Tsukuba EXPO Center — Attraction in Tsukuba

Excellent place for enjoying and learning about science. There is a superb planetarium, in one of the largest such domes in the world, where they show original planetarium programs (similar to imax but with educational focus) as well as special programs such as evening music concerts, etc. The original programs are also available to listen in English, with free rental earphone. There are many hands on exhibits to try. The 2nd floor has exhibits and mini movies relating to space exploration, deep sea submarine missions, etc. There is a rest/snack area and a small shop with interesting gifts and books. There is also an adjacent cafe with good food, drink bar option, and very fresh baked cakes and sweets. Great place to spend a day. For those who would like to visit often, there is an annual pass for a very reasonable price. It tends to be crowded on school holidays (but much less hassle than Tokyo.) Highly recommended for children/families and also adults who enjoy science...

It’s mainly for junior and senior grade students. Everything is in Japanese. The exhibition hall is quite small, it has two floors, ground floor is mainly with the basic science concepts and first floor is about the satellite and it’s launching. The planetarium show was quite disappointing, as the story didn’t focus much on planets, galaxies and stars. The story was narrated in Japanese, as there are no translators it was very difficult to follow for a non Japanese person. Planetarium show has an extra fee of 250¥ for students and 500¥ for adults. The park is so beautiful during autumn, water fountain adds on to the atmosphere. As an English speaking person this was my experience, maybe a Japanese speaking person could have a better experience...

The science exhibit is perfect for nerds of all ages with an insatiable curiosity. From plasma fields to one-way mirrors, the interactive exhibits will keep you occupied for about 2 hours. The ticket inclusive of the planetarium is advisable but there are limited seats and schedule so plan ahead. The planetarium offers shows for kids but only available in Japanese. The show for adults at 1pm is also in Japanese but they offer a limited number of audio receivers that translate the show in English. The regular show is about man’s search for a new earth through space exploration. Though the comfortable seats made it very tempting to doze off, the show kept my interest until the end....