Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum

Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum is one of Japan’s largest nature experience museums, located on the banks of Sugo-numa, one of Ibaraki Prefecture’s largest natural conservation areas. Set on a vast site of about 15.8 hectares—roughly 3.5 times the size of Tokyo Dome—it is guided by the philosophy of “learning from the past, understanding the present, and anticipating the future,” allowing visitors to enjoy learning about the relationship between nature and people. It opened in 1994 as a comprehensive social education institution dedicated to nature, rooted in the natural environment of Ibaraki.

The museum consists of six exhibition rooms in total: five permanent exhibition rooms and one special exhibition room, offering a comprehensive introduction to topics ranging from the origins of the universe and Earth to the evolution of life and the relationship between humans and nature. In the entrance area, visitors are greeted by exhibits presented with the cooperation of its sister institution, the Inner Mongolia Museum in China, including the Songhua River mammoth, one of the world’s largest steppe mammoths; Nuoerosaurus, one of Asia’s largest sauropods; and Metasequoia, known as a “living fossil.” Displayed as symbols of the “past,” these exhibits let visitors feel the grand scale of Earth’s history.

In Exhibition Room 1, “The Evolving Universe,” visitors can explore the mysteries of the cosmos through galaxies, planets, and meteorites, and learn about the solar system and Mars’ surface features in an interactive way. Exhibition Room 2, “The Origins of the Earth,” traces the process from Earth’s birth to the evolution of life through rocks, minerals, and fossils. Exhibition Room 3, “How Nature Works,” introduces the ecology of organisms living in diverse environments such as forests, lakes, marshes, and the sea through dioramas and live exhibits. Exhibition Room 4, “How Life Works,” explains the mechanisms of life and reproduction through skeletons and insect specimens, while Exhibition Room 5, “Humans and the Environment,” explores environmental changes caused by human activity, the issues surrounding endangered species, and efforts toward conservation.

The outdoor facilities offer hands-on experiences that make use of nature itself, with areas such as mixed woodlands, valley rice fields, and a tree specimen garden. Visitors can enjoy a variety of fieldwork experiences, including “Tonbo Pond,” where wetland plants and aquatic life can be observed, and “Ancient Plaza,” where the lifestyle of ancient times can be experienced. Another highlight is Sorimachi Kōmonkyō Bridge, a valuable civil engineering heritage structure built in the Meiji period. In addition, by crossing the pedestrian-only Sugo-numa Fureai Bridge spanning Sugo-numa, visitors can also reach the hands-on learning facility Mizukaido Asunaro no Sato.

Special exhibitions, held three to four times a year, are also popular, with original themes such as the ecology of giant squid and dinosaur research drawing attention each time. Through its indoor and outdoor facilities alike, the museum is loved by people of all ages as a “place for learning and discovery” where visitors can coexist with nature and collaborate with the local community.