Miraikan – Stepping Into The Future

Yesterday, we visited the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. This museum is also known as Miraikan, which in Japanese means ‘future museum’. At times it really did feel like stepping into the future. The museum is known for its cutting edge science where you can explore a variety of topics. There were exhibits on space exploration, robotics and AI, environmental science, human biology, and global changes. Alexis said it was the coolest field trip she’s ever been on.

City Unfolding – One Train Ride at a Time

Every time we go to a new area of this massive city it feels like an adventure in itself. We had to navigate the subway system again, and it was much easier this time. After emerging from the subway, we transferred to an above ground train that gave us beautiful views of the city and bay. We were lucky enough to sit in the very front of the train. Braxton loved this, and it felt a bit like we were on a slow rollercoaster.

Robots and AI

The kids favorite part of the museum was the robotics and AI portion. There were various robots they could interact with and explore. They loved the robot dogs! A robot named Affetto was meant to mimic facial expressions. We all agreed this one was a little creepy!

Space Exploration and Aging

Dave spent the majority of his time soaking up all the information about space and we all enjoyed exploring the exhibit on aging. The kids did a simulated video game that showed what it was like to drive as you age.

Big Views and Back Seats

We had lunch at the restaurant on the top floor of the museum half way through our visit and the view was spectacular! We successfully navigated our way back home without using Google maps. Even though this was essentially just retracing our steps from the morning, it still felt like an accomplishment! We sat in the back of the train this time, which was also fun.

There’s something about going to a museum that is extremely exhausting. As we were walking home from the subway we were all dragging! The pace at which we’re exploring things here is faster than we’re used to, but like I’ve said before, there is so much to discover. We only have two weeks left in Tokyo, before we head to Osaka for the rest of our time in Japan. It’s going so fast!