Questacon is bringing science and Japanese culture together for a full day of hands-on activities, performances and workshops on Saturday 14 November. 

For Australia and Japan: A Day of Discovery, Questacon is teaming up with Canberra’s Japanese community, with support from the Embassy of Japan in Australia, for an all-ages celebration of science, culture and connection. 

Canberra’s ties with Japan go back decades too. The Canberra–Nara Sister City relationship began in 1993 and has since grown through school exchanges, cultural events and community connections between the two cities. 

Questacon has its own special link to Japan. The centre opened in 1988 as a joint Australia–Japan Bicentennial Project, after the Japanese Government and business community contributed half the cost of the building. 

 

Crafts, games and plenty to try 

Throughout the day, visitors can drop into workshops to make traditional spinning toys, try origami and puppetry, or get stuck into colouring and other hands-on activities. 

There’ll also be traditional Japanese games to try, including kendama, the classic cup-and-ball toy, bamboo flying toys known as taketombo, and the block game daruma otoshi. 

 

Robots, science and live performances 

You won’t want to miss Pepper the humanoid robot joining Questacon’s Spectacular Science Showcase for live demonstrations. Designed to interact with people through speech and movement, Pepper brings a playful look at how humans and robots can communicate.

Students from the Japanese Supplementary School will also take to the stage for a unique tone-chime performance. Later in the day, acclaimed author, translator and commentator Roger Pulvers will deliver a keynote reflecting on the long-standing cultural connections between Australia and Japan. 

So, whether you’re coming for the robots, the origami or just an excuse for a day at Questacon, there’ll be plenty happening across the centre. 

 

EVENT INFORMATION: 

 

Location: Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre, King Edward Terrace, Parkes

Dates/Times: Saturday 14 November 2026, 9am–5pm

Ticketing/Booking: All ages welcome; full details via Questacon

Find out more HERE