Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science will hold a collaboration with the anime series Dr. Stone starting June 21! The project will include mini-exhibitions, character audio guides for permanent exhibits, commentary panels with collaborative visuals for permanent exhibitions, and collaborative goods! The event aims to convey a deeper interest in science to the younger generation. 

Mini-Exhibition

A mini-exhibition will be held to explain the world of the first two seasons of Dr. Stone from a scientific point of view. The science used by the show’s protagonist, Senku Ishigami, and his friends in the Kingdom of Science will be explained in an easy-to-understand manner through specimens and materials from the Museum’s collection of natural history and the history of science and technology. 

Location: Earth Building 1F 

Exhibition Details at a Glance

Fossilization Exhibit – How are Living Things Petrified? 

Archaeopteryx Fossil (Replica)

For example, in connection with the scene at the beginning of the anime in which all humans are petrified by a mysterious beam of light, the process of fossilization will be explained scientifically. An Archaeopteryx fossil replica will also be on display.

Music Exhibition – How are Records Recorded and Played Back? 

SP Record Player (ELECTROLA No.4) / Manufactured by ELECTROLA GESELLSCHAFT

In connection with a scene in the anime showing the characters crafting a record player to listen to records made at the bottom of a glass bottle, a scientific explanation of how records are recorded and played back will be on show. A German-made SP record player (manual portable phonograph) will be on display to help visitors understand. 

Character Voice Guides for Permanent Exhibits

Voice actors Yusuke Kobayashi (Senku Ishigami) and Kengo Kawanishi (Gen Asagiri) will provide their character voices in special commentary on ten of the museum’s permanent exhibits. 

The voices can be played back by scanning the dedicated QR code located in the museum with your smartphone.

Explanatory Panels with Collaborative Visuals for Permanent Exhibits

Explanatory panels with collaborative visuals will be specially installed in five permanent exhibits to introduce visitors to recommended exhibits around the massive museum.

National Museum of Nature and Science x Dr. Stone Collaboration Goods

Original goods featuring collaboration visuals were created exclusively for this project, including posters of the periodic table and crystal growing kits!

Where to Buy: 

National Museum of Nature and Science Museum Shop (Over-the-counter sales only)

Location: Japan Hall B1F / Hours: 9:30-Museum Closing Time

https://www.kahaku.go.jp/userguide/access/shop/

TMS Entertainment Online Shop

https://www.tmsshop.jp/

*In-store sales of the collaboration goods are scheduled to begin on June 3.

*The date for online sales will be announced at a later date.

©米スタジオ・Boichi／集英社・Dr.STONE製作委員会

The National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo is currently closed due to the situation surrounding the novel coronavirus. However, staff at the museum are coming up with ways that people can still enjoy the museum from the comfort and safety of their homes.

3D View & VR (National Museum of Nature and Science)

The Virtual Reality Innovation Organization has teamed up with the museum to recreate high quality images of all the exhibitions in the museum, allowing people at home to feel like they are inside the museum itself with the help of 3D view and VR.

*The 3D view can be used on PC or smartphone. However, for the VR experience, VR goggles or glasses are required.

3D View & VR (National Museum of Nature and Science)

3D View & VR (National Museum of Nature and Science)

The museum are also posting regular content on their official Youtube channel including researchers’ findings, information related to the museum exhibitions, and more. They also recently posted a series of videos about an exhibition that was originally scheduled to run from March 14 to April 12 this year. You can find out more about it here.

National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo has posted a new series on its YouTube channel entitled “Japanese Cherry Blossoms Illustrated by Ohta Yoai, a Pioneer of the Botanical Art in Japan.”

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Ueno-based museum was forced to close its doors to the public on February 29, 2020. The museum was originally scheduled to hold the “Japanese Cherry Blossoms Illustrated by Ohta Yoai, a Pioneer of the Botanical Art in Japan” exhibition at the museum itself from March 14 to April 12, but due to the closure it was not run.

However, the exhibition planners still wanted people to see the content of the exhibition, and so they have posted three videos on YouTube to take viewers on a tour of it. The three videos, themed on “Botanical Art,” “Japanese Cherry Blossoms,” and “Ohta Yoai” are presented by Japanese botanist Masanobu Higuchi.

In the first video, we are introduced to the exhibition’s theme of Japanese cherry blossoms. We get to see examples of cherry blossom collected by Tomitaro Makino, the father of Japanese botany.

In the second video, we realm about what kind of person illustrator Ohta Yoai was, as well as botanist Jisaburo Ohwi. Both of them co-wrote the 1973 work Nihonzakura Shu (“A Collection of Japanese Cherry Blossoms”).

In the third and final video, we get to see some of Ohta Yoai’s best pieces, along with explanations of what kinds of cherry blossoms they are.