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| National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館, often called Kahaku) |
As I mentioned in my previous entries, my husband and I visited Japan in spring 2026. One of the places I had been wanting to visit in Tokyo was a museum, and I told my husband that I really wanted to go either to the National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館, often called Kahaku) or the Meguro Parasitological Museum (目黒寄生虫館).
Since Kahaku is much larger and was also closer to Caption by Hyatt Kabutocho Tokyo, where we were staying, we decided to visit it this time.
Address 7‑20 Ueno Park, Taito‑ku, Tokyo 110‑8718
Visitor Information
Hours of Operation
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (last admission at 4:30 PM)
Hours are sometimes extended for special exhibitions.
Days Closed
Every Monday (if Monday is a national holiday, the museum opens and closes the following Tuesday)
Year‑end/New Year holiday (December 28 – January 1)
Admission
Individuals
General and university students: ¥ 630
High school students and younger: Free
Even though this museum is huge, the admission fee was only 630 yen for adults and university students, and completely free for high school students and younger. Considering the quality and sheer size of the museum, it felt incredibly affordable. In fact, we couldn’t see everything during our visit because the museum was so vast.
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| Global Gallery (地球館) |
Kahaku consists of two main buildings: the Japan Gallery (日本館) and the Global Gallery (地球館). The Japan Gallery focuses on the natural history of the Japanese islands, including geology, biodiversity, and the relationship between people and nature. The Global Gallery highlights the broader story of life on Earth, featuring animal taxidermy, dinosaur fossils, and exhibits on evolution and human innovation. Since I especially wanted to see the animal taxidermy displays and dinosaur fossils, we chose to explore the Global Gallery during this visit. We spent over two hours exploring the Global Gallery. If you have a whole day to spend at this museum, you can probably see both galleries in detail.
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| Animal Taxidermy Displays |
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| Dinosaur Fossils |
If you are interested in nature — animals, insects, and plants — you will love the Global Gallery. I was amazed by the sheer number of animal taxidermy specimens, insect displays, and the wide variety of dinosaur fossils. It was almost overwhelming in scale.
One of the best things about Kahaku is its rotating special exhibitions, which change by season or theme. This means every visit offers something new, making the museum worth returning to again and again. Since we couldn’t see everything this time, I look forward to coming back on my next trip to Tokyo.
At the museum’s gift shop, we purchased a dinosaur fossil fridge magnet. It was a fun little souvenir that reminds us of the incredible exhibits we saw in the Global Gallery.
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| Ueno Park |
On our way back to the hotel, we walked to JR Ueno Station. Ueno Park was filled with cherry blossom trees — many had just started blooming, while others were already in full bloom. Food stalls lined the paths, creating a festive atmosphere for people enjoying the hanami season. It’s easy to see why Ueno Park is one of Tokyo’s most popular spots for cherry blossom viewing.
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| Ueno Park |
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| Ueno Park |
This visit to Kahaku was truly memorable, and I look forward to returning in the future. Next time, I’ll share about the meals we enjoyed around the hotel we stayed that day.
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