Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum

The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is a dinosaur-focused natural history museum located within Nagaoyama General Park in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture. It is considered one of the world’s three major dinosaur museums alongside the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Canada and the Zigong Dinosaur Museum in China. Many fossils have been found in the Kitadani Formation of the Tetori Group in Kitadani-cho, Katsuyama City, near the museum, and you can also visit fossil excavation sites as part of the museum experience. The Katsuyama Dinosaur Fossil Site and its producing areas are also designated as a National Natural Monument. In the dome-shaped exhibition hall, you can enjoy more than 30 displays, and in the dinosaur zone, 44 full-body dinosaur skeletons and specimens, plus attractions such as the Dino Theater (a 200-inch dual-facing screen), all at an impressive scale—making it popular with families with children as well as adults. Because new dinosaur fossils continue to be discovered in Fukui, it can feel like there is something new to enjoy each time you visit. To reach the museum, transfer from JR Fukui Station to the Echizen Railway Katsuyama Eiheiji Line bound for Katsuyama, get off at Katsuyama Station, and take a bus for about 20 minutes.