Ibaraki · TsukubaNo.1275★★★Open in map →

Tsukuba Space Center

— JAXA's campus and its free space exhibition hall

cultureThe classic — done right

A free exhibition hall on JAXA's Tsukuba campus, with a full-scale model of the Kibo space laboratory and real rocket engines. An H-II rocket lies in the square just inside the main gate.

FromTsukuba Station
~10 minKantetsu bus from Tsukuba
Get off atBusshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko / NIMS (Kantetsu bus)
On foot
Tsukuba Space Center

Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Kibo full-scale modelredlegsfan21 from Vandalia, OH, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0

Rocket Squarean H-II rocket about 50 metres long, laid on its side just inside the main gate
Satellite galleriestest models and backup units of Japanese satellites, from the early Kiku series to Daichi
Kibo full-scale modela full-size model of Japan's laboratory module on the International Space Station
LE-7A and LE-5 enginestwo Japanese liquid-fuel rocket engines in the rocket and transport section
Planet Cubea separate building with changing exhibits on space topics and a museum shop

How to actually get there

Tsukuba Station → bus terminal platform 4, Kantetsu bus bound for Arakawaoki Station West Exit.
Ride about 10 min to Busshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko (NIMS), then walk to the centre's main gate.
See the H-II rocket in Rocket Square, then turn left into the Space Dome and follow its numbered sections.
Finish at Planet Cube for the current exhibit and the museum shop.

Kantetsu bus from Tsukuba Station: Tsukuba Station, the terminus of the Tsukuba Express → bus terminal, platform 4 →(Kantetsu bus bound for Arakawaoki Station West Exit, about 10 min)→ Busshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko (NIMS). The centre's main gate is a short walk from the stop.
Back to Tsukuba Station: From the NIMS stop, take a Kantetsu bus bound for Tsukuba Center, the bus terminal at Tsukuba Station. Check the last bus on Kanto Railway's timetable before you set out; a taxi is the fallback.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Tsukuba Space Center is where JAXA develops and operates satellites, runs Japan's Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station and trains astronauts. It occupies a site of about 530,000 square metres in Tsukuba's research district. Most of it is a working campus, and visitors are limited to one zone to the left of the main gate. That zone has three parts: Rocket Square outdoors, the Space Dome exhibition hall, and Planet Cube, which holds changing exhibits and a museum shop. The Space Dome lays out Japan's space programme field by field, from communications and Earth-observation satellites to crewed missions and lunar exploration.

How to enjoy it

The Space Dome is open from 10:00 to 17:00 (at the time of checking) and needs no ticket. Start with photos at the rocket, where a camera stand is set out except in rain, then follow the hall's numbered sections in order. Staff give free guided talks inside the hall, with times posted near the entrance.

Background & history

The centre opened in 1972 as a base for Japan's space development. The H-II rocket in Rocket Square represents Japan's first rocket developed entirely with domestic technology, a type that flew seven times between 1994 and 1999. The real Kibo module, modelled at full scale in the hall, was carried to the International Space Station on three Space Shuttle flights and completed in 2009. Its operations are still controlled from Tsukuba.

Before you go

Cash: Entry to the visitor zone, including the Space Dome and Planet Cube, is free. The guided tour is paid for visitors aged 18 and over (high-school students excepted) and is booked online in advance. Kantetsu buses take Suica, PASMO and other nationwide IC cards, as well as cash.
Good to know: Closed on irregular days, on facility-inspection days and from 29 December to 3 January, and temporary closures can occur, so check the calendar on JAXA's visitor site first. Guided tours may be cancelled for maintenance or bad weather. Rocket Square is outdoors.
Another way: From the JR Joban Line, get off at Arakawaoki Station and take a Kantetsu bus bound for Tsukuba Center or Tsukuba Daigaku Chuo from the west exit to the same NIMS stop.
After you get off: Get off at Busshitsu Zairyo Kenkyu Kiko (NIMS) and walk to the main gate. Rocket Square is right inside the gate, and the rest of the visitor zone is on the left.