Museum of Maritime Science, Maritime museum in Higashi-Yashio, Tokyo, Japan
The Museum of Maritime Science (船の科学館) is a maritime museum in Higashi-Yashio, Tokyo. Its main building, shaped like a large passenger ship, had a stepped central section topped by a tower and a sign reading "船の科学館". The main exhibition closed in 2011 and the building was demolished from February 2024; the annex exhibition hall and outdoor exhibits, centred on the Antarctic observation ship Sōya, remain.
The Japan Maritime Science Foundation was established in 1967, and the museum opened on July 20, 1974, designed by Mitsuhashi Design as the first building in the Tokyo Waterfront City area. The icebreaker Soya has been moored alongside since May 1979. The main building closed in 2011 and was dismantled from February 2024.
The museum's name, Fune-no-kagakukan, is used by the Yurikamome station that opened in 1995 and was renamed Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in 2019. The site also hosted the 1978 Space Science Exposition, which drew 11 million visitors over two phases. The outdoor collection includes a wooden fishing boat from Kujūkuri and a replica of the Osesaki lighthouse from the Gotō Islands.
The site is a two-minute walk from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station on the Yurikamome line, renamed from Fune-no-Kagakukan Station in March 2019, or twelve minutes from Tokyo Teleport Station on the Rinkai line. The main building closed on 28 January 2024 and is being dismantled, so the visit centres on the moored icebreaker Soya, moved to the opposite pier in 2016, and the annex exhibition hall.
The research vessel Soya sits permanently at the dock and can be toured inside, including crew quarters and the navigation bridge. The main building itself resembles a large passenger ship in shape, complete with bow and stern.
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