With around 20,000 exhibits! The "real" animal exhibits at Tsuyama Nature Museum are impressive

What is “Tsuyama Nature Mystery Museum”?

"Tsuyama Nature Mystery Museum" is located right next to the entrance of Tsuyama Castle (Tsuruyama Park). Approximately 20,000 items are on display, including stuffed animals, fossils, minerals, shellfish, insects, and human specimens. There are also exhibits of endangered and rare animals, and the wide variety of exhibits is overwhelming. Unlike looking at a picture book, you can see the size and three-dimensional effect, so you can understand it more deeply. It will impress not only animal lovers but also people who are not familiar with animals.

Exhibition room divided into 15 rooms

The exhibits at the Tsuyama Nature Museum are divided into 15 rooms, including fossils, the mysteries of the human body and animal skeletons, shellfish, insects, animals by habitat, reptiles, birds, ores and rocks, and more. There are so many exhibits, about 20,000 items, that I can only introduce a few in this article, but I will focus on the exhibits that personally impressed me.

Stuffed animals welcome you

A Saint Bernard dog greets you at the entrance of the museum. I was surprised by the size and was surprised to learn that this was not a model, but that everything other than the eyes and tongue was real. There are many stuffed animals on display, including this Saint Bernard dog.

Also includes stuffed animals of the world's precious wild animals that are in danger of extinction! It is so powerful that it seems like it will start moving at any moment.

A wide variety of shellfish

You can see shells of colors and shapes that you have never seen before. I was surprised by the variety and beauty of shellfish.

colorful shining insects

I had seen butterflies with colorful, sparkling wings in picture books, but this was my first time seeing one in real life. The real thing was even more beautiful than it looked in the picture book.

There was a specimen of the world's largest beetle, the Hercules beetle.

animals of the world

Taxidermy of a family of lions. There are also baby lions.

I'm staring at this.

A bird that looks like it's about to take flight. I think I can hear a rustling sound.

There are also exhibits of animals that live in Japan, such as rabbits and wild boars.

A wide variety of birds are perched on the tree.

crocodile! I know it won't move, but it's scary. I trembled a little, imagining what would happen if I got bitten by those sharp teeth.

Exhibits other than animals

There are also exhibits other than animals, such as fossils, ores, and rocks. The exhibit area is small compared to animals, but there are a wide variety of species. The photo is an exhibit of ore.

A whale fossil found in Tsuyama City. This fossil is estimated to be approximately 20 million years old.

Mysteries of the human body and animal skeletons

Room 2, ``Mysteries of the Human Body and Animal Skeletons,'' is not allowed to be photographed, so only explanations will be provided. This exhibition room displays actual specimens of human elephants, including the brain and heart elephant, of Mr. Keizo Morimoto, the founder of ``Tsuyama Natural Mystery Museum.'' This exhibition was made possible by Mr. Morimoto's will. After his death, he was dissected and donated as a human physiological specimen. It is said to be the first time that a museum in Japan exhibited actual specimens of various internal organs in the human body.

Interesting way of displaying!

The exhibition method was well thought out and it was interesting to see. This is an exhibit where you can compare the size of a gorilla's hand. It is many times larger than a child's hand.

I was shocked. A bear suddenly appears at the corner of the stairs. I pass through with trepidation.

Each animal exhibit is color-coded, as shown in the photo, so you can quickly see which species are extinct or endangered.

Small animal exhibits are easier to see with a magnifying glass.

[Tsuyama Natural Wonder Museum]

Location: 98-1 Yamashita, Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture

TEL: 0868-22-3518

Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (Admission until 16:30)

Closed days: March, May, July, September, November...Mondays (open during Golden Week), January, February, June, December...Mondays and Tuesdays, April, August, October...Open every day

*Open on public holidays Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 2nd)

Admission fee: 800 yen for adults, 600 yen for children (elementary and junior high school students), 400 yen for infants (4 and 5 years old)

Parking: No private parking lot

*Use the free parking lot at the adjacent tourist center

(During the Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival, this is a temporary parking lot, so there is a charge)

Tsuyama Natural Wonder Museum

708-0022 98-1 Yamashita, Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture

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