Spot us at the SC Maglev Railway Park in Nagoya
We’re now residents of the SC Maglev and Railway Park in Nagoya! You can see us in miniature, in the Great Railway Diorama at the train museum. I’m so excited to be part of it – I love the museum so it’s a great honour!
Thank you so much to JR Central and the museum for arranging this opportunity.
SC Maglev & Railway Park
The SC Maglev and Railway Park is a train museum in Nagoya, Japan. There are several train museums in Japan, one for each region of Japan Railways, and this is JR Central’s museum. In my opinion, it’s the best one, because it focuses on the shinkansen and the new, ultra-fast maglev line, which is even faster than the shinkansen!
It’s really easy to get to – Nagoya’s an easy stop on the main shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka. Full details about how to get there are below.
Spot us in the Great Railway Diorama
The Great Railway Diorama is a giant scene with trains running all around Japan. There are famous sights – it’s fun to spot places you recognise, and places you’ve been on your trip. The lighting cycles between day and night, so you can watch it for ages. I was particularly excited to spot Dr Yellow – a special train that’s used to check the tracks. If you see it, it’s good luck!
You can spot me and Phil by the model of the SC Maglev and Railway Park. We’re filming a video, just like when we were there in real life! The figures are absolutely tiny – only 22mm tall.
If you find us, send me a photo! You can tag me on Instagram: @cakeswithfaces, Facebook or Twitter, or email (any emails to Cakes with Faces come through to me).
A Must for Shinkansen Fans!
The museum’s a must-visit for fans of the bullet train. There are fascinating displays (with English translations) about how the bullet train network operates so smoothly, what happens if there’s an earthquake and how the trains are designed to run so fast.
There are lots of trains that you can touch and go inside, including a retired Dr Yellow (my favourite!).
All about the Maglev Trains
There’s an exhibition all about the new maglev (magnetic levitation) line that’s in construction between Tokyo and Nagoya (eventually continuing to Osaka), which is even faster than the shinkansen. They’ll run at 314mph (505km/h); the fastest bullet train, the Hayabusa, runs at 200 mph (320km/h) – here’s my video from when I went on it.
The displays do a really good job of explaining how the technology works in an understandable way – with lots of interactive displays and buttons to press!
There’s also a simulator where you can feel what it’s like to ride the maglev trains. It’s so smooth – you can really feel the difference when the wheels retract and you’re floating along at high speed. I can’t wait to ride them in real life.
Train Driving Simulators
There are several simulators at the museum, so you can try driving a shinkansen, a regular train, or being the conductor.
Tickets for the simulators are limited – there’s either a lottery or it’s first-come first-served, so please check details at the time of your visit and get there early if you want one.
There’s a small extra charge of 500 or 100 yen, depending which simulator you choose.
I tried the shinkansen driving simulator – I wasn’t the best train driver, as you can see in the video (sorry to the passengers who couldn’t get on/off the train…!), but it was really fun! I think I need more practice on Densha de Go…
Amazing Train Merchandise in the Shop
While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the shop. There’s an excellent selection of train-themed gifts and merchandise that you wont; be able to resist if you like Japanese trains. My only complaint is the shinkansen socks (shinkan-socks) were only available in kids’ sizes!
Video
See what it’s like, including the journey there from Nagoya, in my video:
Museum Cafe
There’s a cafe upstairs called Delica Station – just like the bento shops on the platform at shinkansen stations! There are some train themed items like train-shaped bento boxes and shinkansen water bottles. If you want one of the bentos, go at lunchtime – I went mid-afternoon and they were sold out by that time, but I enjoyed a refreshing ice cream.
You can also sit and eat in the shinkansen that’s just outside the museum. You can even go in the Green Car (like first class), for a taste of what it’s like! It’s so comfortable – see what it’s like in my video.
There are also shops and places to eat outside Legoland, which is just next door.
Perfect for a Rainy Day
The train museum’s ideal for a rainy day in Japan, because everything’s indoors. It’s just a short dash from the station to the entrance.
How Long to Spend There
There’s more to see at the museum than you’d expect! When you first go in, there’s a hall with three record-breaking trains, then you go through to the main hall. It’s huge, but there’s even more to see than you’d realise. There are displays along the sides, and you can go inside the trains, as well as rooms along one side. There are also galleries upstairs to look around.
With the short films and simulator, we spent at least 3-4 hours there and really enjoyed the whole time! There’s lots to play on and buttons to press to keep you entertained.
Tickets
- Adults: 1000 yen
- School children: 500 yen
- Children 3+: 200 yen
It’s not pricey – and well worth it! It’s fine to buy tickets on the door when you get there. Note that if you want to try the train driving simulators, there’s a small additional fee as mentioned above, but everything else is included.
How to Get There
From Nagoya Station, take the Aonami Line to Kinjo-futo Station. It’s well sign-posted in English from Nagoya Station (shown in the video).
It takes 24 minutes and costs 360 yen.
You can use your Suica or other IC card on the Aonami line. It’s the easiest way to pay for your trains all around Japan.
Kinjo-futo Station is at the end of the line, so you can’t miss it! The museum is just outside the station – you’ll see it from the window on the way there. Legoland Japan is just next door too.
Nagoya Station is 1 hour 40 mins from Tokyo on the shinkansen, 38 minutes from Kyoto and just over an hour from Osaka, so you could even go there on a day trip.
 at the SC Maglev & Railway Park in Nagoya!){kind=link}