![[Temporarily Closed] Iwaki City Coal & Fossil Museum (Horuru)](https://fukushima.travel/img/spots/photos/thumbnail/ulg2LekR2O9goTyHDLoSWHdsIAME4keMxJ1xBP2u-900x600.jpg)
*Please note that the Iwaki City Coal & Fossil Museum (Horuru) remains temporarily closed until 2024.
Lovingly referred to as 'Horuru' by locals, Iwaki City Coal & Fossil Museum is home to exhibitions on the city's history of coal mining. Horuru also exhibits a range of fossils, including the locally-excavated Plesiosaur Futabasaurus, which was discovered by a high school student. There are also some hands-on experiences to try out, such as making your own amber accessories. Horuru is accessible on foot from Iwaki Yumoto Onsen town, and is a great addition to any trip to the Iwaki area.
| Website | http://kankou-iwaki.com/fun/931.html |
|---|---|
| Contact | Iwaki Tourism and City Planning Bureau |
| Best Season | All Year |
| Estimated Visit Time | 1h |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last entry at 4:30 PM) Closed the 3rd Tuesday of the month (or the following day if the 3rd Tuesday falls on a national holiday). Closed on January 1. |
| Parking | Available |
| Entrance Fee | Adults 660 yen; Junior High, High School, University Students 440 yen; Elementary School Students 330 yen |
| Access | 3-1 Mukaida, Joban-Yumoto-machi, Iwaki City, Fukushima Pref. 972-8321 View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Car: 10 min drive from the Iwaki Yumoto I.C. exit off the Joban Expressway. By Train: 10 min walk from JR Yumoto Sta. (JR Joban Line). |
<p>Natsuigawa Valley continues 15 km along JR Ban-etsu East Line. In autumn, the train passes the valley at a slow speed so that passengers can enjoy the awesome views from its windows. The beautiful view of the waterfalls and clear streams meandering through rocks is definitely worth seeing.</p>
Opened on Saturday, May 30, 2020, the museum was established to share the history of the disaster and the following reconstruction efforts by preserving and exhibiting materials related to the earthquake and tsunami, giving talks by local storytellers, and other activities. This way, they are able to preserve the memories and lessons of the disaster. There are panel displays about the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant accident, as well as about recovery and reconstruction, and displays of actual items damaged in the disaster, such as a blackboard from the former Toyoma Junior High School. The Iwaki Storyteller's Group offers regular lectures on the disaster. For more information on lectures, please visit this website.
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">In a crescent shaped cove separated from the mainland on the small island known as Bentenjima Island, you will find the mysterious Bentenjima Shrine. The vermillion painted tori gate stands out against the jagged stone and the powerful waves. It is believed that the shrine was land based until an earthquake that occurred in 1410 resulted in the formation of this jagged rock island. The construction date of the original shrine is unknown. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify"> </p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">The island is also known as Wanigafuchi because, according to legend, a creature known as a “wanizame” (crocodile shark) lived on the island. Half crocodile, half shark, this creature can be seen in many old Japanese paintings. The creature may have been believed to cause the swirling water and violent waves that crashed against the rocks, sometimes resulting in people getting swept into the water. Another legend suggests that the wanizame once kidnapped a young woman from Iwaki who had wandered out to explore the island.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify"> </p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">This coast is lined with small round pebbles that shine when the water hits them. However, do not take any of these pebbles home, legend says that anyone who takes pebbles home from this coast will suffer from eye disease. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify"> </p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">This area was once a very popular destination for tourists and I highly recommend checking out the photos on the Iwaki city website linked below. It is all in Japanese, but you can read it with the google translate extension on google chrome browsers.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000">Futaba Art District is an art initiative carried out by art collective Over Alls in Futaba (</span><span style="color:#000000">双葉町)</span><span style="color:#000000">, a town in the coastal area of Fukushima.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">As of February 2023, Futaba Art District comprises ten murals located between the JR Futaba station and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">Futaba town had to be evacuated and was severely affected by the nuclear accident in 2011. In 2020, the evacuation order was lifted for the area around Futaba station.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">The murals that make up Futaba Art District depict various aspects of Futaba's culture and pay homage to its residents.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">When the artists asked Futaba residents what was most representative of their town, many answered ‘daruma dolls’ (traditional Japanese dolls for good luck). Since the Edo period, Futaba town held a yearly daruma market which had a famous tug-of-war. There are now murals depicting both the tug-of-war and the daruma dolls. </span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">In 2023, the Futaba Daruma Market was held again in Futaba town after 12 years.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">A woman who tended the local cafe and a family who used to live in the town, as well as other members of the community, are depicted in some of the murals.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">On each mural, you’ll find a QR code that you can scan to learn more about it (in Japanese).</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">You can easily reach the Futaba Art District from the JR Futaba Station. Click </span><a href="http://www.overalls.jp/cn23/cn30/futaba-art-district.html" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color:#1155cc">here </span></a><span style="color:#000000">for a map of the Futaba Art District (in Japanese).</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000">The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum (東日本大震災・原子力災害伝承館, often referred to in Japanese only as </span><span style="color:#000000"><em>‘Denshokan’ </em></span><span style="color:#000000">[伝承館]) is located in Futaba town, in the coastal area of Fukushima prefecture.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">Through exhibitions, storytelling, research and interactive displays, visitors can learn about this area before, during and after the disaster, deepen their understanding of the revitalization of Fukushima and the decommissioning of the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, as well as listen to testimonies of residents.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">This museum shows how Fukushima has dealt with a complex and unprecedented disaster and its ongoing consequences, and communicates lessons for the future on the importance of disaster prevention and mitigation.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">The museum opened in September 2020 and has about 200 items related to the The Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster on permanent exhibition.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">Exhibits include explanations in both English and Japanese.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000">Located nearby the museum is the Futaba Business Incubation and Community Center.</span></p>
This museum, located in sunny Iwaki City, exhibits the moving calligraphy of Shoko Kanazawa. The whole museum has been constructed while keeping in mind traditional Japanese architectural styles. As well as the calligraphy exhibition, Shoko Kanazawa Art Museum also has a Japanese tea room café on site, where you can take a rest with beautiful Japanese garden viewing. The same building also houses a kimono exhibition, while features one of the world's biggest kimono!
Nomaoi Street Meijo Hall has been established in the building of the former Matsumoto Brewery, which was a well-known brewery started in the late Edo Period. The hall now primarily functions as exhibition space, lending its unique kura (Japanese warehouse) rooms to host art and photo exhibitions as well as musical events. There are also a couple of small permanent exhibitions about life in the Meiji Period. The relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant Shokusaian is also popular with visitors.
<p>The Minamisoma City Museum is located on the eastern side of <a href="https://fukushima.travel/destination/soma-nomaoi-festival/62">the Soma Nomaoi festival</a> grounds within the spacious Higashigaoka Park.</p><p>Its exhibitions center around the Soma Nomaoi festival, a traditional festival of the Soma region that is a nationally-designated important intangible cultural property, and the nature, history, and culture of the local region.</p>