Wakasa Mikata Jomon Museum


Wakasa Mikata Jomon Museum is an archeological museum located in the town of Wakasa, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to the exhibition of Torihama shell mound as well as varve, oldest of which dating back to 70,000 years ago, discovered in the bottom of Lake Suigetsu, one of the Five Lakes of Mikata. The founding chairman is Takeshi Umehara.

Activities

Permanent exhibition

Artifacts excavated from Torihama shell mound and others from the Jōmon period are on display. Central to the display is the stratigraphy of the mound. Other objects include a dugout canoe from the Yuri archeological site and its reconstruction, Jōmon pottery from various locations, dogū, and buried trees. Also, research by Takeshi Nakagawa, the Chairman of Archeological Climate Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, is explained to the public. Lake Suigetsu Varve Research and Exhibition Center is scheduled to open in September 2018.

Visitor participation

Visitors can experience making a magatama, clay flute, or clay pottery. They can also experience fire-making and dugout canoe riding.

Public education

Lectures on Jomon period and on environmental archeology.

Outside exhibition

Reconstructed pit-house.

Access

Located near Lake Mikata, at the mouth of Hasu river. About a 20–25 minute walk from Mikata Station of JR Obama Line.

Open date

The Wakasa Mikata Jomon Museum is closed on Tuesday and at the end and beginning of the year.