Tomakomai City Technology Center — Attraction in Tomakomai

The Tomakomai City Technology Center, also known as the Tomakomai City Science Center, is a hands-on science museum located in Tomakomai, Hokkaido. Established in 1970 to inspire a passion for science among youth, the center has grown into a comprehensive facility featuring interactive exhibits on various scientific principles. A highlight of the center is the Mir Exhibition Hall, which houses a genuine backup module of the Soviet Union’s Mir space station, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the history of space exploration.

In addition to the Mir exhibit, the center includes a planetarium with captivating shows about the cosmos. Visitors can also explore displays related to physics, chemistry, and aviation, making it an engaging destination for science enthusiasts of all ages. The center gained extra attention as a filming location for the anime and live-action series Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi), and a bear statue from the series, once displayed at the center, was later donated to the Tomakomai City Art Museum due to its popularity.

The center is open daily from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, except on Mondays (or the following weekday if Monday is a holiday) and during the year-end and New Year holidays (December 29–January 3). Admission and parking are free. It is located about a 20-minute walk from JR Tomakomai Station. Whether you are a local resident or a visitor, the Tomakomai City Technology Center offers an educational and enjoyable experience...

I had a beautiful experience entering the Mir Space station, and the down to earth personnel there guided me through everything and even clicked the shutter for me. There are many innovative scientific experiments and exchanging these ideas with other countries will improve the quality of education for the students. I was mesmerized to know that learning can be made this much fascinating, that me as tourist enjoyed taking time learning each of the experiments. Will definitely visit the next time I visit...

Even though I couldn't understand a single word of Japanese text on their description panel, I have spent more than 3 hrs in this small size museum fiddling through the hands on display item like pulley system, vacuum drop test, bell in a vacuum chamber, earthquake simulator, etc. Apart from bump into one group of small children tour group, I was practically the only person wandering inside the museum (in weekday...