Takeda, Dinosaur Museum, Shibamasa World, and Echizen Matsushima Aquarium Course

Considered one of the three major dinosaur museums in the world, Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum reopened after renovations in 2023. The vast 4,500-square-meter permanent exhibition hall inside the museum’s iconic silver dome is divided into three zones: Dinosaur World, Earth Sciences, and History of Life. Fossils of six new species of dinosaurs discovered in Fukui, 50 dinosaur skeletons, more than a thousand specimens, a large-scale reconstructed diorama, videos, and more are showcased here, allowing visitors to fully experience the 4.6-billion-year history of our planet. Opened in April of 2024, The Field Station is a part of the museum and the largest dinosaur fossil excavation site in Japan. It offers a hands-on fossil excavation experience, so why not test your luck at finding a fossil? At lunchtime, dig into dinosaur-themed curry, rice omelets, and desserts at the museum’s restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit Chikuchiku Bonbon, an experience-based accommodation facility housed in a renovated former elementary and junior high school building. The Takeda area has a thriving forestry industry, so cedar trees cut from the nearby mountains have been used to create a nostalgic yet stylish space. The interior of this facility, where classrooms and the gymnasium have remained as they were back in the day, gives adults a feeling of nostalgia and is a big hit with the local children because it gives them a different experience from what they normally have at school. Chikuchiku Bonbon offers different interactive programs in each season, including activities that allow visitors to enjoy nature in the countryside such as playing in the river and kayaking in the summer, playing in the snow in the winter, walking in the mountains with a hunter, and stargazing, as well as learning about local cuisine from local “grandmothers.” Make new discoveries and experience different sensations while immersing in the richness of nature here!

After a long day full of fun, relax and unwind at Kyukamura Echizen-Mikuni, a lodging facility in Japan that is primely located inside of Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park. It boasts a view of the Sea of Japan and vast grounds where guests can admire nature or watch the sunset, so your stay will surely be a relaxing one. There is also a swimming pool in the summer that is very popular among small children. Guests of all ages also love this hotel’s buffet-style dinner and breakfast with a wide variety of dishes incorporating plenty of local ingredients, as well as its open-air bath in the garden where you can enjoy the roaring sea while soaking. In the spring of 2024, Japanese-style rooms built with the help of Fukui techniques (Fukui lumber and Echizen textiles) will be added to this hotel’s lineup, allowing guests to relax while enjoying all the qualities of Fukui to the fullest.

Start day two with a visit to the Echizen Matsushima Aquarium to look at sea creatures originally from the Sea of Japan! This aquarium is not only for viewing, as it also has interactive programs that will let you interact with these marine creatures such as their ever-popular dolphin shows. Some of the most popular activities here are feeding Echizen crabs and sea turtles, playing with 1,000 fishes of about 20 species in the Jabu-jabu Ocean Pool, interacting with seals, and strolling with cute penguins as they waddle about. In the spring of 2024, the Mizudako Pavilion will open. It is set to become the first exhibition facility in Japan dedicated to the giant Pacific octopus – one of the world’s largest species of octopus that lives north of the Hokuriku region. Here, you will have the rare chance of getting to see a baby giant Pacific octopus and petting a giant Pacific octopus.

Shibamasa World, one of the largest theme parks in the Hokuriku region, occupies an expansive 560,000-square-meter area overlooking the Sea of Japan. Inside, there are many attractions, including one of the biggest pools in Japan complete with around 50 thrilling water slides, an amusement park, a giant indoor theme park, and an auto campsite that accepts camper vans. And now, in March of 2024, it has become even more fun and exciting with the opening of the Dinosaur Forest, one of the largest dinosaur attractions in Japan. Step into this 26,000-square-meter forest and get to meet more than 60 dinosaurs of 30 species, including some excavated right in Fukui. Also, enjoy a stroll through the forest while engaging in various gimmicks, including a mission to gather unknown energies from boxes set up around the forest to collect a dinosaur card. This attraction is bound to get children and adults hooked!