10 Research Institutes and Science Museums to Visit in Tsukuba: 7 Free Places and Those That Need a Reservation

Seven research institutes and science museums in Tsukuba are free for individuals: the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center exhibition hall, the Geological Museum, AIST-Cube, the Museum of Maps and Surveying, the Museum of Food and Agriculture, the KEK Communication Plaza and CYBERDYNE STUDIO. The two paid places are Tsukuba Expo Center (¥600) and the Tsukuba Botanical Garden (¥320). Individuals need to reserve for AIST-Cube (by 15:00 the day before) and the Space Center guided tour (¥500). Tours inside research institutes are for groups on weekdays: KEK’s facility tour takes groups of 10 or more, and the National Institute for Environmental Studies takes groups of 5 to 15.

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1. 10 places compared by fee, reservation and days off

Related article10 Government Buildings and National Institutions to Visit in Tokyo: Booking and Duration for the Diet, Supreme Court and Bank of Japan

2. Things to know when visiting research institutes in Tsukuba

The only exhibition facility within walking distance of Tsukuba Station is Tsukuba Expo Center. For the others you go by bus or car. The Geological Museum and AIST-Cube are on the same grounds, the AIST Tsukuba Center Central Site, and cars need to be registered at the guardhouse.

On weekends and national holidays, the “Tsukuba Science Tour Bus” runs from platform 8 of the Tsukuba Station bus terminal, circling the Geospatial Information Authority, the Tsukuba Botanical Garden, Tsukuba Expo Center, AIST and the Tsukuba Space Center. It does not run over the year-end and New Year holiday. In the summer holidays it runs every day except Monday. On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month there is a staff-accompanied course (capacity 30, advance booking), which visits the Museum of Maps and Surveying and the Tsukuba Botanical Garden in the morning and returns to the bus terminal at 12:45. The fee is the bus ticket and the garden entrance fee, and the guide is free. Tsukuba Science Tour Office: how to use the Science Tour Bus (Japanese)

In November: Saturday, November 21 is AIST’s “25th Anniversary Special Open House”; Sunday, November 22 is the 46th Tsukuba Marathon (traffic is restricted around the Museum of Maps and Surveying); and Saturday, November 28 is the Tsukuba Space Center special open day, when the Geological Museum and AIST-Cube are closed. On Friday, November 27, the Museum of Food and Agriculture is also closed.

3. JAXA Tsukuba Space Center: free exhibition hall, ¥500 guided tour

The exhibition hall “Space Dome” is free and needs no reservation. Staff-led hall guides (free, no reservation) run at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00, and some days are canceled or changed because of operations. Tsukuba Space Center visitor site: exhibition hall (Japanese)

The “guided tour,” which takes you around the site by bus, is fully by online reservation. It runs twice, at 11:30 and 15:00, with 40 people per tour and about 1 hour 10 minutes. You see an introductory film, the astronaut training area and the “Kibo” operations control room. It is aimed at upper elementary school age and older and does not include the exhibition hall guide. The fee is ¥500 for ages 18 and over (high school students excluded) and free for high school students and younger. Payment is cash only at reception on the day, and junior high school students and older bring ID. The 11:30 tour every Thursday is an English-guided tour only. Tsukuba Space Center visitor site: guided tour (Japanese)

Individual bookings for December 2026 opened at 0:00 on November 1. The booking deadline is 1 hour before the tour starts. Tsukuba Space Center visitor site: reservations (Japanese) From Tsukuba Station, take the Kanto Railway bus bound for “Arakawaoki Station” and get off at “Busshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko”, then walk 1 minute. The visitor car park has 50 spaces. For a car navigation system, enter the address (2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki); searching by phone number can lead you to an entrance other than the main gate, so enter by the main gate. Tsukuba Space Center visitor site: access (Japanese)

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Name	Tsukuba Space Center
Address	2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	10:00–17:00 (visit reception 9:30–16:30). Irregular holidays, closed December 29–January 3 (check opening calendar)
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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4. Geological Museum: free, with volcanoes, minerals and fossils in 4 exhibition rooms

AIST’s Geological Museum is free and has 4 exhibition rooms. Room 1 covers geological maps and the evolution of life, Room 2 mineral resources and ocean and lake environments, Room 3 volcanoes, hot springs, active faults and earthquakes, and Room 4 rocks, minerals and fossils. There are 18 free lockers. Geological Museum: permanent exhibition floor map (Japanese)

There are 2 special exhibitions: “The Land Where Ore Sleeps” from October 27, 2026 to February 7, 2027, and “Izu-Oshima Volcano” from November 10 to February 7, 2027. Groups of 15 or more can book from 6 months before the visit date, and bookings only for rainy days are not accepted. Lunch is on the lawn in front of the museum (outdoors); there is no indoor lunch space. Geological Museum: group reservations (Japanese)

On Saturday, November 21, because of AIST’s special open day, the museum is open 10:00–16:00 and entry to the grounds needs the open day’s visitor registration. Saturday, November 28 is a temporary closure. Geological Museum: notice of changed hours on November 21 (Japanese) From bus stop 4 at Tsukuba Station, take a Kanto Railway bus to “Namiki 2-chome” and walk 5 minutes. For cars, register at the guardhouse just on the left after entering from the Namiki 2-chome intersection and receive a one-day pass. People on foot or bicycle do not need to register. Geological Museum: access (Japanese)

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Name	Geological Museum
Address	1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (AIST Tsukuba Center)
Hours / Closed	9:30–16:30. Closed Mondays (open if Monday is a holiday, closed the following weekday), year-end and New Year holidays, temporary closure (November 28)
Phone	029-861-3750
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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5. AIST-Cube: free, with individuals booking by 15:00 the day before

AIST-Cube is AIST’s permanent exhibition facility, formerly called Science Square Tsukuba. It has 3 areas: “AIST VISION,” which tells the history; “AIST INNOVATION,” on the latest research results; and “AIST DISCOVERY,” which shows research sites on an 11-meter-wide screen. Entry is free and a visit takes about 30–60 minutes.

Entry is fully by reservation. Individuals book from 1 month before the visit date until 15:00 the day before. Individuals can only visit on their own. Groups of 20 or more book from 6 months to 1 week before and can also choose a guided visit. A group is limited to 40 people. On Saturday, November 21, no reservation is needed but visitor registration for the special open day is required. Saturday, November 28 is a temporary closure. AIST-Cube: how to reserve (Japanese)

By car, stop at the guardhouse just on the left after entering the AIST Tsukuba Center Central Site, and receive a pass and parking directions. Parking for large buses is by reservation.

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Name	AIST-Cube
Address	1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (AIST Tsukuba Center Central Site)
Hours / Closed	9:30–17:00 (last reservation slot 15:30). Closed Mondays (following weekday if a holiday), closed December 28–January 4, temporary closure November 28. Fully by reservation
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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6. Museum of Maps and Surveying: free, with original old maps on show in November

The Museum of Maps and Surveying of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan shows the history and mechanisms of maps and surveying and new technology. Entry is free, and entry reception ends at 16:00. Museum of Maps and Surveying: visitor information (Japanese)

As part of its 30th anniversary, there is an old maps exhibition in the 2nd-floor special exhibition room from Tuesday, November 3 to Sunday, December 13. The original map is on show from Tuesday, November 17 to Sunday, November 29 (“Revised Complete Map of Japan’s Road Distances”), after which reproductions are shown. Pamphlets for a children’s course and a general course (about 60 minutes each) are at the entrance. Museum of Maps and Surveying: top page notices (Japanese)

Groups of 15 or more send a “group visit application form” by post, fax or the inquiry form up to one week before, after checking availability by phone. Parking is free, with space for up to 4 large buses. On Sunday, November 22, the day of the Tsukuba Marathon, traffic is restricted around the museum. Buses: Kanto Railway buses from stop 5 at Tsukuba Center (bound for Shimotsuma Station and Building Research Institute), the Tsukuba Science Tour Bus from stop 8, and the Tsukuba city bus Yoshinuma Shuttle from Kenkyu-gakuen Station. The route buses from stop 5 do not run on Saturdays except one afternoon service, and do not run at all on Sundays and holidays.

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Name	Museum of Maps and Surveying
Address	1 Kitago, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	9:30–16:30 (entry reception until 16:00). Closed Mondays (sequentially the next day if a holiday), closed December 28–January 3
Phone	029-864-1872
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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7. Tsukuba Expo Center: ¥600 for the exhibits, 5 minutes on foot from the station

Tsukuba Expo Center is a science museum 5 minutes on foot from Exit A2 of Tsukuba Station. On the 1st floor, the “Fun Science Zone” lets you experience science with your body, with a ball coaster, melody pipes and a device that lets you step inside a big soap bubble. Tsukuba Expo Center: 1st floor guide (Japanese)

An exhibition ticket is ¥600 for adults (18 and over) and ¥300 for children (age 4 and over), and free for ages 3 and under. The planetarium costs ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for children per show, and you also need an exhibition ticket. Payment is cash only, and tickets are sold only on the day. The discount for people with disabilities is ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children. Tsukuba Expo Center: fees and parking (Japanese)

The car park has about 60 spaces. For a regular car it is free on weekdays in principle, and ¥500 on weekends and holidays and in busy periods such as spring holidays, Golden Week, summer holidays and winter holidays. From February 1, 2027, operation passes to Times 24, and a regular car is ¥600 (¥2,000 for cars with a classification number of “2” or “8” on the license plate). The car park can be used from 9:00 to 17:30 on opening days.

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Name	Tsukuba Expo Center
Address	2-9 Azuma, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	9:50–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Closed Mondays (following weekday if a holiday). Weekdays in December (except December 25) until 16:00 (last entry 15:30), December 28 until 15:00. 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 ↗

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8. Tsukuba Botanical Garden: ¥320, free for ages 65 and over and under 18

The National Museum of Nature and Science’s Tsukuba Botanical Garden is a garden of plants from Japan and the world. It is divided into the “World Ecological Zone” and the “Life-Supporting Biodiversity Zone” and has greenhouses. Entry is ¥320 for adults and university students, and free for elementary, junior high and high school students and ages 65 and over. The free entry for under 18 includes people up to March 31 of the school year in which they turn 18. Entry is free on May 4, May 18 and November 3. Tsukuba Botanical Garden: entrance fees (Japanese)

Groups of 20 or more, and people who use the dedicated car park with a charter bus, reserve through the visit application form regardless of the number of people. The free car park for ordinary cars has about 120 spaces.

To get there, take the Tsukuba city bus North Shuttle from stop 3 at Tsukuba Center to “Amakubo (Tsukuba Botanical Garden),” about 5 minutes and ¥200, then walk 3 minutes. From stop 5, the bus for Technopark Oho goes to “Tsukuba Jikken Shokubutsuen-mae” for ¥190. On weekends and holidays, the Science Tour Bus North Route reaches the Tsukuba Botanical Garden in about 20 minutes for ¥190. Tsukuba Botanical Garden: access (Japanese)

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Name	Tsukuba Botanical Garden
Address	4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	9:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed Mondays (open on holidays), closed the day after a holiday (open Saturdays and Sundays), closed December 28–January 4
Phone	029-851-5159
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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9. Museum of Food and Agriculture: free, and you can walk in without a reservation

NARO’s Museum of Food and Agriculture is an exhibition facility introducing agricultural and food technology. Entry is free. It has a mini theater with a 3-panel screen, special exhibition areas on “smart agriculture,” “AI x agriculture” and “biotechnology,” and an area for new technologies. According to the Tsukuba Science Tour Office, it reopened in March 2026 after a major renovation that began in 2025. Tsukuba Science Tour Office: Museum of Food and Agriculture (Japanese)

A normal visit needs no reservation. Groups coming by charter bus, and people who want a guide, reserve. Apply by phone or fax, after checking availability by phone. Visits with explanations come in an overview explanation (5 minutes, up to about 40 people) and a guided visit (30 minutes, up to about 20 people), both on weekdays only. A visit takes about 60 minutes, and groups enter by 15:30. Museum of Food and Agriculture: how to reserve (Japanese)

Friday, November 27 is a temporary closure. To get there, take the Tsukuba city bus South Shuttle from stop 2 at Tsukuba Center to “Norin Danchi Chuo” and walk about 5 minutes. From Midorino Station, the Jiyugaoka Shuttle bound for “Fujimidai” reaches the same stop. Museum of Food and Agriculture: access (Japanese)

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Name	Museum of Food and Agriculture
Address	3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	9:00–16:00. Open weekdays, Saturdays, and holidays (closed Sundays), closed year-end and New Year holidays, temporary closure (November 27)
Phone	029-838-8980
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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10. KEK Communication Plaza: free, with facility tours for groups of 10 or more

The Communication Plaza of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is a permanent exhibition with free entry and no advance reservation. You can learn how accelerators work and about elementary particles, see the tracks of particles falling from space in a spark chamber, and observe radiation in a cloud chamber. There are also a replica medal of Dr. Makoto Kobayashi, the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics winner, and an exhibit of the world’s largest photomultiplier tube. Stop by the information center just inside the main entrance first. KEK: permanent exhibition (Japanese)

The facility tour, which shows research facilities other than the Plaza, is for groups of 10 or more on weekdays between 9:30 and 17:00, who make a provisional reservation by phone and apply. The application form goes in by email or fax up to 3 weeks before the desired date. Examples include the Belle II detector and the Photon Factory, taking 60–120 minutes, at no charge. Because a bus is needed to move around the grounds, each group arranges its own bus. Moving around the grounds in a private car is not allowed. KEK: if you want to visit (Japanese)

By bus, take the North Shuttle from stop 3 at Tsukuba Center and get off at “Koenerugi Kasokuki Kenkyu Kiko” (KEK). KEK Tsukuba Campus: access (Japanese)

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Name	KEK Communication Plaza
Address	1-1 Oho, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (KEK Tsukuba Campus)
Hours / Closed	9:30–16:30. Closed Sundays (open during summer vacation), closed December 29–January 3
Phone	029-879-6048
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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11. CYBERDYNE STUDIO: free exhibits, ¥1,400 tour

CYBERDYNE STUDIO, on the 2nd floor of Ias Tsukuba, is a place to experience the technology of CYBERDYNE, including the wearable cyborg HAL. The exhibition area is free. The group tour consists of an explanation of the exhibits, a movie on a screen of up to 270 degrees, and an experience of how HAL works.

Tours are held Monday to Friday, 10:00–18:00 (excluding holidays and the facility’s days off), for 5 to 40 people, at ¥1,400 for adults and ¥1,100 for students. Preschool children are free. You apply with the “provisional reservation form,” and the booking is confirmed when you send the dedicated application form that arrives afterwards. You can choose a date from 1 week after the day you apply to 1 year ahead.

The HAL wearing experience is ¥15,000 per person for the lower-limb type (1–4 people), and a flat ¥10,000 for up to 2 people for the lumbar type (1–6 people; ¥3,000 for each additional person). People who are pregnant, and people with battery-powered medical devices such as a pacemaker implanted, cannot take part. By car, use the Ias Tsukuba car park; by train, it is an 8-minute walk from the north exit of Kenkyu-gakuen Station.

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Name	CYBERDYNE STUDIO
Address	5-19 Kenkyu-gakuen, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (Ias Tsukuba, 2nd floor)
Hours / Closed	10:00–21:00 (exhibition area). Tours and wearing experience: Monday–Friday 10:00–18:00 (excluding holidays and facility closing days)
Phone	029-828-8282
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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12. National Institute for Environmental Studies: visits for 5–15 people, no exhibition facility

A visit to the National Institute for Environmental Studies is a program of about 90 minutes: an overview of the institute, followed by a guided look at about 2 places of your choice. It has no permanent exhibition facility, and the content is mainly meant for high school students and older. Visits are for 5 to 15 people, on weekdays in the 2nd and 4th weeks of each month, 10:00–11:30 or 14:00–15:30. Minors are accompanied by a parent or teacher. The application form is generally open for about a week, starting 1 month before the week you want to visit.

In the FY2026 list, the next visit weeks are January 12–15, 2027 (applications December 7–11), then January 25–29 (applications December 14–18) and February 8–12 (applications January 11–15). February 22–26 opens applications January 25–29, March 8–12 opens February 8–12, and March 23–26 opens February 22–26. National Institute for Environmental Studies: visit reception dates (FY2026), PDF (Japanese)

When there are many applications, some may be declined, and on the day you should arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before the start. By bus, take the bus from stop 4 at Tsukuba Center bound for “Hitachino-ushiku Station” or “Gakuen Minami Junkan” and get off at “Kankyo Kenkyusho.” National Institute for Environmental Studies: access (Japanese)

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Name	National Institute for Environmental Studies
Address	16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	Weekdays in the 2nd and 4th weeks of each month, 10:00–11:30 or 14:00–15:30 (visits for 5–15 people)
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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13. How to choose

For half a day with no reservation, go to Tsukuba Expo Center, within walking distance of the station, and by bus the Museum of Maps and Surveying, the Museum of Food and Agriculture and the KEK Plaza. For space, choose the Tsukuba Space Center; for volcanoes and fossils, the Geological Museum; for plants, the Tsukuba Botanical Garden. Tours that take you inside research institutes have heavier booking and group-size conditions in this order: the Space Center tour (¥500), the CYBERDYNE STUDIO tour, KEK’s facility tour and the National Institute for Environmental Studies visit.

Sources

13 pages we checkedShow

• visit-tsukuba.jaxa.jp
• visit-tsukuba.jaxa.jp
• www.gsj.jp
• www.aist.go.jp
• www.gsi.go.jp
• www.expocenter.or.jp
• www.expocenter.or.jp
• tbg.kahaku.go.jp
• www.naro.go.jp
• www.kek.jp
• www.cyberdyne.jp
• www.nies.go.jp
• Japanese version of this page (日本語版)

Checked with official pages on November 10, 2026 (Japan time).