Yamanashi Prefectural Science Center

Yamanashi Prefectural Science Center takes an immersive, hands-on approach to conveying the wonders of science. Though the facility is aimed primarily at children of around elementary school age, adults too will find themselves enthralled as they both brush up on scientific basics and discover new phenomena.

Appropriately, entering the building feels akin to being inside some vast, engine room-like apparatus rendered in a pop art style. On design alone, the center has mastered the science of sensory stimulation. Huge, colorful pipes that supply air to various exhibits run up above, past planets, giant insects, and all manner of other models suspended from the ceiling.

Interactive exhibits span both the history and complexity of science, from the effects of air pressure through to biochemist (and Yamanashi native) Satoshi Ōmura’s 2015 Nobel Prize-winning work dealing with infections caused by parasitic worms. Many exhibits explain the workings of the human body, while others take a wider perspective, demonstrating science’s central role in the natural world around us. Especially pertinent among these is a section introducing environmental issues.

Zooming out further, this is a place with one eye—or rather, a sizable telescope—on the stars. The Space Theater is a planetarium tailored to younger imaginations, while other space-focused exhibits include a “moonwalk” simulator that lets youngsters experience walking under the moon’s level of gravity.

A hilltop observation terrace offers the perfect spot for digesting newfound knowledge while gazing out toward Mount Fuji.