JAXA Tsukuba Space Center

Japan's main facility for astronaut training and satellite operations, and the public exhibition hall here offers a close look at the technology involved. Full-scale rocket models stand outside, and inside you can walk past a replica of the Japanese Experiment Module used on the International Space Station. Displays cover JAXA's launch history, satellite programs, and the experiences of Japanese astronauts in space. The facility is more technical and hands-on than a typical science museum, and the guided tours run on weekdays are worth timing your visit around. Tsukuba is about an hour from central Tokyo by express bus.