Fukui Dinosaur Museum

Almost all of Japan's named dinosaur species have come out of one Cretaceous formation in the Katsuyama area of Fukui, including Fukuiraptor, Fukuisaurus and Fukuivenator, and the museum was built in 2000 beside the dig to hold and explain them. The main hall is a dome with more than fifty mounted skeletons in it, about ten of them originals rather than casts, arranged so you descend into the space on a long escalator and see the whole assembly at once. Beyond that are dioramas, a large collection of fossils from other periods, and geology and earth-history galleries. A working excavation site nearby runs public fossil digs in the season, where participants split shale and can keep certain finds. The museum was substantially extended in 2023. It is a long way out on a private railway line, and it is worth it.

History

In 1982 a nearly complete crocodilian skeleton was found by the Sugiyama branch of the Takinami river in Katsuyama, and in 1988 two teeth of a meat-eating dinosaur turned up at the same site. The museum opened in 2000 in Nagaoyama Park, about 5.5 km from the dig, and since October 2009 the whole of Katsuyama has been a Japanese Geopark (Wikipedia, Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum).

What to look for

• Fifty mounted skeletons - under a dome entered on a long descending escalator.
• Japanese species - Fukuiraptor and others named from the formation next door.
• A working dig - public fossil excavation sessions in the season nearby.
• A 2023 extension - substantially enlarged galleries and displays.

When to go

All year; the public dig runs in the warmer months. Half a day.

Good to know

Timed entry tickets are needed at busy times and should be booked. It is a long trip on a private railway and a bus. School holidays are extremely busy. The dig sessions book out well ahead.

Nearby

Eiheiji and Fukui city are west.

Key facts