Japan 2013: Looking into the future...

...and even experiencing some of it! Where else but at The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation or simply, Miraikan. The name may sound intimidating but if you're a fan of museums and new technology, you'll definitely enjoy this place just like I did.

Miraikan is a museum in Odaiba that showcases a lot of new technology that is being developed in Japan. If Kyoto is my favorite Japanese city because of its rich cultural heritage and overall traditional feel, Odaiba comes next because of its advance technology and all the geekiness in it. Just the island itself is pure genius as it's a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan initially built for defensive purposes which now serves as a major commercial, residential and leisure area.

The first thing that caught our eyes upon arriving at Odaiba were the bicycle stations. We wanted to rent some but we couldn't figure out how. So Nee-chan and I went back to the train station and asked one of the personnel to which he responded politely by inquiring if we were residents. HAHAHA It turns out, free bicycle use is one of the perks of being an Odaiba resident. Residential ID cards allow them them to access the bikes. How cool is that!

Konnichiwa!

Good thing we got there early as Miraikan is composed of seven floors of awesomeness. Pretty big huh? The main exhibits can be seen on the 1st, 3rd and 5th levels while the 6th level housed the Dome Theater and the 7th level housed the conference rooms and halls.

Our first stop was the InterRobot display where visitors can speak through pipes and the robots will respond to you. I failed to make it work the first time but after realizing my mistake (of speaking in English), I tried speaking in Japanese and the robots came to life. Sugoi!

Songs of Anagura

Then we went to Songs of Anagura where all kinds of recognition (eye, voice, fingerprint, movement, etc) were utilized. Imagine my excitement upon realizing this! It's like seeing all different kinds of SPs at work in the form of a human-sized board game where the computer keeps track of your movements by giving you your own avatar or circle underneath your feet. An arrow will appear to point you where you need to go next. Be careful not to get too close to other people though or you'll lose your avatar. But you can re-register any time in case that happens. I won't spoil the fun for you but this is definitely a must-try!