10 indoor play spots outside Tokyo
- Kawasaki Science and Green Museum is free, Cupnoodles Museum Yokohama is free for high school and younger, and Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History for junior high and younger.
- Timed advance tickets are required for Yokohama Anpanman Children's Museum, Hara Model Railway Museum and Fujiko F. Fujio Museum.
- Places for spur-of-the-moment visits include Railway Museum (day tickets from ticket machines at 10:00), Chiba Science Museum and Tsukuba Expo Center.
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This page picks 10 indoor places outside Tokyo where you can spend a rainy or cold day with children: 6 in Kanagawa (Yokohama, Kawasaki and Odawara), 1 in Saitama, 1 in Chiba and 2 in Ibaraki. The Cupnoodles Museum Yokohama is free for high school students and younger, and the exhibition rooms at Kawasaki Science and Green Museum are free for everyone. At Yokohama Anpanman Children’s Museum, Fujiko F. Fujio Museum and Hara Model Railway Museum, you buy a ticket for a set date and time in advance. For indoor places in Tokyo’s 23 wards and the Tama area, see our page (in Japanese), indoor play areas in Tokyo.
In short
- Going on the spur of the moment: Railway Museum (day tickets from the ticket machines at 10:00), Chiba Science Museum, Tsukuba Expo Center.
- Keeping costs down: Kawasaki Science and Green Museum (free entry), Cupnoodles Museum Yokohama (free for high school students and younger), Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (free for junior high students and younger).
- Characters for small children: Yokohama Anpanman Children’s Museum and Fujiko F. Fujio Museum (both need a timed ticket).
- Trains: Railway Museum and Hara Model Railway Museum (timed ticket).
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
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1. Prices, nearest station and booking for the 10 places in one table
3 of the 10 places require you to buy a timed ticket first. Tap a name to jump to its section.
| Place | City | Child (adult) | Nearest station, on foot | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anpanman Children’s Museum | Yokohama | ¥2,200–¥2,800, age 1 and over | Shin-Takashima, 3 min | Timed web ticket |
| Cupnoodles Museum | Yokohama | Free for high school and younger (¥500) | Minatomirai, 8 min | Online tickets available |
| Hara Model Railway Museum | Yokohama | ¥750, age 4 and over (¥1,500) | Shin-Takashima, 3 min | Timed entry ticket |
| Fujiko F. Fujio Museum | Kawasaki | ¥500, age 4 and over (¥1,000) | Bus from Noborito, about 9 min | Timed ticket (not sold at the museum) |
| Kawasaki Science and Green Museum | Kawasaki | Free entry | Mukogaoka-Yuen, 15 min | — |
| Museum of Natural History (Odawara) | Odawara | Free for junior high and younger (¥520) | Iriuda, 3 min | — |
| Railway Museum | Saitama | ¥600 for elementary to high school (¥1,600) | Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan, 1 min | Advance purchase recommended |
| Chiba Science Museum | Chiba | ¥100 for elementary and junior high (¥600) | Yoshikawa-Koen, 5 min | — |
| Tsukuba Expo Center | Tsukuba | ¥300, age 4 and over (¥600) | Tsukuba, 5 min | — |
| Ibaraki Nature Museum | Bando | ¥170 for elementary and junior high (¥850) | Bus from Moriya, about 30 min | Web tickets available |
Sources: the price, guide and access pages of each facility (checked November 1, 2026). Prices are for the permanent exhibits; planetarium shows and activities cost extra. Ibaraki Nature Museum prices are for a period with a special exhibition. A “—” means no booking information was found.
2. Things to know when choosing
The 3 Yokohama places are 3 to 8 minutes on foot from a station, but the bus to Ibaraki Nature Museum runs only 3–4 times a day, so how you travel narrows the choice.
- Closed days differ. Monday: Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (also Tuesdays from December to February) and Kawasaki Science and Green Museum. Tuesday: Railway Museum and Cupnoodles Museum Yokohama. Tuesday and Wednesday: Hara Model Railway Museum. Tsukuba Expo Center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays in December and January.
- Free parking: Ibaraki Nature Museum (1,000 cars) and Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (110 cars). Tsukuba Expo Center is free on weekdays and ¥500 per entry on weekends, holidays and long school breaks. Fujiko F. Fujio Museum has no parking.
- Many places close over the New Year. Chiba Science Museum is closed December 29 to January 1 and open 9:00–17:00 on January 2 and 3. Tsukuba Expo Center is closed December 29, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
3. Kanagawa: Yokohama, Kawasaki and Odawara
Yokohama Anpanman Children’s Museum
The 2nd and 3rd floor museum costs ¥2,200–¥2,800 per person for ages 1 and over, and the price changes by day (the museum’s notice of August 4, 2026, Japanese, raises the upper price from ¥2,600 to ¥2,800 from September 20). You must buy a “timed web ticket” on Asoview first, and the last entry is 16:00. The shop and restaurant on the 1st floor are free to enter.
It is a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Shin-Takashima Station on the Minatomirai Line, or 10 minutes on foot from the east exit of JR Yokohama Station. The underground Parking Lot 1 has 128 spaces and costs ¥600 for the first hour, then ¥400 per 30 minutes.
| Name | Yokohama Anpanman Children's Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 6-2-9 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa |
| Hours / Closed | Last entry for 2nd and 3rd floor museum 16:00 (closed days on business calendar) |
| Phone | 045-227-8855 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Cupnoodles Museum Yokohama
Admission is ¥500 for university students and older, and free for high school students and younger. Inside, “My Cupnoodles Factory” is ¥500 per cup and “Cupnoodles Park” is ¥500 for 30 minutes. The Chikin Ramen Factory is by reservation: booking opens at 10:00, 3 months before the day you want, on the same date, online or by phone.
Photo source: Nissin Foods Holdings press release, August 26, 2026 (Japanese)
It is an 8-minute walk from Minatomirai Station or Bashamichi Station.
| Name | Cupnoodles Museum Yokohama |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-3-4 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa |
| Hours / Closed | 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:00 (Closed Tuesdays, following day if a holiday. Closed New Year holidays. Special closure on November 23, 2026) |
| Phone | 045-345-0918 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Hara Model Railway Museum
You buy a timed entry ticket at e+ (Eplus) or at a FamilyMart multi-copy machine. Admission is ¥1,500 for adults, ¥1,000 for junior high and high school students and ¥750 for ages 4 and over, and it can change by day of the week or event. There are 3 entry periods: 10:00–12:00, 12:00–14:00 and 14:00–16:30, each with a limit on the number of people (once inside, you can stay until closing).
Photo source: Mitsui Fudosan press release, August 19, 2024 (Japanese)
It is a 5-minute walk from the east exit of JR Yokohama Station, or 3 minutes from Exit 2 of Shin-Takashima Station, in the same district as the Anpanman Children’s Museum.
| Name | Hara Model Railway Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | Yokohama Mitsui Building 2F, 1-1-2 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa |
| Hours / Closed | 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 (Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, open on holidays. Closed New Year holidays and early February) |
| Phone | 045-640-6699 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Kawasaki City Fujiko F. Fujio Museum
Entry is by timed reservation, and the museum does not sell tickets, so buy a ticket for your date and time before you come. Admission is ¥1,000 for adults and university students, ¥700 for high school and junior high students and ¥500 for ages 4 and over. There are 7 entry times, hourly from 10:00 to 16:00; it is not a swap-out system.
Photo source: Fujiko F. Fujio Museum press release, October 1, 2026 (Japanese)
There is no parking. A direct shuttle bus (adults ¥220, about 9 minutes) runs from Noborito Station on the Odakyu Line and JR Nambu Line. You can also walk from Mukogaoka-Yuen or Shukugawara stations.
| Name | Kawasaki City Fujiko F. Fujio Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-8-1 Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa |
| Hours / Closed | 10:00–18:00 (closed days on museum calendar) |
| Phone | 0570-055-245 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Kawasaki Science and Green Museum
This science museum in Ikuta Ryokuchi park has free entry to its exhibition rooms. The planetarium costs ¥400 for general admission and ¥200 for high school and university students and people 65 and over; junior high students and younger are free (you collect a free ticket). On weekends and holidays there are 4 shows a day from 10:30 to 15:00. Seats cannot be reserved, and tickets go on sale at 9:30 on the day.
It is about a 15-minute walk from the south exit of Mukogaoka-Yuen Station on the Odakyu Line. By car, the Ikuta Ryokuchi East Entrance Parking Lot (about 140 spaces) is the nearest.
| Name | Kawasaki Science and Green Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 7-1-2 Masugata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa |
| Hours / Closed | 9:30–17:00 (Closed Mondays, or following Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. Closed day after a holiday, open if Saturday, Sunday, or holiday. Closed New Year holidays) |
| Phone | 044-922-4731 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History
This prefectural museum in Odawara charges ¥520 for people 20 and over for the permanent exhibits, ¥100 for high school students and people 65 and over, and nothing for junior high students and younger.
It is a 3-minute walk from Iriuda Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. Parking is free for 110 cars, but the museum says you may not get a space on weekends, holidays and rainy days.
| Name | Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History |
|---|---|
| Address | 499 Iriuda, Odawara, Kanagawa |
| Hours / Closed | 9:00–16:30, last entry 16:00 (Closed Mondays, or following weekday if a holiday or substitute holiday. In principle closed 2nd Tuesday of each month except August, also closed every Tuesday December–February) |
| Phone | 0465-21-1515 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. Saitama and Chiba
The Railway Museum
Admission on the day is ¥1,600 for adults, ¥600 for elementary to high school students and ¥300 for small children (age 3 and over, not yet in school). Advance tickets bought by the day before are ¥1,500, ¥500 and ¥200 (the museum’s guide page, Japanese). Day tickets are sold from the ticket machines inside from 10:00 every day, but the museum recommends buying an official online ticket or a convenience store ticket in advance to get in smoothly. Tickets that include a reservation for the mini train drive or simulators are sold only at Seven Ticket.
From JR Omiya Station, take the New Shuttle to Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan Station and walk 1 minute. The dedicated car park is ¥1,000 a day for regular cars and can be full on holidays.
| Name | The Railway Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 3-47 Onari-cho, Omiya-ku, Saitama, Saitama |
| Hours / Closed | 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 (Closed Tuesdays and New Year holidays) |
| Phone | 048-651-0088 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Chiba Science Museum
The museum is on floors 7 to 10 of the Qiball building. Permanent exhibits cost ¥600 for adults, ¥300 for high school students and ¥100 for elementary and junior high students; preschool children are free (with a guardian). A set ticket with the planetarium is ¥1,000 for adults and ¥160 for elementary and junior high students.
It is a 5-minute walk from Yoshikawa-Koen Station on the Chiba Urban Monorail, or 6 minutes from Keisei Chiba-Chuo Station. Qiball has a paid car park (250 spaces).
| Name | Chiba Science Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 4-5-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Chiba |
| Hours / Closed | Exhibits 9:00–19:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing (Irregular holidays, closed December 29–January 1; open until 17:00 on January 2 and January 3) |
| Phone | 043-308-0511 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
5. Ibaraki
Tsukuba Expo Center
This science exhibition and planetarium facility charges ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for ages 4 and over; ages 3 and under are free. The planetarium costs ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for children per show, paid separately and in cash only (price and parking page, Japanese).
It is a 5-minute walk from Exit A2 of Tsukuba Station on the Tsukuba Express. The car park (about 60 spaces) will change its operator and fees from February 1, 2027.
| Name | Tsukuba Expo Center |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-9 Azuma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki |
| Hours / Closed | 9:50–17:00, last entry 16:30 (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays in December and January, closed December 29–January 3) |
| Phone | 029-858-1100 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum
This prefectural nature museum in Bando City sells a combined ticket for the main building and outdoor area. During a special exhibition it is ¥850 for adults, ¥520 for high school students and ¥170 for elementary and junior high students. When there is no special exhibition it is ¥610, ¥380 and ¥110. Every Saturday, elementary to high school students enter free, except during the spring, summer and winter school breaks.
Parking is free for 1,000 cars (access page, Japanese). By train, take a Kanto Railway bus from Moriya Station on the Tsukuba Express for about 30 minutes, then walk about 10 minutes from “Shizen Hakubutsukan Iriguchi”, but the bus runs only 3–4 times a day.
Common questions
| Name | Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 700 Osaki, Bando, Ibaraki |
| Hours / Closed | 9:30–17:00, last entry 16:30 (check opening calendar for closed days) |
| Phone | 0297-38-2000 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Is there an indoor place in Kanagawa I can enter with children without a reservation?
Yes. The exhibition rooms at Kawasaki Science and Green Museum are free to enter. Yokohama Anpanman Children’s Museum, Fujiko F. Fujio Museum and Hara Model Railway Museum require a timed entry ticket.
Which places have free parking if I come by car on a rainy day?
Ibaraki Nature Museum and Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History are free. Tsukuba Expo Center is free on weekdays only; on weekends, holidays and long school breaks it is ¥500 per entry.
Facility information checked: November 1, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours can change.
Sources
17 pages we checked
- www.yokohama-anpanman.jp
- www.yokohama-anpanman.jp
- www.yokohama-anpanman.jp
- www.cupnoodles-museum.jp
- www.hara-mrm.com
- fujiko-museum.com
- www.nature-kawasaki.jp
- nh.kanagawa-museum.jp
- nh.kanagawa-museum.jp
- www.railway-museum.jp
- www.railway-museum.jp
- www.kagakukanq.com
- www.expocenter.or.jp
- www.expocenter.or.jp
- www.nat.museum.ibk.ed.jp
- www.nat.museum.ibk.ed.jp
- Japanese version of this page (日本語版)
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
