Tokyo science museum holds aging experience exhibition

The Miraikan Museum in Tokyo, Japan, is hosting an aging-themed exhibition that offers young people a simulated experience of how the human body changes with age.

The exhibition, Park of Age, is split into four interactive areas where visitors can experience the changes aging brings to their visual, auditory, motor skills and brain through interactive games.

In one game, participants can experience the challenges of judging objects with vision loss as they age. Another game called Nucopol simulates the effects of cataracts on color vision, resulting in difficulties in judging colors.

A unique feature in the brain aging experience area is a self-service camera that allows participants to see how elderly people may struggle to understand expressions like anger, sadness, and fear. Through these games, visitors can grasp the mechanisms of human aging and reflect on how they interact with the elderly and envision their own future.

The Park of Age exhibition, part of Miraikan's three permanent exhibits themed Create Your Future, is one of 22 exhibitions grouped under those three main themes, with the other two being Explore the Frontiers and Discover Your Earth.

"I take him to this exhibition related to robotics today. But he's not school age yet, so hopefully he'll find something here that interests him," said a mother.

"The emphasis in school is on basic theory. Much of what is on display here is practical science that can be applied to life. It gave me inspiration on my own research as well," said a student.

According to the museum staff, nearly half of the visitors are under 18, with high school students making up 17 percent of that group. As an off-campus learning venue, Miraikan also collaborates with local schools, inviting teachers to contribute to exhibition planning to align with students' actual needs and interests.

"Through physical display and interactive experience, students can get a new scientific experience different from classroom teaching, which is the biggest feature of our Miraikan science museum exhibition," said Ito Yoichi, deputy director of the museum.

Tokyo science museum holds aging experience exhibition

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) immersed the audience in colorful cultural experiences with 15 performances and 50 activities in a recent art festival celebrating the 17th anniversary of the center.   The audience admired charming symphony concerts, experienced intangible cultural heritage handicraft making, and participated in interactive performances during the festival.   Exquisite performances like dance flash mobs, Yunnan intangible cultural heritage song and dance performance and accordion quintet were staged at the open areas, along with complementing activities such as the book fair, cultural and creative fair, and intangible cultural heritage skill demonstrations.   "We will also organize workshops, jazz performances and other activities, along with some surprise events for the audience to explore, like behind-the-stage visits," said Zhu Jing, deputy director of the NCPA.   This year's art festival featured a specially designed event, enabling the audience to experience the technological power behind artistic creation through programs using 360-degree photography, AI composition and AR animation.   "For example, we launched the 'Everyone can be a conductor' program this year, using the motion sensing technology and music mapping technology. Through the application of artificial intelligence, ordinary audience members are able to step onto the conductor's podium and experience what it's like to be a conductor themselves," said Sheng Lei, an exhibtion planner at the NCPA.   In 2024, NCPA's 11 theaters have hosted 1,200 performances, reaching new heights of performance scale. Since its establishment 17 years ago, the NCPA has created 112 plays, with over 14.2 million audience members watching the performances at the venue.

NCPA stages performances, activities to enrich cultural experiences for audience