Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum

Infobox Museum
name = Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
福井県立恐竜博物館

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established = July 14, 2000
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location = 51-11 Terao, Muraoka-chō, Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan
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publictransit = Katsuyama Eiheiji Line (Echizen Railway)
website = [http://www.dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp/en/ Museum homepage]

The nihongo|Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum|福井県立恐竜博物館|Fukui Ken-ritsu Kyōryū Hakubutsukan is a dinosaur museum located in the city of Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. [http://www.kandou10.jp/en/spot/spot729_c7_0.html Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum] . Chubu Wide-area Tourism Portal Site. Accessed July 10, 2008.] In addition to being the only dedicated dinosaur museum in all of Japan, it is one of the "World's Three Great Dinosaur Museums" along with the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Canada and the Zigong Dinosaur Museum in China. The museum signed a sister museum agreement with the Royal Tyrrell Museum on November 23, 2000, and contains some exhibits from the museum. [http://www.city.katsuyama.fukui.jp/english/kankou/kankou.htm Kankō Jōhō: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum] . City of Katsuyama. Accessed July 10, 2008.]

Exhibits

When visitors enter into the museum, they first take a long escalator down to the first floor of the basement. The basement only contains "Dino Street," a hallway displaying fossils of some of the earliest known life on Earth. A bone bed sits at the end of the hallway and is a replica of an actual site in Wyoming, USA.

From there, visitors can go up to the main exhibition hall, which is the museum's primary exhibition space and consists of dinosaur fossils. Though many of the dinosaur fossils are replicas, some displays use actual dinosaur fossils and visitors are allowed to touch some of the displays. Various dioramas, including some with robotic dinosaurs that move and make sounds, also are used to show visitors a conceptual look at the dinosaurs' habitats.

The second floor contains exhibits focusing on earth sciences, including plate tectonics, rock formation and precious gems. The third floor focuses on the history of life, showing a timeline from the formation of the Earth up until modern times. In addition to the dinosaurs, this exhibit shows some of the earliest single-celled organisms and their evolution into the mammals of today.

The museum also contains a "Dino Lab," which has real fossils on display that visitors can feel and lift up. There is also a fossil cleaning room where visitors can watch actual fossils being cleaned and preserved.

There are also outdoor exhibits to compliment the main ones inside the museum. From the spring to the fall, visitors can experience excavation activities at a location on the park grounds. Additional replicas of dinosaurs and their fossils can be found throughout the park grounds.

Construction

The location for the museum was chosen because many fossils have been found in Katsuyama and it uses many fossils found in the surrounding area. The museum was designed by Kisho Kurokawa [http://www.edizionipress.com/dinosaur.php5?sort=title Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum: Kisho Kurokawa Architect and Associates] . Edizioni Press. Accessed July 10, 2008.] and completed in the summer of 2000, as the centerpiece for the 2000 Dinosaur Expo that was hosted in nearby Nagaoyama Park.

It officially opened on July 14, 2000, with an area of approximately Convert|30000|m2|ft2|abbr=on, making it one of the largest museums in all of Japan. There are no support beams within the main display area of the building, allowing for wide open spaces to display the large dinosaurs.

Facilities information

*Contact:Telephone: [phone]:Fax: [phone] :Address: 51-11 Terao, Muraoka-chō, Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture
*Hours of Operation:9:00am to 5:00pm (no entry after 4:30pm)
*Holidays:2nd and 4th Wednesday:Dec. 29 to Jan. 2
*Entrance Fee::*Those over 70 years of age or under 6 are allowed free admission.:*Group discounts are available to parties of 30 or larger.:*Special exhibit fees are separate.

External links

* [http://www.dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp/en/ Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum website]

References