SCMAGLEV & RAILWAY PARK, NAGOYA, JAPAN

リニア・鉄道館 . 리니어·철도 관 . 磁悬浮列车・铁道馆


(This is a postdated post. Trip took place in Oct 2011.)


We set off from Nagoya Station 名古屋駅 towards Kinjofuto Station 金城ふ頭駅 via the Aonami Line あおなみ線. Mom only bought the adult train ticket for ¥350 since I could travel for free (kids 6 years old and below travel for free).

That's where we're going!

After a 24-min ride, we are here at リニア・鉄道館 SCMaglev & Railway Park!

At Kinjofuto Station

Museum is just next to the station

I like to play with trains and I have a big collection of Plarail tracks, so I was very excited to visit this musuem. Mom bought 2 tickets at the machines, and I got to scan my ticket at the gate myself!

The first thing I saw were 3 real big Shinkansen trains!! And I could even go inside the trains. I told Mom I want to ride a shinkansen 新幹線 when we next visit Japan.


Class 955 Experimental Shinkansen (300X)

MLX01-1 Superconducting MAGLEV

 

Class C62 Steam Locomotive

Many more trains inside the main exhibit hall! Wow! Wow!
There were so many trains to see, as well as go inside to explore.

(Mom's Notes: Beware of the sudden brightness of the main hall as the first exhibit area is in a dark area.)

At the side of the large hall was the Railway System Learning Zone 鉄道のしくみ where I can learn about the technology of trains and how the trains were made safe. Mom was trying to explain and show me, but I was busy having fun pushing the buttons and levers. Hee hee.

How a train switch train tracks

Testing the train seats

Preparing for natural disasters ...

In this case ... an earthquake at the press of the button

Us kids were having fun watching the trains zip left and right

How to prevent trains from colliding into each other

I'm the train driver!

First I watch 兄 (elder brother) give a demonstration ...

My turn! Umph!

I wanted to have a go at the 2 simulations rooms, but Mom said that we had to take part in a lucky draw first before we can try it. I helped Mom put in the ticket stubs. However, Mom said we didn't have time to do them after all. So in the end, we stood around watching other people play.



Putting our tickets into the ballot boxes

Checking the board for the winning ticket numbers, and
the queue to pay and collect the simulation room tickets

Shinkansen Train Driving Simulator 新幹線シミュレータ

Train Crew and Train Driving Simulator 在来線シミュレータ





Next was the Superconducting Maglev Room 超電導リニア展示室 which had more buttons for me to press.

 

See how fast the Maglev trains zip left and right!

The last room was the Greatest Railway Diorama Room 鉄道ジオラマ, which was a 10-min show of the different cities that the shinkansen passes through. Mom really liked this.

(Mom's Notes: Boasting the largest diorama in Japan, it models the unqiue sites and attractions of the cities of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka that the Tokaido Shinkansen passes through, from morning to night, complete with model trains in motion. Check out the videos here.

Visitors need to queue outside the room 15 mins before each show, and the viewing is done by batches.)

From the morning ...

 

Till night ...

Moving onto Level 2 - the Railway History Room 歴史展示室 was on the history of rail transportation in Japan. I thought that this room was not so interesting for me.

 

Next was the Learning and Experience Room 体験学習室 which had more fun things for me to do. I learnt about the shape of train wheels, and how to build arched tunnels with blocks.

 

AND my best room of all ... the Kids Playroom ギッズコーナー! All my favourite Plarail プラレール toys and a small shinkansen were here! And they even had a Kids Toilet.

 

(Mom's Notes: Level 2 was also where the Delica Station デリカステーション cafe was, where they sold bento sets in train-themed boxes.)

Shoes off first

How Plarail is made

 

 

And we finished our visit with the Museum Shop ミュージアムショップ, where Mom almost bought everything there. We bought shinkansen-shaped cookies, plasters, a toy shinkansen, magnet, and stationery. And I also bought my favourite Qoo Apple Juice for the train journey back to Nagoya. 

 

Mom's Notes

• I had initially planned to spend 2 hours here, but it was not enough. We even forgot to check out the outdoor exhibits. Hence, I'd recommend allocating about 4 hours; more if you wish to check out the nearby port area
• Most of the exhibit labels have English translations, so no worries there. Otherwise, plenty of diagrams or videos to refer to
• Good to check the simulation room ballots first upon arrival, since there are specific time slots and a limit to the number of participants. Note that an extra fee is payable if you confirm your participation after winning the ballot. The ballot stubs comes with your ticket
• A must-see is the Greatest Railway Diorama Exhibit. Simply astounding!
• I was grateful for the many seats dotted around the museum to rest our legs, as it was a large place to explore
• An educational and fun place to visit for families with kids!

 

     Address:  〒455-0848 名古屋市港区金城ふ頭 3-2-2
     Tel:         050-3772-3910
     Direction: 2 mins walk from Kinjofuto Station 金城ふ頭駅, via Aonami Line あおなみ線

Admission Fees:
Adults                      ¥1000
Child (7-16 years old) ¥500
Child (2-6 years old)   ¥200

Additional Charges:
Shinkansen Simulator 新幹線シミュレータ N700 -    ¥500 each session
Train Driving Simulator 在来線シミュレータ (運転) - ¥100 each session
Train Crew Simulator 在来線シミュレータ (車掌) -    ¥500 each session

Opening Hours:
10am - 5.30pm (last entry at 5pm)
Closed on Tues, and Dec 28 - Jan 1 (when a National Holiday falls on a Tues, the museum will be closed on the following day)
Refer to their calendar for the latest updates.

 

View of the Meiko Toriton 名港トリトン expressway bridge from the train