National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)

National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)
Name	National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)
Native name	Miraikan
Established	2001
Location	Odaiba, Tokyo
Type	Science museum

Contents

National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) is a national science museum located in Odaiba on Tokyo Bay in Tokyo. It presents interactive displays and live demonstrations that connect contemporary developments in robotics, space exploration, biotechnology, and information technology with societal challenges debated in forums featuring figures from Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Lasker Award, and Fields Medal communities. The museum operates as a hub for exhibitions, research coordination, and public engagement involving institutions such as the Japan Science and Technology Agency, Riken, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and international partners like NASA, European Space Agency, and CERN.

Overview

The museum opened in 2001 following initiatives by entities such as Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan), Science Council of Japan, and the National Museum of Science and Technology (Japan). Its founding involved collaborations with corporations like NEC, Sony, and Hitachi and input from academics from The University of Tokyo and Keio University. Over time Miraikan programmed events featuring speakers from Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Peace Prize, and commentators from BBC, NHK, The New York Times, and The Economist. Key milestones included hosting exhibits connected to Hayabusa sample return celebrations, panels with representatives from JAXA and NASA, and partnerships with museums such as Smithsonian Institution and Science Museum, London.

The building, situated on reclaimed land near Palette Town and the Rainbow Bridge, integrates design input influenced by architects associated with firms that have worked on projects in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Skytree, Shinjuku Park Tower, and international landmarks like Centre Pompidou and Centre Georges Pompidou–Metz. Facilities include a large dome theater for presentations similar to venues at the Hayden Planetarium and spaces for live demonstrations analogous to those at Exploratorium and Deutsches Museum. On-site laboratories support programs affiliated with Riken, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and university partners including Kyoto University and Osaka University. The site provides accessible transit links via Yurikamome to Daiba Station and Ariake Station on the Tokyo Rinkai Line.

Permanent and temporary exhibits highlight work by innovators and institutions such as Honda ASIMO, SoftBank Pepper, Sony Aibo, Toyota Partner Robot, and research stemming from Riken Center for Emergent Matter Science, JAXA Hayabusa, CERN Large Hadron Collider, RIKEN K computer, and projects led by researchers like Susumu Tonegawa, Shinya Yamanaka, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Toshihide Maskawa. Exhibits address themes tied to projects from NEC Laboratories, Fujitsu Laboratories, Panasonic R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, IBM Research, Microsoft Research, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Facebook AI Research through interactive installations. Past special exhibitions referenced work by Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, and collaborations with institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern, linking art and technology. Themed zones explore topics related to Hayabusa2, Kaguya (SELENE), Suzaku (ASTRO-EII), classics like Sputnik and Apollo program, and contemporary platforms including CubeSat initiatives and private ventures such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and ANA Holdings.

Miraikan runs educational events with partnerships involving Japan Science and Technology Agency, UNESCO, World Health Organization, and universities like The University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. Programs include citizen science projects linked to datasets from JAXA, NASA, and European Space Agency, workshops co-organized with companies such as Sony and Toyota, and lecture series featuring figures tied to Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Turing Award, and Fields Medal laureates. Outreach extends to schools in wards including Minato, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and Koto, Tokyo, and international exchanges with museums like Deutsches Museum, Exploratorium, and the Smithsonian Institution.

The museum fosters collaborative research with institutions including Riken, JAXA, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Keio University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Nagoya University, Hokkaido University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and international partners such as CERN, NASA, ESA, MIT, Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and ETH Zurich. Joint projects have spanned robotics development linked to Honda, Toyota, and SoftBank Robotics, space science collaborations with JAXA and NASA on missions like Hayabusa2 and Kibo (ISS module), and data initiatives engaging companies such as NEC, Fujitsu, IBM, Google, and Microsoft. The museum also participates in policy dialogues involving United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and regional science networks across Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and ASEAN.

Miraikan is accessible via Yurikamome and Rinkai Line services with nearby stations Daiba Station and Tokyo Teleport Station and lies close to attractions like Palette Town, Odaiba Seaside Park, DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, and Fuji TV Building. Visitors can plan around seasons including Cherry blossom periods and public events such as Tokyo Motor Show and Comiket which affect local transit. Facilities accommodate multilingual services and collaborate with organizations including Japan National Tourism Organization and international cultural institutions for special programming. Category:Museums in Tokyo