If it rains in Tokyo, these seven science museums, museums and aquariums keep you indoors for a few hours. This guide compares them on entry fee, booking, nearest station and closed days, so you can pick one in a minute.
In short
- Free for everyone: the Fire Museum and the Tokyo Water Science Museum.
- The National Museum of Nature and Science is free for children under 18 and for people aged 65 or over (show proof of age).
- Five of the seven close on Mondays. Sumida Aquarium is open every day.
- Only Sunshine Aquarium asks for a timed ticket on its busiest days (B, C and D days on its price calendar).
- Tamarokuto Science Center is the only one far from a station, and it is closed on 5–9 October 2026. The Fire Museum is closed on 19–26 October 2026.
Checked with official pages on 5 October 2026.
1. Which one fits your day?
Depends on the place
The Fire Museum and the Tokyo Water Science Museum charge nothing to anyone. Click a name to jump to its section.
| Place | Entry | Booking | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Museum of Nature and Science | ¥630 (free under 18 and 65+) | Buy at the window | Mondays |
| Sunshine Aquarium | Adults ¥2,600–¥3,200 | Timed ticket on B, C, D days | See calendar |
| Sumida Aquarium | Adults ¥2,700 | Web ticket or machine | Open daily |
| Fire Museum | Free | Not needed | Mondays; 19–26 Oct |
| Subway Museum | Adults ¥220 | Buy on site | Mondays |
| Tokyo Water Science Museum | Free | No advance booking | Mondays |
| Tamarokuto Science Center | Adults ¥520 | Same-day tickets only | Mondays; 5–9 Oct |
Miraikan (日本科学未来館, Koto Ward) is not in the table. According to its official site, it is closed for building work from 1 October 2026 to 22 April 2027.
2. What to know about Mondays, parking and stations
Depends on the place
Five of the seven places close every Monday. The National Museum of Nature and Science, the Fire Museum, the Subway Museum, the Tokyo Water Science Museum and Tamarokuto Science Center all do. What happens when Monday is a public holiday differs by place, so check each calendar. On a rainy Monday, Sumida Aquarium is the safe choice because it has no closed day.
Cars are a poor idea at most of these places. The Fire Museum has no parking. The Tokyo Water Science Museum has no parking for the general public. Sumida Aquarium has no car park of its own; you use the paid Tokyo Skytree Town car park (¥450 per 30 minutes). The Subway Museum has a free car park 250 m away, but the number of spaces is limited. Tamarokuto Science Center has 170 spaces, covered in section 2.7.
2.1 National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館)
The permanent exhibition costs ¥630 for adults and university students. Elementary, junior high and high school students enter free. So do people aged 65 or over and under 18 (until the 31 March after their 18th birthday); show something that proves your age. Admission to the permanent exhibition is also free on 18 May (International Museum Day) and 3 November (Culture Day). Special exhibitions have their own prices and rules.
The museum is open 9:00–17:00, and the last entry is 30 minutes before closing. It is closed on Mondays (on Tuesday instead if Sunday or Monday is a public holiday) and from 28 December to 1 January. You can buy tickets at the window, where IC cards such as Suica and PASMO and other e-money are accepted. An e-ticket can also be bought in advance on an outside site. For same-day re-entry, tell the information desk on the first basement floor of the Japan Gallery (日本館).
Two notes before you go. Part of the Global Gallery’s (地球館) second floor is closed, and its third basement floor has been closed for renovation since 8 September 2026. Eating is not allowed inside the exhibition rooms.
Getting there: 5 minutes on foot from the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station. From the Park Exit of Ueno Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines, or from the front exit of Keisei Ueno Station, it is 10 minutes on foot.
Address: 7-20 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Official admission page (Japanese)
2.2 Sunshine Aquarium (サンシャイン水族館)
Entry for adults (high school age and over) is ¥2,600–¥3,200, depending on the day. Elementary and junior high school students pay ¥1,300 and children aged 4 and over pay ¥800. Children aged 3 and under do not need a ticket. The price calendar sets which days cost what.
On B, C and D days of the price calendar, a timed reservation is needed. The official FAQ gives those days as the days that need a reservation. The ticket page adds that weekends, holidays and other busy days may have an entry limit, so it recommends getting a timed ticket or a numbered ticket in advance. Visitors without one may not be able to enter at the time they want. Opening hours and closed days are set day by day in the official calendar. The aquarium has announced closed days on 12 November 2026 and 14 January 2027. The “Sunshine Aqua Ring” tank is not on display from 24 September to 4 November 2026 for maintenance.
Plan on about one hour, with no time limit. One outdoor area, Marine Garden, is partly uncovered, so you need an umbrella there. The aquarium does not lend umbrellas, and it may close the Marine Garden in bad weather. Strollers are allowed, but some corridors are narrow, so the aquarium recommends using the stroller parking.
Getting there: The aquarium is on the roof (10th floor) of the World Import Mart Building in Sunshine City. From the ground floor, take the elevator for the aquarium. From Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line (exits 6 and 7), an underground passage leads into Sunshine City. The aquarium says this route lets you arrive without getting wet. From Ikebukuro Station, use exit 35.
Address: 3-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo (roof of the World Import Mart Building, Sunshine City) · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 03-3989-3466 (recorded guidance)
Official hours and prices page (Japanese; an English version is available from its language menu)
2.3 Sumida Aquarium (すみだ水族館)
Adults pay ¥2,700 and high school students ¥2,000. Junior high and elementary school students pay ¥1,400 and children aged 3 and over pay ¥900. To get the junior high or high school price, show a student ID at entry.
The aquarium is open every day of the year, though it can close for inspections. Hours change by day, so check the official calendar. Entry and ticket sales stop one hour before closing.
You can buy a Web ticket up to 30 days ahead, which lets you skip the queue; you need to register as a member of Webket, the ticket site. Same-day tickets are sold at machines in the entrance. If a time slot is sold out online, the machines do not sell tickets for it. The official FAQ says to allow about an hour and a half. Asked whether there is any place where visitors stand under an umbrella, the FAQ answers no: everything is indoors. There are no strollers to borrow, but a stroller parking area is at the fifth-floor entrance.
Getting there: The aquarium is on the fifth and sixth floors of Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi. It is a few steps from Tokyo Skytree Station on the Tobu Skytree Line. From Oshiage (Skytree) Station, it is a 5-minute walk by a direct route.
Address: 1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi 5F–6F) · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 03-5619-1821 (11:00–18:00)
Official price page (Japanese)
2.4 Fire Museum (消防博物館)
Run by the Tokyo Fire Department, this museum is formally called the Fire Prevention and Disaster Prevention Data Center (東京消防庁消防防災資料センター). Entry is free, and individual visitors do not need to book. It is open 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closed on Mondays, except when Monday is a public holiday, and from 29 December to 3 January. According to a notice on its official site, it is also closed from 19 to 26 October 2026 for maintenance work inside the museum.
The exhibits run from Edo-period firefighters to modern fire services, over floors from the first basement up to the tenth. The first basement shows seven fire engines from the Taisho to the Heisei era. The third floor has a show stage that teaches about fire and rescue work with animation and models. The fifth floor has a diorama of an Edo townscape. From the Disaster Prevention Lounge on the tenth floor you can see the Shinjuku skyscrapers and, on a clear day, Mt. Fuji.
Long umbrellas and parasols cannot go inside; folding umbrellas can if they fit in your bag. The outdoor fire helicopter on the fifth floor is closed in rain, snow, thunder or strong wind. Food may be eaten only in the tenth-floor lounge.
Getting there: Exit 2 of Yotsuya-sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line. It is also about 12 minutes on foot from JR Shinanomachi or Yotsuya Station, and about 7 minutes on foot from Akebashi Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line. There is no car park.
Address: 3-10 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 03-3353-9119
Official website (Japanese)
2.5 Subway Museum (地下鉄博物館)
Entry is ¥220 for adults and ¥100 for children (age 4 up to junior high). Prices include tax. The museum has four train-driving simulators. The one for the Chiyoda Line is only for elementary school children and older, for safety. The simplified simulators have no age limit. You can buy a ticket with an IC card such as PASMO, but you cannot use the card to enter the gate.
The museum is open 10:00–17:00 (entry until 16:30). It is closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a public holiday) and from 30 December to 3 January. You cannot leave and come back in: re-entry is not allowed. Eating is not allowed inside, though drinks are fine in the rest corner. The museum has a nursing room and baby beds in the toilets, and you can borrow strollers and wheelchairs for free at the desk.
Getting there: It is under the elevated tracks of Kasai Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line. Rapid trains do not stop at Kasai. If you ride from the Nishi-Funabashi direction, the ticket gate at the rear of the train is the Subway Museum exit (地下鉄博物館口). From the Nakano direction, use the central exit and cross Loop Road 7 (環状七号線). A free car park is 250 m further along the same viaduct towards Urayasu.
Address: 6-3-1 Higashi-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 03-3878-5011
Official hours and prices page (Japanese)
2.6 Tokyo Water Science Museum (東京都水の科学館)
Entry is free, and so is every activity inside. That includes the “Aqua Tour” (アクア・ツアー), a guided visit to the real Ariake water supply station underground. It also includes a theater, “Aqua Trip” (アクア・トリップ), where images fill four surfaces (front, both sides and ceiling); it lasts about 15 minutes and seats 50. The tour and the theater run on timed numbered tickets, handed out at the information desk. The museum says it does not take advance bookings. Plan on 60 to 90 minutes.
The museum is open 9:30–17:00 (entry until 16:30). It is closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a public holiday) and from 28 December to 4 January.
Getting there: About 10 minutes on foot from Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome line, or from Kokusai-Tenjijo Station on the Rinkai Line. The general public cannot park here; parking is for group-visit buses.
Address: 3-1-8 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 03-3528-2366
Official visit page (Japanese)
2.7 Tamarokuto Science Center (多摩六都科学館)
Entry to the exhibition rooms is ¥520 for adults and ¥210 for ages 4 through high school. Adding one planetarium or large-format film show costs ¥1,040 and ¥420. A set of exhibits, one planetarium show and one large-format show costs ¥1,460 and ¥530. Tickets are sold on the day only, first come, first served from 9:30. You can pay admission by cash, credit card or IC card, but the car park and some other items are cash only.
The center is closed from 5 to 9 October 2026, according to a notice on its home page. The usual closing days are Mondays (when Monday is a public holiday it is open and closes the next day), the day after a public holiday, the New Year holidays and some maintenance days. It is open 9:30–17:00, with the last ticket at 16:00, and the same day’s ticket allows re-entry. Late entry to the planetarium and large-format shows is not allowed, strollers must be left in a set place, and children in the second grade of elementary school or younger must watch with a parent or guardian.
Getting there: It is a walk or a bus ride from any station. From Hanakoganei Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line, walk about 18 minutes from the north exit. From Tanashi Station (north exit), take the “Hana-bus” to the last stop (about 25 minutes). From Kichijoji Station (north exit), take a Seibu bus for about 30 minutes, then walk about 7 minutes from the stop. If you drive, the car park has 170 spaces for ordinary cars. The first 30 minutes are free, then it is ¥100 per 30 minutes, with a maximum of ¥700 a day.
Address: 5-10-64 Shibakubo-cho, Nishi-Tokyo City, Tokyo · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 042-469-6100
Official hours and prices page (Japanese)
3. Which one for which kind of rainy day?
Depends on the place
- No umbrella at all. Sumida Aquarium: the official FAQ says all of it is indoors.
- Spend nothing. The Fire Museum or the Tokyo Water Science Museum. Children in school years from elementary to high school can also enter the National Museum of Nature and Science’s permanent exhibition free.
- Drive a train simulator. The Subway Museum, ¥220 for adults.
- See a real water supply station underground. The Aqua Tour at the Tokyo Water Science Museum.
- A short walk from the station. Sunshine Aquarium via the underground passage from Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, or Sumida Aquarium, 5 minutes from Oshiage Station.
- A long half-day. Tamarokuto Science Center, which needs a bus or a long walk from the station.
4. Common questions
Can I visit Miraikan on a rainy day?
Not until spring 2027. Miraikan is closed from 1 October 2026 to 22 April 2027 for building work, according to its official site.
Which places let me in without a reservation?
The Fire Museum says individual visitors do not need to book. The National Museum of Nature and Science, Sumida Aquarium, Tamarokuto Science Center and the Subway Museum sell tickets on the day. Sunshine Aquarium needs a timed reservation on B, C and D days.
Where are children free?
Everyone is free at the Fire Museum and the Tokyo Water Science Museum. At the National Museum of Nature and Science, school-age children and anyone under 18 enter the permanent exhibition free. The other four places have a child price.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- National Museum of Nature and Science: admission information and access
- Sunshine Aquarium: hours, prices and tickets, FAQ, access and notices
- Sumida Aquarium: prices, hours and access, tickets and FAQ
- Tokyo Fire Department: Fire Museum
- Subway Museum: hours and prices, FAQ and access
- Tokyo Water Science Museum, visit page and access from Yurikamome and Rinkai Line
- Tamarokuto Science Center: hours and prices, access and home page notice
- Miraikan: hours and admission
