Opening hours of the Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. Dinosaurs roar and move. You can also dig up fossils to take home.

▲,.(Photo / Reporter Huashaofu)

Reporter Huashaofu / Reporting from Japan

Located in Fukui, the Prefectural Dinosaur Museum has won the Japan Public Architecture Grand Prize and is one of the world’s three major dinosaur museums. Not only is its robotic dinosaur technology incredibly lifelike, but even the simulated fossils are so finely crafted that experts can hardly tell them apart. The museum houses dozens of life-size 1:1 dinosaur models, and some of them even occasionally let out frightening roars, accelerating your heartbeat as you walk by.

▲,.(Photo by reporter Huashao Fu)

This Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum was officially established in 2000. The exterior of the dinosaur egg structure was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. As an international-level museum dedicated to dinosaur research, it houses up to 42 full-scale dinosaur models. The museum not only features a dinosaur theater but also hosts fossil excavation experiences every summer, attracting many children and adults alike.

▲.(Photo by reporter Huashao Fu)

The Dinosaur Museum is located in Katsuyama, a small town that attracts many visitors from other places because of this museum. If you drive there, you can see the shape of a dinosaur egg from a distance—no doubt, that’s exactly where the Dinosaur Museum is. When you get a bit closer, you’ll find not just one but several dinosaurs sitting on chairs, ready for visitors to take photos with.

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As soon as you step inside, you can see a guide machine rental service at the entrance, offering not only English and Japanese but also Chinese (Chinese language tour guides available for rent). Inside, there’s even more to explore: in addition to several lifelike dinosaur skeletal fossils, there are interactive zones with animatronic dinosaurs, a game room, a fossil research lab, a dinosaur research lab, and more—guaranteed to delight every dinosaur enthusiast!(／)" width="600" height="400"/>

▲.(Photo by Reporter Hu Shaofu)

What's particularly unique is that the museum's third-floor souvenir shop sells not only various dinosaur models, dolls, and clothing but also food items with a distinctive twist—such as dinosaur-shaped pasta and dinosaur-flavored seaweed—all designed to stimulate the appetite of children who don't usually like to eat. Official staff even revealed privately that the best-selling item in the souvenir shop is the "jumping ball," which encases a dinosaur inside a small sphere. Every time children pass by, they stop to examine it for a long time.

▲~.(Photo / Taken by Reporter Huashao Fu)

Located outside the Dinosaur Museum, the outdoor museum also hosts fossil excavation activities every summer. In addition to closely observing the strata and footprint fossils where dinosaur fossils were discovered, visitors can also experience fossil digging, but advance reservation is required to allow the museum to prepare tools and guides.Here, guests can directly hear explanations from the museum’s researchers about the fossils that have been excavated, including how the digging is done and how to distinguish between shell fossils, plant fossils, and dinosaur fossils. Most importantly, if you’re lucky enough to find a fossil, you can even take it home with you.

Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
Address: 51-11 Terai, Muraoka, Katsuyama, Fukui
Business Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Last entry at 16:30)
Admission: Adults 720 yen, High school students 10 yen (placeholder), Elementary and junior high school students 60 yen (placeholder)

Dinosaur Fossil Excavation Experience (participants must be 4 years or older, reservation required, limited to 90 people)
Participation Fee: Adults 1030 yen, High school students 830 yen, Junior high and elementary school students 520 yen
Available Season: Spring to November