Even if you are not a fanatic, you must go there before you die! Kids will absolutely be love it! I visited “Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum!”

Fukui Prefecture is called “Dinosaur Kingdom” because many dinosaur fossils are excavated. In Fukui Prefecture, there are many dinosaur spots that both children and adults can enjoy, such as monuments of dinosaur, dinosaur theme parks, a dinosaur museum and dinosaur fossil quarry.

A huge moving monument of dinosaurs are set up at the West Exit Station Square (its nickname is Dinosaur Square) of JR Fukui Station. There are three full-scale reproductions of dinosaur lived in Fukui, Fukuiraptor, Fukuisaurus and Fukuititan. The largest one is Fukuititan and its height is about 6 m. The dinosaurs start moving 25 times a day every half hour from 9:00 to 21:00. They are lit up every day from sunset to 23:00.

On the wall of Fukui station, dinosaur wall painting and 3D trick-art that dinosaurs seem to come out from the wall are set.

In JR Fukui Station, “Dr. Dinosaur”, a character of “Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum” sits on a long chair called “Dinobench”. In addition to JR Fukui Station, Dinobench is also installed at JR Awara Onsen Station and JR Tsuruga Station. Dr. Dinasaur used Fukuiraptor as a motif.

In Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, many dinosaur fossils have been excavated since 1980s. Near the dinosaur quarry, there is a dinosaur theme park called “Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest”.

In the vast park, there are many facilities and attractions related to dinosaurs, such as the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, a square with dinosaur-motived playground equipment is very popular, a facility where you can experience excavating fossils, and a display of full-scale dinosaur monuments.

At “Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum”, fossils of 5 new species excavated in Katsuyama City, 3 reconstructed skeletons and 44 dinosaur full-body skeletons are displayed. “Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum” is regarded as one of the three major dinosaur museums in the world together with Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Canada and Zigong Dinosaur Museum in China.

On the roof of Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, there is also Dr. Dinosaur sits on “Dinobench”.

There is “Katsuyama Dino Park” next to Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. This park features moving and roaring 43 life-size dinosaurs such as 43m long Mamenchisaurus and 13m long Tyrannosaurus. This place is also very popular to take photogenic pictures for your SNS.

You can take a bus from Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum for about 15 minutes and you will find a field station for dinosaur quarry. The field station is a largest dinosaur quarry in Japan where still excavating dinosaur fossils. You can learn the actual excavation work and you can also experience fossil excavation by your own. The bones and teeth of Fukuiraptor and Fukuisaurus are excavated at this dinosaur quarry and it is designated as a natural monument of Japan.

*You can also experience fossil excavation at “Katsuyama Dino Park”

Access to the Dinosaur Museum

[Railway]

From Tokyo

It takes about 3 hours from JR Tokyo Station to JR Fukui Station by Hokuriku Shinkansen.

From Osaka

It takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes from JR Osaka Station to JR Tsuruga Station by JR Tokaido Main Line (limited express). Transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen at JR Tsuruga Station and get to JR Fukui Station in about 15 minutes.

[Airplane]

It takes about 1 hour from Haneda Airport to Komatsu Airport. It takes about 60 minutes from Komatsu Airport to JR Fukui Station by airport shuttle bus.

At JR Fukui Station, transfer to Echizen Railway Fukui Station (Katsuyama Eiheiji Line) to Katsuyama Station in about 60 minutes. It takes about 15 minutes from Katsuyama Station to the Dinosaur Museum by shuttle bus.