Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)

Opened July 2001 in Aomi, Koto-ku, near Tokyo Teleport Station. Seven floors above ground, 40,744 m². Japan's national science and technology museum, operated by JST. Home to the Geo-Cosmos globe display and founded under astronaut Mamoru Mohri as its first director.

Use

Office tower

Area

Koto

Completed

2001

Floors

7 above ground

Total floor area

approx. 40,744 m²

Developer

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

A Science Hub on Tokyo’s Reclaimed Waterfront

In Aomi, Koto-ku — within walking distance of Rinkai Line Tokyo Teleport Station and Yurikamome Telecom Center Station — a building of glass and metal panels faces Tokyo Bay. This is Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. The building was completed in March 2001 and opened to the public on 9 July 2001. It rises seven floors above ground with a total floor area of 40,744 m², operated by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Its mission is to communicate the connections between science, technology, and society through hands-on experience.

From the outset, the exhibit that most captures visitors is Geo-Cosmos — a spherical display approximately six metres in diameter, suspended in the building’s atrium. It replicates the appearance of Earth from orbit using real-time satellite data, rendering cloud cover, ocean colour, and land surfaces in near-real time. When the museum opened, astronaut Mamoru Mohri became its founding director, establishing a practice of scientists and researchers taking direct roles in exhibition planning — an approach that attracted international attention.

A Seven-Floor Experience on the Bay

The Odaiba–Aomi district where Miraikan stands is built entirely on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, part of the city’s waterfront subcenter development. Tokyo Big Sight (the international exhibition center), Ariake Arena, and Fuji Television’s headquarters are neighbours, giving the area a dense cluster of large-scale public facilities that grew up around the same period.

Inside, Miraikan’s seven floors divide into permanent exhibition zones covering robotics, life sciences, the environment, space, and the information society. Permanent content is updated regularly to reflect current research, supplemented by special exhibitions and dialogue events where working scientists meet the public. The model of scientists explaining their own work, rather than communication specialists doing so on their behalf, remains a distinctive feature of the institution.

Summary

Miraikan opened in July 2001 with seven floors and 40,744 m² of space. Located on Tokyo’s reclaimed Bay waterfront, it serves as Japan’s national science and innovation museum, with the Geo-Cosmos globe as its signature exhibit. The founding-director model established by Mamoru Mohri — scientists communicating directly with the public — continues to shape the museum’s character.

The nearby Ariake Arena (completed 2019) is a short walk away, making the Bay district easy to explore in a single visit. Hotels in the area can be found on Rakuten Travel.