Stone Museum Hakusekikan

One of Japan’s largest stone-themed parks, this attraction is located in Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture, near the scenic Ena Gorge. Spread across an Approx. 7,000-tsubo site, it features an exhibition hall, a mining experience hall, a stone garden, and more. At the center of the park stands a stone pyramid made of locally quarried granite from Hirukawa. It is one-tenth the size of the Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt (Approx. 15 meters tall, total weight 5,500 tons). Inside the pyramid is an underground maze stretching Approx. 350 meters, where visitors make their way through the darkness while looking at murals and interactive features in search of the exit.

The park offers a wide range of stone-related hands-on activities, with the most popular being gem hunting. Visitors search through gravel by hand or with a bowl for more than 30 types of minerals and gemstones, and everything they find can be taken home. At the museum shop, the stones can be turned into accessories, and display cases and craft kits for use at home are also available. The mining experience hall also offers eight different activities, including rough stone hunting, silver hunting, and fossil excavation. With plenty of activities that captivate everyone from small children to adults, it is especially popular with families and couples.

There is also a shop and restaurant inside the park, and the pyramid-shaped curry is especially popular. The museum shop sells a variety of stone-themed items, including Pyramid Curry to enjoy at home and Minikoro Choco, chocolates that look just like real pebbles, both recommended as souvenirs.