for parts of it). It was a story about an alien who flies to Earth, becomes friends with Rantaro and his group, explores space, and then says goodbye... and so on.

✔️ Especially recommended for rainy days!

The Toyama Science Museum was perfect for a rainy day visit. I was really worried about where to go, but it was a huge success in the end. We spent about 3 hours playing inside. The kids seemed satisfied because there were many hands-on exhibits and we got to see the planetarium.

If you are traveling to Toyama with children and it happens to rain, I think the best course is to go to the Toyama Glass Art Museum in the morning, have lunch, and then go to the Toyama Science Museum in the afternoon.

▼ Toyama Glass Art Museum, which can be enjoyed even on rainy days

Also, I recommend always visiting the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design on a sunny day. This is mainly because the Fugan Unga Kansui Park and the 'Onomatopoeia Rooftop' were excellent.

▼ Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, highly recommended for sunny days

▶︎ Summary

How was it? I thought it might be just another typical science museum, but it was quite substantial, so it exceeded my expectations in a good way. In addition to learning about scientific wonders based in Toyama, the price was low, and we were able to watch the planetarium as part of a set price. It is especially recommended for families with children in Toyama who are thinking, 'There's nowhere to go on a rainy day!'

▶︎ Today's Museum Meal