Amakusa City Goshoura Dinosaur Island Museum

A base facility for fossil collection and nature observation on the island, where fossils on Amakusa can send you back to the ancient world

  • Cultural Spaces
  • A museum on a remote island accessible by ferry that tells the story of the 100 million year history of the Amakusa land

  • "From the birth of the Earth to the age of the dinosaurs": A prologue tracing the history of the Amakusa land up to 100 million years ago through fossils and reconstructed illustrations

  • "Cretaceous Amakusa": A huge number of fossils from Amakusa are displayed on the walls. Many of them are on exposed display, so you can observe them closely up close.

    "Cretaceous Amakusa": A huge number of fossils from Amakusa are displayed on the walls. Many of them are on exposed display, so you can observe them closely up close.

  • "Cenozoic Amakusa": The changes in the earth are dynamically displayed on the wall in large graphics. The strata and fossils are matched to make it easy to see.

    "Cenozoic Amakusa": The changes in the earth are dynamically displayed on the wall in large graphics. The strata and fossils are matched to make it easy to see.

  • "Modern Amakusa": Taxidermy specimens donated by local fishermen express the richness of Amakusa's nature

    "Modern Amakusa": Taxidermy specimens donated by local fishermen express the richness of Amakusa's nature

  • "Inside the Mind of a Researcher": Panels illustrate the thought process of researchers, helping visitors develop ways of looking at and enjoying fossil materials.

    "Inside the Mind of a Researcher": Panels illustrate the thought process of researchers, helping visitors develop ways of looking at and enjoying fossil materials.

  • Guided by the "research sheet," you can closely observe the characteristics of Amakusa fossils and information on their captions.

    Guided by the "research sheet," you can closely observe the characteristics of Amakusa fossils and information on their captions.

  • At Goshoura, a huge whole skeleton is also used as a "comparison subject" to support research. By comparing the characteristics, visitors can imagine what the dinosaurs in Amakusa looked like.

    At Goshoura, a huge whole skeleton is also used as a "comparison subject" to support research. By comparing the characteristics, visitors can imagine what the dinosaurs in Amakusa looked like.

  • The bulletin board for the "Research Presentation" research sheet was a space where people could compare ideas with each other, discover new perspectives, and want to visit the exhibition room again.

    The bulletin board for the "Research Presentation" research sheet was a space where people could compare ideas with each other, discover new perspectives, and want to visit the exhibition room again.

  • Amakusa City Goshoura Dinosaur Island Museum
  • "Cretaceous Amakusa": A huge number of fossils from Amakusa are displayed on the walls. Many of them are on exposed display, so you can observe them closely up close.
  • "Cenozoic Amakusa": The changes in the earth are dynamically displayed on the wall in large graphics. The strata and fossils are matched to make it easy to see.
  • "Modern Amakusa": Taxidermy specimens donated by local fishermen express the richness of Amakusa's nature
  • "Inside the Mind of a Researcher": Panels illustrate the thought process of researchers, helping visitors develop ways of looking at and enjoying fossil materials.
  • Guided by the "research sheet," you can closely observe the characteristics of Amakusa fossils and information on their captions.
  • At Goshoura, a huge whole skeleton is also used as a "comparison subject" to support research. By comparing the characteristics, visitors can imagine what the dinosaurs in Amakusa looked like.
  • The bulletin board for the "Research Presentation" research sheet was a space where people could compare ideas with each other, discover new perspectives, and want to visit the exhibition room again.

Photography: RISE DESIGN

About the Project

Overview Located on the remote island of Goshoura, this newly renovated natural history museum is built on strata from the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs lived, and allows visitors to immerse themselves in the ancient world.
The renewal aimed to provide a museum experience that allows visitors to enjoy the exhibits in depth, as if they were "staying at a homestay" on the island.
The museum also serves as a base for fossil collection and nature observation on the island, and serves as a sending off point for island tours.
Issues/Themes Taking advantage of the museum's unique location, the museum will focus on the fossils found locally in Amakusa, which are the main focus of the exhibits, and create a space and experience that allows visitors to take their time to enjoy looking at the exhibits.
Space Solution/Realization The original experiential learning "Inside the Mind of a Researcher" panel, which uses a brain map motif, allows visitors to get a real look at the researchers' thoughts, which are hidden behind the exhibits in conventional museums. In addition, by using the "Research Sheets (12 corners, 17 types in total)" with the Amakusa fossils as the research theme, we have created a system where visitors can relive the full-scale research process using exhibits such as fossils, models, and captions as clues.

Basic Information

Client Amakusa City
Services Provided Facility Concept Planning, Display Planning, Design, Layout, Production, Construction
Our Team Direction: Koichi Shinohara
Display Planning: Mugiko Komatsuda
Design, Layout: Toshitaka Ogura, Noriaki Kuroda
Production, Construction: Koji Sakata, Ryuji Ejima
Project Management: Kenji Nakagawara, Ichiro Kato
Location Kumamoto Prefecture
Open March 2024
Website https://goshouramuseum.jp/
Tag
Koichi Shinohara

Direction

Koichi Shinohara

He is mainly in charge of planning information, experiences, and communication in museums and other cultural facilities, as well as exhibitions at cultural events. In recent years, he has been actively involved in creating spaces on themes that are socially trending both in Japan and overseas, such as nature, the environment, sustainability, and Japanese culture, including manga. He is a part-time lecturer at Shizuoka University.

*The shared information and details of the project is accurate as of the date they were posted. There may have been unannounced changes at a later date.

Mugiko Komatsuda

Display Planning

Mugiko Komatsuda

We are in charge of planning museums with a wide range of themes, including history, nature, science, and corporate technology. Through careful research and communication, we shed light on attractions that even the clients themselves may not be aware of, creating exhibition spaces that can be enjoyed by many people.