Location: Niihama City, Ehime Pref.  Designed by Kisho Kurokawa  The Planetarium: Diameter 30 m (98 ft); Capacity 300 people.  Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays and New Year holiday (December 29-January 5).

 

Surrounded by large, verdant mountains, the Ehime Prefectural Science Museum in Niihama City of east Ehime Prefecture opened in November 1994. Five buildings in the spacious compound were designed by a world-famous Japanese architect, Kisho Kurokawa. The complex consists of a cone-shaped entrance hall which symbolizes the mechanism of nature and the human mind pursuing science, a cubic exhibition hall, two crescent-shaped buildings that house restaurants and study rooms respectively, and a hemispherical planetarium. These buildings characterized by different geometric shapes and their exterior walls made of different materials create a semi-futuristic atmosphere. 

The Museum boasts a 30-meter (98-foot) diameter planetarium, which is the largest in the world, and over 25,000 stars can be projected at a time onto the huge dome screen of this 300-seat planetarium. 

Photos: (From top) An overall view of the museum premises; the planetarium (left) and entrance hall; the world's largest planetarium. (Ehime Prefectural Science Museum) 

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Related Links:

• Ehime Prefecture