Mukai Chiai Children's Science Museum

The Mukai Chiaki Children's Science Museum in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, is named after Mukai Chiaki, Japan's first female astronaut, and has introduced children to space and science since 1991.

About Mukai Chiai Children's Science Museum

The museum takes its name from Mukai Chiaki, a trailblazing figure in Japanese spaceflight, and reflects that inspiration throughout its exhibits: space-themed displays, a moonwalker gravity simulator, and hands-on demonstrations of physics principles sit alongside sections on animals and machines. A science library on the third floor rounds out the collection for young visitors with a deeper interest.

History

The museum opened in 1991 in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, and its planetarium - at 23 metres in dome diameter - is the largest in the prefecture.

Location & getting there

The museum is in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, roughly a 20-minute walk from Tatebayashi Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line, or about five minutes by taxi.

Visiting Mukai Chiai Children's Science Museum

The museum is closed on Mondays. Check the official website before you travel for current opening hours, planetarium show times and ticket pricing.

See your named star from here

A 23-metre planetarium dome is a memorable place to think about the night sky, even though it recreates stars rather than viewing them directly through a telescope. If you've named a star through star-register.eu, look up its exact coordinates in our catalogue to find it later under a real night sky, or explore our naming packages to name one as a gift.