This hands-on museum claims the world's largest dome-screen planetarium, with some seriously out-of-this-world projection technology. There's also a tornado lab and a deep-freeze lab complete with indoor aurora. Despite scheduled shows being kid-centric and in Japanese, the cutting-edge technology of this impressive, centrally located facility is worth experiencing.
Nagoya City Science Museum
Nagoya
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.55 MILES
A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise…
13.33 MILES
Due to war, earthquakes and development, few Meiji-era buildings have survived here. In 1965 this open-air museum was created to preserve this unique…
1.84 MILES
A must for anyone interested in Japanese culture and history, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 pieces that includes National Treasures and…
2.81 MILES
Although the current buildings were completed in 1966, Atsuta-jingū has been a shrine for over 1900 years and is one of the most sacred Shintō shrines in…
8.47 MILES
Trainspotters will be in heaven at this fantastic hands-on museum. Featuring actual maglev (the world's fastest train – 581km/h), shinkansen (bullet…
11.99 MILES
This ancient shrine on a lovely hillside is dedicated to female Shintō deity Izanami and attracts women seeking marriage or fertility. See if you can find…
16.71 MILES
See up to 20 shiny examples of the latest automotive technology hot off the production line and witness firsthand how they're made here at Toyota's global…
10.63 MILES
Izanagi, the male counterpart of female deity Izanami, is commemorated at this shrine, with countless wooden and stone phalluses to celebrate. You can buy…
Nearby Nagoya attractions
1. International Design Centre Nagoya
0.32 MILES
Housed in the swooping Nadya Park complex is this secular shrine to the deities of conceptualisation, form and function. Design touchstones from art deco…
0.37 MILES
The much-visited, workaday Ōsu Kannon temple traces its roots back to 1333. Devoted to the Buddha of Compassion, the temple was moved to its present…
0.69 MILES
Nagoya's much-loved TV tower, completed in 1954, was the first of its kind in Japan. The tower's central location makes its 100m-high Sky Balcony a great…
0.77 MILES
Oasis 21 is a bus terminal and transit hub with a difference. Its iconic 'galaxy platform' – an elliptical glass-and-steel structure filled with water for…
0.87 MILES
On levels 44 to 46 of Midland Square, Sky Promenade features Japan's tallest open-air observation deck and a handful of high-altitude, high-priced…
0.87 MILES
Nagoya's tallest building (247m) houses Toyota's corporate HQ and showroom, boutique shopping on the lower floors and a beehive of offices in the middle…
1.25 MILES
Built in 1922, this grand Taisho-era Court of Appeal now houses the city archives. While the archives themselves are difficult to navigate for non…
1.39 MILES
The pleasant Noritake Gallery, in Noritake Garden, exhibits paintings, sculptures and ceramic works.