The ExploraScience Hall

Today, for the second time, I went to the Miraikan to find it closed, goddamn it. The temporary exhibition on toilets and shit would have to wait. And once again, I found myself in Odaiba with a lot of time in my hands. Thankfully, Odaiba is a bit of a treasure trove when it comes to random points of interest, so Ken and I made the best of it and went roaming.

And wander we did until we stumbled upon the ExploraScience hall (which is actually officially named Sony ExploraScience, but I find it tiring to throw in the company's name every time.) And, though ExploraScience is a poor substitute for the very acclaimed Miraikan, which is also a science museum, it does have a certain charm in its array of interactive technological exhibits which really don't aim to teach you anything, but merely to entertain you in some way or another. Here, it'll make more sense if I show you, won't it.

 ExploraScience is a playful museum built around the theme of sight and sound. Using screens, monitors and recording devices, visitors are encouraged to mess around and make their own fun, as well as to experience recent emerging technologies in the home entertainment industry, such as 3D screens and augmented reality.
  There are various booths placed around the dimly lit, sci-fi looking hall that allow you to record your voice and alter it in a number of ways, including, but not limited to, drunken slur. Then, other people can stumble upon the same booth and listen to you babble like a drunk person. That's an example.

 I personally had the most fun using the motion mapping booths that converted your movements into those of a character on the screen. There was a game with the object of touching other objects popping up on the display with your hands, and I enjoyed cartwheeling and attempting to jump and kick them. I was a little disappointed that feet didn't count.

 There was also a terminal at the very beginning of the hall that rated and ranked your smile amongst all the other people who came in and used the machine during the day. I made light of it and smiled in a rather spacey-looking manner and was somewhat surprised I ranked amongst the better half. And then I felt a little bad I beat a lot of people who genuinely tried.
 It's all simple fun, really. You can spend an hour in ExploraScience and that might be just enough. Spending more than two would be pushing it, perhaps. But the admission fee is a measly 500¥, and it might just be one of those things where the more people you bring, the more fun you have.