Koriyama City Fureai Science Museum

Known by the nickname “Space Park,” this urban science museum is themed around space. It spans three floors inside a high-rise building in front of JR Koriyama Station and is divided into two areas: the “Space Theater (Planetarium)” and the “Exhibition Zone.”

The “Space Theater (Planetarium)” is this museum’s signature attraction and is Guinness World Records certified as the highest planetarium in the world above ground level. It is equipped with one of only four state-of-the-art projection systems in Japan, recreating every kind of star-filled sky, from what can be seen in the city to the vast expanse of outer space. Another feature is the bright, sharply defined stars, whose romantic beauty is sure to impress anyone.

The “Exhibition Zone” features a wide variety of thoughtfully designed materials and displays where visitors can learn all kinds of facts about space. Among them, two hands-on exhibits are especially popular: “Moon Jump,” where you can understand lunar gravity, and “Triple Spin,” an astronaut training device.

There is also a well-regarded railway area inspired by its location in front of the station, complete with one of the largest railway dioramas in Japan and a driving simulator where you can operate an SL locomotive from the driver’s seat and feel like a train engineer.