Photo courtesy of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
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One of Japan’s largest geology and paleontology museums, with a particular focus on dinosaurs.
This is one of Japan’s largest museums dedicated to dinosaurs.
Numerous fossils, including teeth, bones, and footprints of dinosaurs and other vertebrates, have been discovered in Katsuyama City.
This led to the museum’s opening in 2000, and in some years it welcomes more than 900,000 visitors.
The exhibition halls inside the gleaming silver dome are divided into three zones: Dinosaur World, Earth Sciences, and History of Life.
The main attraction is Dinosaur World. In a vast column-free space measuring 84 m along its major axis, 55 m along its minor axis, and 37.5 m high, the skeletons of 50 dinosaurs are displayed in lifelike poses.
The museum also features more than 1,000 beautiful specimens, large-scale reconstructed dioramas, videos, and more.
A dedicated bus tour from the Dinosaur Museum takes visitors to the Field Station, where they can get an up-close look at an active dinosaur fossil excavation site and try splitting open rocks brought directly from the site in search of fossils.
The museum offers something for everyone, from children and adults to researchers.
The museum in Katsuyama Dinosaur ForestPhoto courtesy of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
Dinosaur World, featuring the full skeletons of 50 dinosaursPhoto courtesy of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
History of Life traces the story from the formation of Earth to the emergence of humankindPhoto courtesy of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
Dino Lab features many fascinating exhibits, including an impressive full Tyrannosaurus skeletonPhoto courtesy of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
The Dinosaur Tower, a symbolic monument measuring approximately 13 m longPhoto courtesy of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
Frequently Asked Questions have been vetted and answered directly by each listing.
Q
Is free Wi-Fi available in the museum?
Yes.
Q
Are coin-operated lockers available?
Yes.
Q
Is there a smoking area?
Yes. It is outside the museum in the parking lot.
Q
Is there a direct bus from JR Fukui Station?
Direct buses operate from JR Fukui Station on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. There are no direct buses from JR Fukui Station on weekdays. On weekdays, transfer at JR Fukui Station to an Echizen Railway train bound for Katsuyama, then take a bus from Katsuyama Station.
Q
Can I enter without making an advance reservation?
Same-day tickets may be available, but they may not be sold depending on availability that day. Advance purchase of admission tickets is recommended.
Q
Can I reenter the museum?
Yes. You may reenter as many times as you like on the same day using the QR code used for your initial admission.
Some reviews are AI-translated.
I brought family and friends to the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
It truly lives up to its reputation as a world-class dinosaur destination. Both the indoor and outdoor areas are so well done.
Inside, there are incredibly impressive skeleton fossils and animatronic dinosaurs, with lots of information to learn; the outdoor area is also huge, and the kids explored the dinosaur forest, discovering all kinds of surprises. They had so much fun they didn't want to leave〜
Seeing everyone having such a great time, I truly think this is a dream destination for families with kids! I highly recommend it to anyone with a dinosaur fan in the family.
One of the world’s top three dinosaur museums! It covers dinosaur ecology and fossils, and many of the fossils are real and millions of years old. Kids will have a blast visiting here.
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