This blog is certainly no stranger to dinosaurs and dinosaur hunters, nor is it a stranger to museums in Tokyo. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the features that makes Ueno’s National Museum of Science distinct from other natural history museums.
Science: The History of Earthquake Measurement Tools
The science section I visited really had too much to encapsulate in a single post, let a lone a section of a post. What I wanted to focus on was the collection of some of the first seismographs, or earthquake measurement tools, developed in Japan by Japanese and European scientists. Japan is credited for really popularizing the use of the seismograph as an essential tool in the study of earthquakes (in cooperation with a group of British scientists). You can read all of the gritty details and see the science here, but needless to say, some of the tools were massive. Some of my favorite bits were the models of earthquake movement they made with wire framing. Given how impactful earthquakes are in Japan, it’s interesting to see how the technology to mitigate their impact has developed.
Nature: Dinosaurs
The big draw here are the dinosaur skeletons, which there are quite a few. The one that really sticks out is the T-Rex set. Most museums have this titan of the past standing, to show off its full size and glory. Here, however, is the only place in the world where you see the T-Rex skeleton arranged in a crouching position. See, the T-Rex would crouch before leaping in for an attack on its prey. When I first saw the skeleton, I thought it was a fat dinosaur, maybe a little hefty in the stomach area, but I didn’t realize it was a Tyrannosaurus until I read the display information.
With a small admission fee, this area is definitely worth it. If you like science and all things animals and nature, this is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Two Second Street 