Museum of Aeronautical Sciences

Airplane museum just outside Narita Airport

3.2 (24)

#7 of 8 most visited in Narita

The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences (航空科学博物館, Kōkū Kagaku Hakubutsukan) is an aviation museum located just outside of Narita Airport at the southern end of its main runway. The museum is of interest to both plane enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike with lots of aircraft on display, as well as simulators and other hands-on activities.

Inside the museum you can see full scale replicas of historic planes and components of modern planes such as the landing gear and engine of a Boeing 747. You can also try piloting a plane at one of the museum's life sized simulators.

Additionally, the museum's third floor has an outdoor observation deck with a view of the southern end of Narita Airport's runway, while the fourth floor has a restaurant, and the fifth floor houses an indoor observatory modeled after a flight control tower. Both observation areas and the restaurant have good views of planes taking off and landing.

The museum's rooftop viewing deck and outdoor exhibits

On a yard in front of the museum there are over a dozen aircraft on display, predominantly smaller propeller planes and helicopters. Some of the aircraft can be entered.

Besides the museum's observation decks, there are multiple public viewpoints around the airport from where you can watch the action on the runway. The Sakura no Oka and Hikoki no Oka observation areas are located near the southern end of the runway close to the museum, while the Sakura no Yama observation area is at the northern end. Observation decks are also found on each of the airport's terminal buildings.

Museum of Aeronautical Sciences

From the airport

The ride from the airport to the museum takes about 15 minutes, and there are two types of buses to select from: JR buses and Narita Airport Transport buses. JR buses depart from terminal 1 and terminal 2 about once per hour and cost 220 yen one way. Buses by Narita Airport Transport also operate about hourly and are 10 yen cheaper, but less than half of them stop right at the museum (except on weekends and holidays when all stop at the museum); the other buses serve only the "Hakubutsukan Iriguchi" (博物館入口) bus stop from where it is still a ten minute walk to the museum.

From the city center

Two JR buses per hour connect Narita Station with the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences (30 minutes, 540 yen one way).

Observation areas

A small number of JR buses between Narita Station, the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences and Narita Airport stop at the Sakura no Yama and Hikoki no Oka observation areas. Likewise, a small number of Narita Airport Transport buses connect Narita Airport with the Sakura no Yama and Hikoki no Oka observation areas.

Alternatively, the Hikoki no Oka observation area can be reached in a 15 minute walk from the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences, while the Sakura no Oka observation area is another 10 minute walk from there.

By taxi, it costs about 2500 yen to get from the airport to the Sakura no Oka or Hikoki no Oka observation areas and about 1500 yen to get to the Sakura no Yama observation area. All three observation areas offer free parking lots.

How to get to and around Narita

Hours

10:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)

Closed

Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), December 29 to 31, no closing days during August.

Admission

700 yen

Questions? Ask in our forum.

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