Geological Museum & Science Square Tsukuba
The Geological Museum and Science Square are two adjacent museums in Tsukuba. The Geological Museum has a vast collection of rocks, minerals and fossils.
Geological Museum, Tsukuba 地質標本館
"Living Fossils" exhibit at the Geological Museum, Tsukuba
Geological Museum, Tsukuba
The Geological Museum in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture is the largest such museum in Japan. A free museum, it is a must-see for those interested in Japan's geology, its geography and natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami.
Glass cases display the collections of rocks, fossils and minerals, Geological Museum, Tsukuba
Model of a Neanderthal man at the Geological Museum in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture
History
The large, two-story Geological Museum opened in 1980. It holds the vast collection of the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) which was established way back in 1882 in the Meiji Period of Japanese history.
Rock specimens, Geological Museum in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture
Model of Mt Fuji, Geological Museum in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture
Exhibits
The huge collection includes 150,000 registered specimens: fossils, minerals and rocks from Japan and other countries.
The first floor of the museum contains the entrance hall and the 1st and 4th exhibition rooms. The second floor of the museum holds the 2nd and 3rd exhibition rooms.
The 1st exhibition room is titled the History of the Earth and Life. It exhibits some of the oldest rocks on earth, parts of meteorites, a dinosaur's footprint and an examples of so-called living fossils.
The 4th exhibition room on the ground floor is Minerals, Rocks and Fossils. In glass cabinets it displays an extensive and extremely valuable collection of ancient fossils, minerals including diamonds and other precious stones, gold, jade and Nipponites.
The entrance hall has information on earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami, all of which are common features of the Japanese archipelago.
On the second floor are the 3rd exhibition room, Geological Phenomena and the 2nd exhibition room, Natural Resources and Marine Geology.
The 3rd exhibition room has a 3-D model of Mount Fuji and Mount Hakone, as well as wall panels showing the major volcanoes in Japan. There are further exhibits on hot springs in Japan and other countries, geothermal energy and active fault lines in Japan. The Natural Resources and Marine Geology exhibition room presents information on the periodic table of the elements, the mineral resources of Japan and the continental shelf surrounding the country. There is also information on the history of nearby Lake Kasumigaura, the second largest lake in Japan after Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture.
Dinosaur skeleton, Geological Museum, Tsukuba
Robots on display at Science Square in Tsukuba
Science Square サイエンス・スクエア つくば
Science Square is the showcase of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
The exhibits are divided into three zones: green technology, life technology and manufacturing technology.
The displays include Personal Care Robots such as Paro, the humanoid robot Mahoro and research results on iPS cells. There are other exhibits on recycling, Songle (a form of digital music enjoyment) and various new manufacturing technologies.
The exhibits are accompanied by wall panels and photographs with explanations in Japanese and English.
Science Square includes a Theater Room and is popular with young families with kids.
Wall panels explain recent technological and scientific research, Science Square, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture
Geological Museum Access
Geological Museum (www.gsj.jp/Muse)
AIST Tsukuba Central 7, 1-1-1, Higashi
Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture 305-8567
Tel: 029 861 3746
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30 am - 4.30 pm. Closed Mondays or the next day, Tuesday, if Monday is a national holiday. Also closed December 28 to January 4.
Admission: Free.
Science Square (www.aist.go.jp)
1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba
Ibaraki 305-8561
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30 am - 5 pm. Closed Mondays or the next day, Tuesday, if Monday is a national holiday. Also closed December 28 to January 4.
Admission: Free.
Science Square, Tsukuba
The Geological Museum is close to Doho Park. It is adjacent to Science Square run by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). It also also a short walk or drive south of the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center.
Both museums are 15 minutes by Kanto Bus
(Kantetsu) from Tsukuba Station.
Other museums in Tsukuba include the Science Museum of Map & Survey, the Tsukuba Expo Center and the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC).
Science Square presents the latest innovations by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba
Science Square, Tsukuba
