Fukui Nature
Conservation Center 福井県自然保護センター
Part 13 of
the series: Satoyama
Concept in Fukui
The Fukui
Nature Conservation Center is located in the mountains of Okeutsukogen
Prefectural Natural Park, just outside the city of Ōno. The exhibitions educate about the flora and
fauna of Fukui Prefecture with interactive exhibits, models, and activities.
There is an
impressive model of a traditional satoyama landscape that demonstrates how the
countryside looked before the industrialisation of farming methods. The cross-section of the wetland area nestled
between mountain ranges shows how fish and other aquatic life were able to pass
easily into the rice paddies, providing nourishment for the storks. This gave us a deeper understanding of the
kinds of landscapes the Kōnotori
“Call Back the Storks” Farming project hopes to restore with their fish
ladders in order to facilitate the return of the Oriental White Stork to the
region.
My kids were
particularly interested in the live animals that they could observe and
sometimes interact with. The center has
aquariums with turtles and other local aquatic animals. The kids were allowed to take the stag beetle
from its cage and handle it. The center offers
many activities for children and grown-ups (JP only) including bird watching,
nature walks, nature lectures, and more.
One special feature of the nature centre that we were not able to
experience because we were there during daytime hours was its impressive
observatory. More information and
photographs can be found on the International
Planetarium List.
Contact information:
169-11-2 Minamirokuroshi, Ono, Fukui
Prefecture
〒912-0131 大野市南六呂師169-11-2
Tel : 0779-67-1655
e-mail : sizen@fncc.jp
2015 Cathy Munroe Hotes