West Area
Learn about living things!
Labs of the Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research based in the West Area are trying to elucidate biological phenomena that govern living organisms, mainly using molecular biology and developmental biology approaches. Take a peek inside labs and ask researchers about their latest research. Additionally, the Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS) will be holding a workshop sharing the wonders of mathematics!
To participate in events categorized as "Numbered tickets" or "Lottery", you will need to get a numbered ticket or be selected in a lottery on the Open Day.
＊Those who obtain numbered tickets for a morning tour cannot participate in the lottery for 10:45.
＊Those who obtain numbered tickets for an afternoon tour cannot participate in the lottery held at 13:45.
＊If you obtain a numbered ticket for a tour, you cannot obtain a ticket for another tour until the tour you have the ticket for is finished.
Those who have already obtained a numbered ticket to participate in another tour, individually or as a group, may not participate in the lottery.
(Those who participated in a event requiring numbered ticket in the morning session, may participate in the lottery in the afternoon.)
Researcher-Guided Tour
Let's see how heart muscle cells create heartbeats.
- ① 10:30-11:00 ② 12:00-12:00
- ③ 13:30-14:00 ④ 15:00-15:30
※Numbered ticket-ens to join the tour will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis at Bldg. C 1F.
・Tickets for Tours ①,② will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Tours ③,④ will be distributed from 13:00
※Wheelchair users: Observing samples through microscopes may be difficult.
※Explanation in English is available
Open Lab
Let's see how heart muscle cells create heartbeats.
13:30-16:00 (Last entry：15:45)
※Researchers will not be on hand to provide explanations
※Cell samples will not be available during this time.
Stem cells in the intestine divide daily. Let's observe the stem cells that support the active turnover of the intestine under a microscope!
- ① 10:30-11:00 ② 12:00-12:30
- ③ 14:00-14:30 ④ 15:00-15:30
・Tickets for Tours ①,② will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Tours ③,④ will be distributed from 13:00
※Wheelchair users: Due to lab layout, there are some areas that are narrow and impassable with a wheelchair.
※Participants with strollers: Please park strollers in the specified location outside the lab, and carry or hold your child's hand during the tour.
※Explanation in English is available
Researcher-Guided Tour
Learn about the functions of the kidneys and bladder. Observe real organoids made from human iPS cells.
- ① 11:00-11:30 ② 12:00-12:30
- ③ 13:50-14:20 ④ 14:30-15:00
- ⑤ 15:10-15:40
・Tickets for Tours ①,② will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Tours ③,④,⑤ will be distributed from 13:00
※Explanation in English is available
Open Lab
Learn about the functions of the kidneys and bladder. Observe real organoids made from human iPS cells.
- 10:00-12:30 (Last entry: 12:15）
- 13:30-16:00 (Last entry: 15:45)
※Researchers will not be on hand to provide explanations
※Cell samples will not be available during this time.
※Wheelchair users: Due to lab layout, there are some areas that are narrow and impassable with a wheelchair.
We will introduce you to some animals that have drawn interest in recent research due to their unique features. Let's think together about what genome engineering will bring to the future.
- 10:00-16:00 (Last entry: 15:45）
Do you know what mosquito larvae look like? Learn some secrets about those pesky mosquitoes and how they are used in research.
- ① 10:30-10:55 ② 11:10-11:35
- ③ 11:50-12:15 ④ 13:40-14:05
- ⑤ 14:20-14:45 ⑥ 15:00-15:25
・Tickets for Tours ①,②,③ will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Tours ④,⑤,⑥ will be distributed from 13:00
※English explanation available
The latest "One-per-household: Mathematics” poster delivered to schools nationwide has been turned into a workshop! You can experience how your daily life can be improved by using mathematics. The poster will also be handed out. This workshop will be held in Japanese.
- ① 10:30~11:30 ② 14:30~15:30
・Tickets for Workshop ① will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Workshop ② will be distributed from 13:00
※This workshop will be held in Japanese.
Microscopes are essential tools for life science research. Get a peek inside the factory area where researchers are developing state-of-the-art microscopes for research.
- ① 10:20-10:50 ② 10:50-11:20
- ③ 11:30-12:00 ④ 12:00-12:30
- ⑤ 13:20-13:50 ⑥ 13:50-14:20
- ⑦ 14:20-14:50 ⑧ 15:00-15:30
- ⑨ 15:30-16:00
・Tickets for Tours ①②③④ will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Tours ⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨ will be distributed from 13:00
※English explanation is available
Operate a scanning electron microscope and explore the microscopic world that is not visible to the naked eye.
- ① 11:00-11:15 ② 11:20-11:35
- ③ 11:45-12:00 ④ 12:10-12:25
- ⑤ 12:30-12:45 ⑥ 14:00-14:15
- ⑦ 14:20-14:35 ⑧ 14:45-15:05
- ⑨ 15:10-15:25 ⑩ 15:30-15:45
・For Tours ①②③④⑤, the numbered ticket to enter lottery will be handed out between 10:30-10:40 and the lottery will be held at 10:45.
・For Tours ⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩, the numbered ticket to enter lottery will be handed out between 13:30-13:40 and the lottery will be held at 13:45.
※English explanation is available
Take a close look at the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and hear from researchers about how they are used in research.
- 10:00-12:00
- 13:00-16:00
Let's try to understand human aging through model organisms
- 10:00-13:00
- 14:00-16:00
Let's ask them in English
English is the international language for the sciences. Let's ask BDR researchers, students and other staff where they are from, what kind of research or job they do in English! You can collect a card for the BDR card collection rally here, too!
- 10:00-16:00(Last entry：15:45）
※Explanation in English is available
What part of the skin do the stem cells that give rise to hairs come from?
- 10:00-12:30
- 13:30-16:00
Check out the new coloring page "Hair" has been added to the BDR's popular Ikimon Coloring page collection. Color the picture, and learn about the hair! We will also be handing out sets of coloring pages.
- 10:00-16:00
See all the unique and colorful submissions the Ikimon "Hair" Coloring Contest! Cast your vote for your favorite submission
- 10:00-16:00
Buy T-shirts, hand towels, coffee mugs, and other official RIKEN merchandise!
- 10:00-16:00
Go to the designated photo spots to take a photo with original AR photo frames, props, etc. to remember your time at the Open Day in Kobe.
East Area 6F
- 10:00-16:00
※Any data transmission costs incurred taking photos using a smartphone are to be borne by the smartphone owner.
What kind of research is being carried out by the RIKEN BDR? Go to the card rally point, and ask the researcher wearing the witch's hat ”What kind of research do you do?" to collect a card. There are five different cards to be collected. Collect all five and head to card rally goal to receive a special prize.
The goal is located West Area Bldg.C 1F and East Area 8F.
East Area 4F (Event 25), 5F (Event 23)
East Area
Meet the robots!
The labs of the Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research based in the East Area conduct research to understand biological phenomena and recapitulate those processes using engineering, robotics and AI. There will also be lectures on research on AI for scientific research being led under RIKEN TRIP (Transformative Research Innovation Platform of RIKEN platforms).
To participate in events categorized as "Numbered tickets" or "Lottery", you will need to get a numbered ticket or be selected in a lottery on the Open Day.
＊If you obtain a numbered ticket for a tour, you cannot obtain a ticket for another tour until the tour you have the ticket for is finished.
＊Those who have obtained a ticket for a morning tour cannot participate in the event lottery held at the West Area at 10:45.
＊Those who have obtained a ticket for an afternoon tour cannot participate in the event lottery held at the West Area at 13:45.
Lecture and panel discussion
Hear about how "AI for Science" is expected to change scientific research and society in the near future.
Shigeko Segawa (Science and Technology staff writer, The Asahi Shimbun Company) Director Matsuoka will not be able to attend due to personal reasons.
The lecture will be held as scheduled, so please come and join us. (Updated November 1)
Satoshi Matsuoka, R-CCS Director (TRIP-AGIS Project Leader）
Makoto Taiji, BDR Deputy Director (TRIP-AGIS Program Director)
Poster Exhibit
Poster exhibits related to the topic of AI for science will be on display.
- 10:00-16:00
There is a wide range of research being carried out at RIKEN. Hear from four researchers working at the RIKEN Kobe Campus about their latest research, from fields including mathematical sciences, computational sciences, and biological sciences. There will be time after each talk to ask questions to the researchers. Please note that all lectures will be held in Japanese.
Team Leader, Lab for Hibernation Biology, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research
-Domestically built LLM technology and AI for Science
Team Leader, High Performance Big Data Research Team, Center for Computational Science
Research Scientist, Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program and Nonequilibrium Physics of Living Matter RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research
Specia Postdoctoral Researcher, Lab for Developmental Morphogeometry, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research
For more details on each of the talks, please go to the website for the 6th Special Lecture for Junior and Senior High School Students (in Japanese only)
For more information.
Beautiful! Cute! Cool! Can you guess what the images are? Choose an image related to BDR research and make your own unique button badge. The images are different every year!
- 10:00-16:00(Last entry：15:45）
※Last entry to queue may close earlier depending on congestion.
※Explanation in English is available
Learn about instrument called the mass spectrometer which can comprehensively measure proteins in cells.
- 10:00-12:00
- 13:00-16:00
Come and interact with the automated experiment robot and learn how it works.
- 10:00-13:00
- 14:00-16:00
Researcher-Guided Tour
How are organoids, so-called mini-organs, made? What kind of research are they used for?
- ①10:40-11:00 ②11:10-11:30
- ③13:30-13:50 ④14:00-14:20
・Tickets for Tours ①② will be distributed from 10:00
・Tickets for Tours ③④ will be distributed from 13:00
※Wheelchair users: Staff onsite will wipedown the wheels before entry into the lab space.
※Explanation in English is available
Open Lab
How are organoids, so-called mini-organs, made? What kind of research are they used for?
- 10:00-10:40
- 11:30-12:30
- 14:20-16:00
※Researchers will not be on hand to provide explanations
※Samples will not be on display for viewing during this time.
Come and observe the fluid movements of the LabDroid “Maholo,” a popular and versatile research robot that is helping to advance life science research.
- 10:00-16:00
Go to the designated photo spots to take a photo with original AR photo frames, props, etc. to remember your time at the Open Day in Kobe.
East Area 6F
- 10:00-16:00
※Any data transmission costs incurred taking photos using a smartphone are to be borne by the smartphone owner.
What kind of research is being carried out by the RIKEN BDR? Go to the card rally point, and ask the researcher wearing the witch's hat ”What kind of research do you do?" to collect a card. There are five different cards to be collected. Collect all five and head to card rally goal to receive a special prize.
The goal is located West Area Bldg.C 1F and East Area 8F.
East Area 4F (Event 25), 5F (Event 23)
