Goshoura Island in Amakusa City has been excavated from layers of rock dating back about 100 million years. The museum on this island, which is said to have been a dinosaur paradise, reopened on March 20th as the Dinosaur Island Museum. Allow us to share a few of the highlights of this museum, which was built on the foundational theme of "learning about the 100 million years old record buried beneath Amakusa"!

"The Dinosaur Island Museum is located on Goshoura Island in Goshoura Town, Amakusa City, which is made up of 18 islands of various sizes. The entire island is like a museum, dotted with many valuable geological sights, such as the 200m-high "Cretaceous Wall," where the teeth of one of Japan's largest carnivorous dinosaurs were discovered, and a coastline full of fossils.
To get there from the Amakusa mainland, you can take a regular ferry or a chartered sea taxi. When you disembark at Goshoura Port, you'll find yourself standing right in front of the newly renovated three-story museum."

(Left) The first and second floors of the building contain the museum's permanent exhibits, and the third floor operates as an observation deck and community center. The reception and museum shop are on the first floor.

(Right) At the entrance, you'll be greeted by a life-sized dinosaur footprint! This astounding 38cm print is actually based on the footprint of a carnivorous dinosaur from 100 million years ago, estimated to have been about 5m long, that was discovered on Bentenjima, an uninhabited island in Goshoura. 

Let's start with the permanent exhibit on the first floor. This area features about 2,000 fossils and specimens, mainly those excavated locally in Amakusa, but also traces the footsteps of the Earth from its birth to the age of the dinosaurs.
The prologue also displays a rock from about 2.7 billion years ago (the oldest rock in Japan).

(Left) An area lined with fossils and specimens from the Cretaceous period (a time when many different kinds of dinosaurs appeared).

(Right) In the display cases, there are a number of fossils found in Amakusa dating back from 100 million to 7,200 years ago, including the teeth of one of the largest theropods in Japan (over 10m in length) and a sauropod rib (approximately 15m in length). Incidentally, the empty space will house Japan's first Tyrannosaurid mandible fossil, discovered in Reihoku Town in 2014 (currently on display in a different location in the permanent exhibition room).

These are fossils of marine creatures found in Amakusa. There are various types, such as snail shells and bivalves, and each one notes the place of discovery and the era it was found, making it easy to understand.

In the atrium on the first floor, life-size skeletons (replicas) of large dinosaurs are on display, creating a dynamic space that will make you squeal with joy.
All of the exhibits are impressive, including a 13m Tyrannosaurus that can only be seen in a few places in Japan, and the fast-footed theropod Struthiomimus. It's sure to excite adults as well as children.

It's so realistic that you'll feel like you've traveled back in time to the age of dinosaurs. There are 14 skeletal specimens on display, including a giant Diplodocus measuring 26 meters in length!

From the second floor, you can view the entire skeleton exhibit area. The plesiosaurs that swam in the ocean were so big!!

(Left) This is the actual dinosaur footprint that greeted us at the entrance. If you look closely, you can clearly see the marks of three of the four fingers (the photo shows the footprints as a silhouette of a hand). (Right) A replica of Triceratops, one of the largest ceratopsians from the late Cretaceous period. Even with only the face on display, it's certainly impressive.

This museum is unique in that it has many hands-on exhibits.

(Left) A type of Stegosaurus (femur) found in America. Touch a real bona fide fossil and explore its color, shape, and texture.

(Right) A life-size model of a Japanese giant scorpionfish. You can learn about the shape of fossils by putting the pieces together like a puzzle.

The "Fossil Cleaning Room" allows visitors to see the work being done on the other side of the glass. Watch the process of carving fossils of dinosaurs, shells, and other creatures out of rock.

On the second floor, you can learn about the history of Japan's oldest large mammals from about 4,900 years ago to the present day through geological strata, fossils, and panel displays.

(Left) Various creatures that live in the seas surrounding Amakusa, such as the East China Sea (Amakusa Nada) and the Yatsushiro Sea, are on display.

(Right) Videos exhibits on  the seas of Amakusa run between 7 to 9 minutes long. You can select an item on the touch panel to view it.

This area is lined with stuffed animals of creatures that live in Amakusa, opening your eyes to a new and unique view of the world. There are many distinctive creatures, such as Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, colorful scallop, and loggerhead turtles.

You may think it's a cute dinosaur, but it's actually a Coryphodontidae, known as the oldest large mammal in Japan. Fossils of a lower jaw and teeth have been found on the coast of Makishima in Goshoura Town.

The museum also serves as an information hub for educational activities related to Amakusa's natural environment and offers a variety of educational content.

(Left) The "Research Sheet" lets you feel like a researcher and take on the challenge. There are three levels, and you can proceed with your research using the panels in the museum as a hint. The results of your research may even be displayed in the museum!

(Right) It is also compatible with the "Pocket Curator" exhibition guide system, which can be used immediately by downloading the app on your smartphone. Look for this number icon."

The museum shop on the first floor sells dinosaur and fossil themed goods. There are also original goods made by students and locals, so be sure to check them out.

After enjoying the museum, why not try your hand at fossil collecting? At the Trigonia Sandstone Fossil Collection Site, a five-minute walk from the museum, you can search for fossils such as shells and ammonites from approximately 100 million years ago (the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era).

You can take home up to five fossils you collect (rare fossils are excluded). Enjoy the fun of hunting for them.

"Goshoura, where the museum is located, can be reached by chartered sea taxis, as well as by regular ships and ferries used by the islanders.
★ Regular ships / Tanasoko Port, Hondo Port, Daido Port
★ Car ferries / Tanasoko Port, Daido Port
★ Sea taxi (12 passengers)

For more details, please see below↓
◎ "Goshoura.net"   https://www.goshoura.net/access
◎ "Shiosaikan"  TEL: 0969-67-1234 "Email: 0969-67-1234"