Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Natural History

Based on the concept “All About Wakayama,” this museum offers an engaging way to learn about Wakayama’s wildlife and natural environment. The aquarium-style first exhibition room features approximately 3,000 marine and freshwater creatures representing 450 species, while the second displays specimens and models related to Wakayama’s geology, fossils, plants, shellfish, insects, and more.

The highlight of the first exhibition room is the Kuroshio Sea Large Aquarium. Measuring 15 m wide and holding 450 metric tons of water, this enormous tank offers views of blotched fantail rays and other fish from the Kuroshio Current region swimming leisurely. Visitors can also touch models and specimens in the Fish World Through Touch exhibit and handle creatures that appear when the sea recedes at low tide in the Intertidal Zone Aquarium.

The second exhibition room displays a carnivorous dinosaur tooth and ammonites discovered in Yuasa Town, offering a glimpse into Wakayama’s prehistoric past. The Nachi Primeval Forest diorama is also well worth seeing. The main attraction is an actual fossil and a replica showing the fossil’s original position of the Wakayamasoryu, a mosasaur discovered in Aridagawa Town. These valuable fossils can be seen nowhere else in the world.

Various events are held throughout the year, along with limited-time special and themed exhibitions. Some events require advance reservations, so check before visiting.