Osaka Science Museum (大阪市立科学館) will hold the special exhibition "Viewpoint Science (カガクノミカタ) – Everyday Objects Are Full of Wonders! –" from Saturday, November 7, 2026 to Sunday, January 17, 2027.
Even the things we see without a second thought every day hide plenty of "wonders" (フシギ). Alongside the permanent exhibits, the exhibition introduces "Viewpoint Science," a set of viewpoints that help visitors find those wonders. Visitors are invited to take a fresh, careful look at the objects, mechanisms, and phenomena around them, think about what is curious or interesting about them, and find their own "I see!" moment.
Based on the NHK E-Tele Program "Viewpoint Science"
The exhibition lets visitors experience the many viewpoints for finding familiar "wonders" that are introduced in "Viewpoint Science," a popular science program on NHK E-Tele.
Besides the main venue on the 1st floor of the exhibition hall, related displays will also appear in the permanent exhibition halls on the 2nd to 4th floors, so "Viewpoint Science" is presented across the whole museum in an original layout by Osaka Science Museum.
The exhibition also features cute illustrations by picture book author Shinsuke Yoshitake, who is also featured in the program, and is designed so that everyone from adults to children can enjoy science.
Exhibition Details
- Exhibition: Special exhibition "Viewpoint Science – Everyday Objects Are Full of Wonders! –"
- Dates: Saturday, November 7, 2026 to Sunday, January 17, 2027
- Hours: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM (last admission to the exhibition hall at 4:30 PM)
- Closed: Every Monday (the following weekday if the Monday is a national holiday), November 30 (Mon) to December 4 (Fri), and December 28 (Mon) to January 4 (Mon)
- Venue: Osaka Science Museum, Exhibition Hall 1st floor
- Admission: Included in the exhibition hall admission fee: adults ¥400, students (high school and university) ¥300, junior high school students and younger free
- Organizer: Osaka Science Museum
- Planning and production: NHK Educational (NHKエデュケーショナル)
- Cooperation: Osaka University Graduate School Plant Physiology Laboratory (大阪大学大学院植物生理学研究室), Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka (大阪中之島美術館), Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing Co., Ltd. (辰馬本家酒造株式会社), Japan Mint (独立行政法人造幣局)
Message from the Curators in Charge
This exhibition is a slightly unusual one. Rather than explaining the exhibits, it introduces "Viewpoint Science," viewpoints that use the exhibits as a starting point to help visitors find the many "wonders" in the world around them.
According to the curators, science is not something special that is only learned at school or in a museum; it is all around us in daily life. Small feelings such as "I wonder why" and "that's strange" lead to science. They hope visitors will use these viewpoints as a chance to find such familiar wonders, and that visitors may notice that things they have long taken for granted are full of wonder.
The curators also hope the exhibition will be an opportunity for everyone, from adults to children, to enjoy science.
Masahiro Ono (小野 昌弘) and Mizuki Nomura (野村 美月), Curators, Osaka Science Museum
Exhibition Highlights
The exhibition lets visitors try 10 "Viewpoint Science" viewpoints that serve as hints for finding the wonders hidden in the world around us. Four of them are introduced here.
Look Closely
Don't just look, but observe carefully to find wonder! Here, visitors can try observing a replica of a boundary stone (境界石) used in ancient Mesopotamian civilization. The stone is carved with many patterns. What do they represent? Think it over.
Think About the "In-Between"
Think about the "in-between" of familiar things, such as the time it takes for the netted pattern on a melon's surface to form, or for a chick to become a chicken. Here, visitors can enjoy videos of various "in-betweens," including how rice becomes sake, how a vacant lot becomes the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, and how a lump of metal becomes coins.
Look at Cross Sections
Look at the cross sections of familiar objects such as baseballs and golf balls and search for wonder! A cutaway model of the tip of a rocket (the fairing) will also be on display for observing its cross section, along with photos of cross sections of plant leaves seen under a microscope.
Try Drawing
Try drawing a zebra's pattern from memory! It seems easy, but the stripes are surprisingly hard to draw, and they are full of wonder too. Rather than just looking, find the wonder you notice by actually drawing.
Osaka Science Museum Facility and Access
- Address: 4-2-1 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0005
- Official website: https://www.sci-museum.jp/
- Phone: 06-6444-5656
- Nearest stations:
- Osaka Metro Yotsubashi Line "Higobashi Station": about 500 m west of Exit 3
- Keihan Nakanoshima Line "Watanabebashi Station": about 400 m southwest of Exit 2
- JR Osaka Loop Line "Fukushima Station," JR Tozai Line "Shin-Fukushima Station" (Exit 2), and Hanshin Main Line "Fukushima Station" (Exit 3): about 1,000 m south
