Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
One of Japan's largest dinosaur museums: 51 skeletons displayed under a silver dome.
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Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
SaveOne of Japan's largest dinosaur museums: 51 skeletons displayed under a silver dome.
A ramp curls around the dome wall, so the skeletons can be seen from new angles.
MoreWhat kind of place
One of the largest dinosaur museums in Japan, it stands in Katsuyama, Fukui, inside a park called Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest.
Under the silver dome, the exhibition hall runs to 4,500 square meters (about 48,000 square feet) and holds 51 dinosaur skeletons, well over a thousand specimens, large reconstructed dioramas and films.
The hall is divided into three zones: Dinosaur World, Earth Science and the History of Life.
On three of the skeletons — Tyrannosaurus, Mamenchisaurus and Probactrosaurus — a sound plays at the head and another at the tail, so you can hear from one end to the other how big the animal was.
Sources and evidence (19)
- Wheelchairs and strollers can be borrowed; ask at the main reception desk on the third floor of the main building.source
- There are only a few wheelchairs and strollers to borrow.source
- Borrowing a stroller is free.source
- A kids' room on the third floor gives babies and toddlers a place to rest.source
- You can rest in the first-aid room on the third floor.source
- The museum has a restaurant serving its own original dishes and desserts.source
- The museum is built around its dinosaur collection and is one of the largest dinosaur museums in Japan.source
- Inside the silver dome, the exhibition hall is divided into three zones: Dinosaur World, Earth Science, and the History of Life.source
- The 4,500-square-meter (about 48,000-square-foot) exhibition hall holds 51 dinosaur skeletons, well over a thousand specimens, large reconstructed dioramas, and films.source
- Several of the dinosaurs have a bronze model beside them showing how the living animal looked, and you can touch it to feel the shape.source
- On the Tyrannosaurus, Mamenchisaurus, and Probactrosaurus, a sound plays at the head and another at the tail, so you get a sense of how big the animal was.source
- The Dino Lab also has specimens you can touch.source
- The third floor holds the museum entrance, the main reception desk, the museum shop and restaurant, coin lockers, and the Dino Library.source
- The second floor holds the History of Life exhibition room, the fossil preparation room, the Dino Lab, and the Dino Library.source
- There are no private guided tours, but exhibition staff are stationed around the halls and a free exhibition guide app is available.source
- The museum names three photo spots: the museum monument stone near the entrance, the Tyrannosaurus monument on the east side, and the Dinosaur Doctor statue on the roof of the new wing.source
- Bags can be left in the coin lockers on the third floor of the main building.source
- There is free parking for about 1,400 cars around the museum.source
- The address is 51-11 Terao, Muraoka-cho, Katsuyama, Fukui, inside a park called Katsuyama Dinosaur Forest.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Fifty-one dinosaur skeletons fill one hall under a silver dome, and children below elementary school age see all of it free.
Beside several of the skeletons stands a bronze model of the living animal, and kids can put their hands on it to feel the shape.
You come in on the third floor, where the reception desk lends out a few strollers free of charge and a kids' room gives a baby somewhere to rest.
Tickets are for a set date and time and have to be bought before you go, because on busy days such as the mid-August Obon holidays advance sales can sell out and nothing is left at the door.
The QR code on your ticket lets you go out for lunch and come back in as many times as you like that day, so leaving to eat does not end your visit.
Sources and evidence (5)
- Fukui Station to Katsuyama is 54 minutes and 22 stops on the Echizen Railway, then the Gururin bus to the door.source
- With a 1- and 3-year-old, 13:00-16:00 was not enough — they never reached Dino Park. The crush is 11:30-14:00.source
- A 5-year-old plus a baby. Kids' room, nursing and changing on 3F; the 1F toilet behind the escalator was empty.source
- Half an hour's wait before 11 on a Saturday. The queue ticket cancels from your phone; Zaurus Kitchen takes no booking.source
- Golden Week: first parking lot by 8:20, doors opened early at 8:40, and a 2km jam on the way out at 11:30.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The permanent exhibition sits inside a silver dome, and one way from the first floor up to the second is the ramp that curves all the way around the inside of it. You never have to lift the baby out of the stroller: the 51 dinosaur skeletons pass by from below, then again from above at a different angle. The steps in the Science of the Earth zone on the first floor are crossed by a slope as well.The nursing room is on the third floor of the main building; ask at the third-floor reception to use it, and they will bring out hot water for formula if you ask there too. Diaper-changing tables are inside the accessible restrooms on every floor of the main building and the new wing, on both the men's and the women's side. The third floor also has a kids' room where babies and toddlers can rest, and a first-aid room. Strollers are lent free at the third-floor main reception, though only a few are kept. The building has three floors above ground and one below, and the entrance is on the third.
- Ages 2-3Several of the dinosaurs have a bronze model of the living animal beside them, and a child can put both hands on it and feel the shape. On the Tyrannosaurus, Mamenchisaurus and Probactrosaurus a sound plays at the head and another at the tail, so walking from one sound to the other gives a body-sized sense of how big the animal was. The Dino Lab on the second floor also has specimens you can touch.Eating and drinking are allowed only in the restaurant and the vending machine corner. If you bring a packed lunch, you eat it at the free rest area in the parking lot or at one of the park's facilities. The restaurant takes no reservations and gets very crowded on weekends and public holidays; once it is full, a screen is set out for you to add your name to the waiting list. The third floor has a kids' room where babies and toddlers can rest. The museum puts the permanent exhibition at about an hour to an hour and a half, but a family with a 1- and a 3-year-old (2026 visit) went in at 13:00, left at 16:00, still did not see everything, and never reached the outdoor Dino Park.
- Ages 4-6The 4,500-square-meter hall holds 51 dinosaur skeletons, well over a thousand specimens, large reconstructed dioramas and films. Exhibition staff are stationed around the halls, so a child can ask the moment something catches their eye, and there is a free guide app as well. Outside the building the museum names three photo spots — the museum monument stone near the entrance, the Tyrannosaurus monument on the east side, and the Dinosaur Doctor statue on the roof of the new wing — three things a child can go and find on their own.Tickets are for a set date and time and must be bought in advance; without one you cannot get in. Sales open 60 days before your visit and you can cancel until 16:30 on the day. On busy days such as the Obon holidays in mid-August and three-day weekends, advance sales can sell out and no same-day tickets are sold. The QR code you enter with lets you come back in as many times as you like that day, so you can eat your lunch at the rest area outside and return. Preschool children are free; admission starts at 500 yen from elementary school age. The fossil research program is for elementary school children and up, signed up together with a parent or guardian, so while your child is still preschool age the touchable specimens in the Dino Lab and the bronze models are the hands-on part.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe exhibition halls are inside the silver dome, and that's where the 51 dinosaur skeletons stand. If you bring a boxed lunch you can't eat it in the museum; you use the free rest house in the parking lot or a facility in the park.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed3 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：none
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Guide
Fukui Station to Katsuyama is 54 minutes and 22 stops on the Echizen Railway, then the Gururin bus to the door.
The Fukui Dinosaur Museum
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
With a 1- and 3-year-old, 13:00-16:00 was not enough — they never reached Dino Park. The crush is 11:30-14:00.
How to do the Fukui Dinosaur Museum with kids: model course, how long it takes, dodging the crowds (ages 1 and 3)
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A 5-year-old plus a baby. Kids' room, nursing and changing on 3F; the 1F toilet behind the escalator was empty.
Getting 120% out of a first visit: the Fukui Dinosaur Museum with young children
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Half an hour's wait before 11 on a Saturday. The queue ticket cancels from your phone; Zaurus Kitchen takes no booking.
We ate there: the Fukui Dinosaur Museum restaurant menu, the queues, and how to avoid them
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Golden Week: first parking lot by 8:20, doors opened early at 8:40, and a 2km jam on the way out at 11:30.
Family trip to Fukui with a 6- and a 10-year-old: the Dinosaur Museum in Golden Week, part 2 on the crowds
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum · Links & reads ▾
Where it is
51-11 Terao, Muroko-cho, Katsuyama-shi, Fukui, 911-8601, Japansource2
Before you go
- Eating and drinking are allowed only in the restaurant and the vending machine corner.source
- The restaurant does not take reservations.source
- The restaurant gets very crowded on weekends and public holidays, and once it is full, a screen is set out where you add your name to the waiting list.source
- Tickets are for a set date and time and have to be bought in advance.source
- When it is busy, the roads around the museum back up and parking takes time.source
More notes (9)
- Without a ticket bought in advance, you cannot get in.source
- Same-day tickets are sold at the museum's ticket machines only when advance sales have left room.source
- On busy days such as the Obon holidays in mid-August and three-day weekends, advance sales can sell out and no same-day tickets are sold.source
- A permanent exhibition ticket can be canceled up to 4:30 p.m. on the day itself.source
- Tickets go on sale 60 days before the date of the visit.source
- The QR code you enter with lets you come back in as many times as you like that day.source
- The ticket sales page (Asoview) takes credit cards, Paidy pay-later, and PayPay.source
- Photos and video are allowed for personal and family use, and the museum asks visitors not to use tripods or selfie sticks.source
- Pets other than assistance dogs cannot come inside, and the museum does not look after them.source
Basics
- Fee：Permanent exhibition, individual rate: adults ¥1,000, high school & university ¥800, elementary & junior high ¥500, age 70+ ¥500. Preschoolers free — charges start at elementary school. Annual passes ¥3,000 / ¥2,400 / ¥1,500 / ¥1,500. With a disability certificate, the holder and one carer are admitted free.source
- Hours：9:00-17:00 (entry, including re-entry, until 16:30). During the summer extension (18 July-16 August in FY2026) 8:30-18:00, entry until 17:30. Closed the 2nd and 4th Wednesday (the next day if that is a holiday; open every day in the school summer holidays) and 31 Dec-1 Jan.source
- Time to allow：3 hsource
- Booking：Tickets are date- and time-specified and must be bought in advance; you cannot enter without one. Same-day tickets are sold at the museum machines only when advance sales leave room, and on busy days (Obon, three-day weekends) they may not be sold at all. Booking opens 60 days ahead. Permanent-exhibition tickets can be canceled until 16:30 on the day.source
- A kids' room on the 3rd floor where babies and toddlers can rest, and a first-aid room on the same floor. Coin lockers on 3F. About 1,400 free parking spaces, though roads around the museum jam when it is busy. Photography for personal use is fine; tripods and selfie sticks are not.source
Basics in detail (16)
- The building has three floors above ground and one below, with the entrance on the third floor.source
- The elevators are 136 cm (4 feet 6 inches) deep and 160 cm (5 feet 3 inches) wide, with a door opening 90 cm (35 inches) across.source
- In the Earth Science zone on the first floor of the permanent exhibition hall, a ramp covers the step up, so wheelchairs and strollers can get into the zone.source
- To go from the first floor of the permanent exhibition hall to the second, you can also take the ramp that curves all the way around the inside of the dome.source
- Every section of the permanent exhibition has a plate giving a summary of that section in Braille.source
- Admission to the permanent exhibition is 1,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for high school and university students, 500 yen for elementary and junior high school students (roughly ages 6 to 15), and 500 yen for visitors aged 70 and over.source
- Preschool children get in free.source
- Admission is charged from elementary school age upward.source
- An annual pass costs 3,000 yen for adults, 2,400 yen for high school and university students, 1,500 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and 1,500 yen for visitors aged 70 and over.source
- Showing a physical disability certificate, a mental disability certificate, or an intellectual disability certificate waives the permanent exhibition fee for the holder and one caregiver.source
- The Outdoor Dinosaur Museum is closed for the winter, and admission is 1,300 yen for adults, 1,100 yen for high school and university students, 650 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and 650 yen for visitors aged 70 and over.source
- The museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the last entry, re-entry included, is 4:30 p.m.source
- During the extended summer hours (July 18 to August 16 in 2026), it opens from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with last entry at 5:30 p.m.source
- It closes on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, or the day after when that Wednesday is a public holiday, and stays open every day through the summer school holidays.source
- It also closes on December 31 and January 1.source
- Seeing the permanent exhibition takes about an hour to an hour and a half.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (7)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Diaper changing table, Nursing space
- Official: Outside food allowed
- Official: main site
The exhibition hall sits inside a silver dome, divided into three zones: dinosaurs, the science of the earth, and the history of life. Fifty-one skeletons stand in 4,500 square meters, with well over a thousand specimens, dioramas and film. Bronze reconstructions beside some dinosaurs can be touched. Three of them give off a sound from head and tail, so their size can be heard as well as seen. A ramp follows the dome wall up to the second floor, changing your angle on the skeletons.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers are lent free at the main building's 3F general reception, but numbers are limited. Elevators serve the main building, the new building and the permanent exhibition hall; a ramp gets you into the Science of the Earth zone despite its small step, and another ramp spirals around the dome between floors 1 and 2. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Changing tables in the multi-purpose toilets of both the main and new buildings. There is also a baby room for diaper changes. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (1) | One nursing room, on the 3rd floor of the main building. Ask at the 3F reception to use it; hot water for formula is kept there too. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes | Toilets on every floor of both buildings, with multi-purpose toilets on the men's and women's sides alike. The 3F one is fitted for ostomates. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
| Elevator | Yes | Elevators in the main building (3F to B1), the new building (3F to 1F) and the permanent exhibition hall (2F to B1). The cars are 136cm deep, 160cm wide, with a 90cm door opening. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
| Outside food allowed | No | Eating and drinking inside is limited to the restaurant and the vending machine corner. If you bring a packed lunch, use the free rest area in the parking lot or the facilities in the surrounding park. The restaurant takes no bookings and fills up on weekends and holidays. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | An indoor museum of three floors above ground and one below, entered on the 3rd floor. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet |