National Museum of Nature and Science
Ueno, Tokyo
- Tue to Sun
- 9:00 to 17:00
- Mon
- Closed
Last entry 30 minutes before closing. When Monday is a public holiday, it opens that day and closes on Tuesday. Closed 28 December to 1 January. Hours can be longer during special exhibitions.
Source: kahaku.go.jp, checked 5 Oct 2026.
The National Museum of Nature and Science is Japan's flagship science museum, in Ueno Park, with a life-size blue whale outside, dinosaur skeletons, a 360-degree dome theatre and the Japan Gallery on the islands' nature and people. Entry is only around 630 yen.
More photos of National Museum of Nature and Science
Insider tip
Find the preserved body of Hachiko the faithful dog in the Japan Gallery. Most visitors walk past without noticing. Weekday mornings dodge the school groups.
What the guides say about National Museum of Nature and Science
The neighbourhood has Ueno Park, which holds most of Tokyo's major museums within one walkable footprint: the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science and Ueno Zoo. Cherry blossom season turns the park into one of the city's most famous hanami spots. Ameyoko, the market street under the tracks, adds street food and discount goods to your daily routine.
Then there's the park. Ueno Park holds the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, a zoo, and a scatter of temples and shrines, all within one walkable footprint. No other city in Japan packs this much within ten minutes of a hotel district. If museums are the point of your trip, there's no debate. Ueno.
Ueno Park takes the high ground on the west side of the station. Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, Ueno Zoo and Toshogu Shrine, with its gilded gate, all sit inside the park.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at National Museum of Nature and Science
Upcoming events at National Museum of Nature and Science and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Machinaka Concert at the National Museum of Nature and Science
まちなかコンサート～芸術の秋、音楽さんぽ～ 国立科学博物館
Time 13:30 and 15:00 Station Ueno (JR lines), Park exit, 5 min walk
Two 20-minute concerts in the Japan Gallery auditorium on the second floor. The concerts are free and need no reservation, but entry to the permanent exhibition is charged separately.
Wei-Te Wong from Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China, CC BY-SA 2.0 Dinosaur Expo 2027
特別展「恐竜博2027」
Station Ueno (JR Yamanote Line), 5 min walk
A special exhibition tracing how dinosaurs evolved from the Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous, with real specimens shown in Japan for the first time. The centrepiece is a Tyrannosaurus skeleton more than 11 m long, also a first for Japan.
Wei-Te Wong from Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China, CC BY-SA 2.0 Painting within Painting: The Adventure of Paintings about Paintings. From the Renaissance to the Present and Beyond
画中画 絵をめぐる絵の冒険 ルネサンスから現代、そのさきへ
Time 9:30 to 17:30, Fridays and Saturdays to 20:00 (museum's general hours, last entry 30 minutes before closing)
A large show on paintings that depict other paintings, tracing how European artists handled the act of depicting and the act of looking from the Renaissance to today. Loans include works from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, including Habsburg pieces, plus the Musee d'Orsay and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It is the museum's only venue for the show.
Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0 Taiwan Festival TOKYO
台湾フェスティバル™TOKYO
Time 10:00 to 21:00 (last day to 19:00) Station Ueno (JR), 5 min walk from the Park exit
Four days of Taiwanese street food, beer and stage shows at Ueno Park's fountain plaza, held there every year since 2015.
Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0 Images of the Theatre: from Delacroix and Daumier to Toulouse-Lautrec and Klinger
劇場をめぐるイメージ―ドラクロワ、ドーミエからトゥールーズ=ロートレック、クリンガーまで
Station Ueno (JR Park exit), 1 min walk
A small exhibition of 19th-century prints and drawings on the theme of the theatre, shown in the permanent collection galleries.
Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Tate Museum Turner Exhibition Exhibition
24 Oct to 21 Feb · National Museum of Western Art, Ueno
An exhibition of J.M.W. Turner's paintings from the Tate, in dialogue with contemporary art.
Map · Source: Ueno Park (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) · テート美術館 ターナー展 - - 崇高の絵画、現代美術との対話
Soene Akari Park 2026 Illumination
30 Oct to 3 Nov · Ueno Park, Takenodai Plaza (fountain plaza)
A lights and energy event on the fountain plaza of Ueno Park.
Free · Map · Source: Ueno Park (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) · 創エネ・あかりパーク2026
Nearby
Around Ueno
Museums, market chaos, and Tokyo's great public park
Ueno does double duty. On one side you've got the park with its museums, its shrine, and some of the most famous cherry blossoms in Japan. On the other you've got Ameyoko, a market street that still runs on shouting and cash. Do both in one day and it's one of the best free-ish days out in Tokyo.
Ueno has 12 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 3 museums, 3 bathhouses, 2 shrines and temples, 2 parks and gardens, 1 restaurant and 1 market. Read the Ueno guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of National Museum of Nature and Science?
- 7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
- What are the opening hours of National Museum of Nature and Science?
- Tue to Sun 9:00 to 17:00; Closed Mon. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. When Monday is a public holiday, it opens that day and closes on Tuesday. Closed 28 December to 1 January. Hours can be longer during special exhibitions.
- How do I get to National Museum of Nature and Science?
- The nearest station is Ueno (JR Yamanote). National Museum of Nature and Science is in Ueno, Tokyo.
- How much does National Museum of Nature and Science cost?
- National Museum of Nature and Science is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at National Museum of Nature and Science?
- Plan for 2-3 hours.
- When is the best time to visit National Museum of Nature and Science?
- Weekday mornings.
Stay near National Museum of Nature and Science
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Median US$230 a night across 28 listings within 0.6 km for a two-night stay a month out, sampled 20 October 2026. Cheapest quarter under US$179. See the weekly index for every neighbourhood.
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