In May 2024, I went to visit the Dinosaur Museum in Fukui Prefecture, a place I had long been interested in.
What is the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum?
About Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is a natural history museum located in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, with a focus on dinosaurs.It is known as one of the three largest dinosaur museums in the world, and is the leading dinosaur museum in Japan.
The museum displays 50 complete dinosaur skeletons, fossils, dioramas, and impressive reconstruction models, making it a fun place for both adults and children. My son, an elementary school student, was especially excited about the fossil excavation experience. There are also many geological exhibits, likely due to the relationship between dinosaurs and strata, and a wide range of exhibits on the formation of strata and minerals.
In addition to dinosaurs, the Chatan Formation of the Tetori Group near the museum has produced fossils of crocodiles, turtles, fish, freshwater shellfish, and land plants. The fossil excavation site can be visited as part of the outdoor dinosaur museum.
My family’s fossil excavation experience
Everyone has different interests, but our main goal was to experience excavating fossils.
I myself wanted to try it, but my son, who is in elementary school, had always said, “I want to dig up fossils!”
I live in the Kanto region, but the geology there is volcanic ash from Mt. Fuji, so fossils can’t form there, so we rarely have the opportunity.So this time, I was really excited and planned the trip.
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum: Fossil Research Experience
Since my main goal was the excavation experience, I made a reservation in advance.It seems to be a popular event, so I recommend everyone to make a reservation before going.
This is separate from the application for admission to the museum, so if you are also planning to visit the museum, don’t forget to make a reservation for admission too.
The museum exhibits were of great quality and quantity.
The museum seems to have been built along the side of a small mountain.From the entrance, you take a long escalator down to the basement.I didn’t pay much attention to the order of the route, but just looked around starting from the bottom and going up one floor at a time.
As I wrote above, since it’s related to dinosaurs, there are also plenty of exhibits on the structure of the earth and rocks.But the main attraction is the dinosaur exhibits.
Anyway, there are a lot of fossils on display, including the complete skeleton of a large plesiosaur.
What I personally found very interesting was the exhibit where a dinosaur’s entire skeleton was surrounded by a platform and scaffolding, allowing visitors to observe it up close from its feet to its nose. It explained the structure of the muscles in the legs and the entire body of the dinosaur, and although I’ve seen it in picture books before, it was a completely different experience.
Perhaps it’s because it’s a fossil excavation site, but there are a lot of collaborative research projects and samples from around the world.The dinosaur exhibits were amazing in both quality and quantity, even compared to the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo.
I had heard rumors about it and was looking forward to it, so I’m glad I was able to bring my kids along.
Photo Collection
The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is a place where you can learn a lot about dinosaurs, have fun, and have amazing experiences.I would recommend a visit to anyone with an interest in dinosaurs and fossils.
I personally feel like I want to come back again.
Once reconstruction following the Noto Peninsula earthquake has progressed, I would like to visit again, along with Kanazawa and Wajima.
