Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo

The Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo is a natural history museum in Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture, affectionately known as “Hitohaku.” It focuses on the theme of “coexistence between humans and nature.” The building was designed by the renowned architect Kenzo Tange. The four-story structure has a total floor area of 18,951 square meters, making it one of the largest public museums in Japan. Access is about a 5-minute walk from Flower Town Station on the Kobe Electric Railway. In addition to its permanent exhibitions—featuring items such as a titanosaursauroid dinosaur fossil excavated in the local Tamba region, a specimen of Rafflesia (often called the world’s largest flower), and a sperm whale specimen captured in Osaka Bay off Awaji Island—the museum offers special exhibitions based on researchers’ findings and plenty of other highlights, including the “Hitohaku Dinosaur Lab” in an annex where you can observe dinosaur fossil cleaning work. Open seminars, held mainly on weekends, also accept same-day participation, making them great activities for families. With the impressive scale of the exhibits, it is a popular facility where children’s excited voices never seem to stop.