The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, located in Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan, is a leading dinosaur museum and is renowned for its exhibits of specimens of dinosaurs that once roamed locally.
It is impressive in both its size and scope.
Fukui is located in the the Hokuriku region in the north-west of Japan's main island of Honshu - and is now a whole lot easier for tourists to get to.
Starting from this weekend, the Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) will begin the operation of 14 round trips from Tokyo per day.
With Fukui City under three hours by train from the Japanese capital, tourism is set to boom.
The capital of Fukui Prefecture is Fukui City, a small castle town with one of the greatest dinosaur museums in the world, already attracting over 900,000 visitors each year.
Travellers also love visiting the city during cherry blossom season.
Eiheji Temple lies deep in the Fukui mountains. It was founded by Zen Master Dogen in 1244 and is where 100 monks practice devotion daily.
Other stops on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line include Awara Onsen, an ideal day-trip destination for hot spring fans looking to bathe in central Japan's geothermal waters, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) reports.
Visitors to the Hokuriku area can benefit from using special JR rail passes to explore a variety of areas along the new shinkansen route.
Those wanting to expand their itinerary to include destinations within the Kansai region may be interested in the Hokuriku Arch Pass, which is valid for seven days and offers unlimited rides from both Tokyo and Osaka to the Hokuriku region.
Alternatively, the Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass allows for seven days of unlimited rides from Kansai to Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures.
Info: JNTO. Images: Winsor Dobbin
