Miraikan: closed for renovation, and what to see instead

The short version: Miraikan is shut from 1 October 2026 until 22 April 2027 for a full renovation, and the museum plans to reopen on 23 April 2027. Its last day before the closure is 30 September 2026. If your Tokyo trip falls inside those dates, you will not get in, and there is no partial opening.

This page explains what Miraikan is, so you know whether it is worth planning a later trip around, and lists what to do nearby while it is closed.

What Miraikan is

Miraikan is the common name for the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (日本科学未来館), run by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, a national body. It sits in Aomi, at 2-3-6 Aomi, Koto-ku.

It is a museum about current science and technology and how research connects to everyday life. The official website runs in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.

The permanent exhibitions are grouped into three zones:

• Explore the Frontiers (5F): space, life sciences and the edges of current research.
• Create Your Future (3F): technology, society and the choices it creates.
• Discover your Earth: the planet as a system, built around Geo-Cosmos.

Geo-Cosmos and the Dome Theater

The building’s centrepiece is Geo-Cosmos, a globe 6 metres across hanging in the open atrium. Its surface is made of OLED panels with more than 10 million pixels, showing the Earth as seen from space. It is the image most people have in mind when they remember Miraikan.

The Dome Theater is a separate ticketed screening under a dome. Seats need a reservation, so book them together with your entry.

According to reports in the Japanese press, some programmes are finishing with the closure: the dome films “Birthday” and “9次元からきた男”, and the “Hello! Robot” exhibition. The same reports say the reopening plans include new permanent exhibits on the genome and the brain, and new dome films. Miraikan will confirm the details closer to reopening.

The ASIMO myth

Plenty of older guides and videos still send people to Miraikan to watch Honda’s ASIMO robot. Those demonstrations ended in March 2022, and ASIMO is not on show. If a tour listing or a blog still promises it, the page is out of date.

Prices and hours when it reopens

These are Miraikan’s regular prices and hours. They apply to normal opening and may change after the renovation, so check the official site before your visit.

Preschool children are free.

• Hours: 10:00–17:00, tickets sold until 16:30.
• Closed: Tuesdays (open if it is a public holiday) and 28 December to 1 January.
• Official online tickets go on sale one week before the visit date. Some exhibits need numbered tickets on the day.

Free Saturday entry for under-19s makes Miraikan one of the cheapest family days out in Odaiba.

Buying through Klook or GetYourGuide

Klook and GetYourGuide both sell Miraikan permanent-exhibition tickets. They can be convenient if you keep your trip in one app. Only book for a date from 23 April 2027 onwards. GetYourGuide’s ticket cannot be used during the closure either. Note that Klook’s Yurikamome pass is a ride ticket only: it does not include Miraikan entry.

At ¥630 for an adult, the official price is already low, and official online tickets are sold in English. Compare the card price with the gate price before choosing.

Getting there

• Telecom Center Station (Yurikamome, U09): about 4 minutes on foot.
• Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station (Yurikamome, U08; formerly Fune-no-kagakukan): about 5 minutes.
• Tokyo Teleport Station (Rinkai Line): about 15 minutes.

The Tokyo Subway Ticket does not cover the Yurikamome or the Rinkai Line. For several stops in a day, the Yurikamome one-day pass (adult ¥820) is usually the better deal. See getting to Odaiba.

Is it worth planning around after reopening

For most visitors, yes, if science interests you. It is cheap, it is large enough for a half day, and Geo-Cosmos alone is worth the entry price. Families get the best value: under-19s pay ¥210, or nothing on Saturdays.

Two things to plan for. First, the Tuesday closing day catches people out, because most Odaiba attractions open on Tuesdays. Second, Dome Theater seats and some exhibits run on reservations or numbered tickets, so arrive early in the day and book the dome with your entry.

Miraikan pairs well with the free Soya ship, which is near Tokyo International Cruise Terminal station, and with Small Worlds a few stops along the line. Those two plus Miraikan make a full, mostly indoor day.

What to do instead while Miraikan is closed

If you came to Aomi for Miraikan, these are the nearest alternatives, starting with the closest:

The Antarctic ship Soya. Its nearest station is Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, about five minutes from Miraikan. The old Museum of Maritime Science building is being demolished, but the Soya is open to visitors and free to board (reported hours 10:00–17:00, closed Mondays). It suits the same curious, science-minded visitor.

Small Worlds, Ariake. Two stops past Tokyo Big Sight at Ariake-Tennis-no-mori. One of the largest miniature museums in Asia, with a Space Center area and a Kansai International Airport area, it is the best rainy-day swap for families. See our Small Worlds guide.

Klook Small Worlds tickets on Klook

teamLab Planets, Toyosu. At the end of the same Yurikamome line (Shin-Toyosu). Digital art rather than science, but the same “come for a half day” scale. Timed tickets sell out, so book ahead. See teamLab Planets.

Fuji TV’s Hachitama. The spherical observation room on the 25th floor of the Fuji TV building near Daiba Station. ¥800 for adults, closed on Mondays. See Fuji TV sphere.

The Gundam Base Tokyo. DiverCity Tokyo Plaza 7F, free entry, a short walk from Aomi Station. The life-size Unicorn Gundam statue outside ended on 31 August 2026, but the Base itself is open. See Gundam Base.

Tokyo Aqua Symphony. The free fountain in Odaiba Marine Park near Daiba Station, which opened in March 2026, runs several shows a day from the afternoon into the evening.

Toyota Arena Tokyo, on the old Palette Town site in Aomi, is an arena (home of B.League’s Alvark Tokyo) rather than an attraction. It is only worth the trip if you have a ticket for an event.

For the complete list of museums on and around the island, see the Odaiba museums guide. For what else has closed or changed in recent years, see closed attractions.