Learn about ice-age elephants, deer and prehistoric hunters
Lake Nojiri Naumann Elephant Museum is named after the extinct Naumann elephants that roamed the area around Lake Nojiri during the ice age around 40,000 years ago. Along with Naumann elephant fossils, Yabe's giant deer fossils and human relics such as stone utensils and bones from the same period have been found around Lake Nojiri. Visit the museum to learn about the lives of the people and animals that inhabited the area through hands-on exhibits, life-size models and displays of unearthed artifacts.
Be sure to check the website to learn about special exhibitions and events that take place throughout the year. The most interesting of these is when locals gather every even-numbered year to search for more fossils. The first excavation activities began over half a century ago. Visitors are encouraged to join in.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Open | 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (March 20 to November 30), 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (December 1 to March 19) |
| Closed | During the New Year's holiday period and the last day of the month (except for March, April, July and August) |
| Cost | Adults, 500 yen; children below high school age, 300 yen |
| Address | Nojiri 287-5, Shinano Town, Kamiminochi County, Nagano Prefecture |
| Phone | (+81) 026-258-2090 |