Ehime Prefectural Science Museum

The Ehime Prefectural Science Museum opened in November 1994 in Niihama City, nestled in the foothills of Mount Ishizuchi in eastern Ehime Prefecture. Designed by renowned Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, the striking modernist complex features geometric buildings constructed from contrasting materials, creating a futuristic aesthetic against the backdrop of the Akaishi mountain range. The museum was established to deepen public understanding of science and technology while contributing to the region's scientific and industrial progress.

The museum's centerpiece is its spectacular 300-seat planetarium, which features one of the world's largest domes at 30 meters in diameter. The planetarium showcases 25,000 stars projected onto the vast screen using a hybrid system that combines advanced optical projection with full-dome digital technology. Until 2010, it held the distinction of being the world's largest planetarium and has been featured in the Guinness Book of Records.

Visitors can explore three permanent exhibition halls spread across multiple floors. The Nature Hall covers space, Earth, and local Ehime ecology through dioramas, minerals, fossils, and skeletons. The Science and Technology Hall features interactive displays explaining scientific principles through hands-on experiments covering elements, life, transmission, and movement. The Industry Hall showcases Ehime's industrial heritage with exhibits including a full-sized Botchan Train and a Formula 3000 racing car. The museum's most popular attractions are life-sized animatronic dinosaurs—a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Triceratops—that move with remarkable realism and silence.

The facility attracts approximately 170,000 to 200,000 visitors annually and offers various educational programs, lectures, and temporary exhibitions. Behind the museum, an outdoor display area presents large industrial equipment including power generation turbines and smelters set against manicured lawns. The complex also includes a science reference library, gift shop, and cafeteria.

To reach the museum, take a Setouchi bus bound for Saijo from JR Niihama Station or a Niihama-bound bus from JR Saijo Station and alight at the Sogo-kagaku hakubutsukan bus stop. By car, the museum is located two kilometers from the Iyo-Saijo Interchange on the Matsuyama Expressway. Free parking is available both in an open-air lot behind the museum and in covered spaces in front of the building.