Saitama Municipal Youth Astronomical Museum, Astronomical museum in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Japan
The Saitama Municipal Youth Astronomical Museum is a public astronomical museum in the Urawa-ku district of Saitama, Japan. It houses a planetarium and a series of exhibition rooms dedicated to astronomy and space science, aimed at visitors of all ages.
The museum opened in May 1988 on a site that had previously been used as a municipal crematorium. The grounds were repurposed to host a space science education center for the city.
The museum displays personal items from astronaut Koichi Wakata, who went to high school nearby, including objects from his missions in space. These exhibits give local visitors a tangible connection to Japan's presence beyond Earth.
The museum is located in the Urawa-ku area and is straightforward to reach from central Saitama. If you plan to catch a planetarium show, it helps to arrive a little early, as screenings run at set times.
The museum keeps living plants and animals that have traveled aboard spacecraft, including roses, cherry blossom trees, and killifish. These organisms actually flew in space and can now be seen during a visit to the museum.
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