Toyama’s prefectural animal is the kamoshika, a subspecies of an Asian animal called a serow in English (though no one here calls it that). Its appearance is similar to a goat or antelope, and it’s actually the most primitive member of the same family, with fossils dating back 35 million years. Sadly, this is only a stuffed replica from the Buried Forest Museum in Uozu, though I saw a real one from far away during my second trip to Kurobe Gorge. Though endangered at one point in the 1950s, the kamoshika has since recovered and can often be seen in the mountains throughout Japan.
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This is the outside of the Uozu Buried Forest Museum, which looks like something out of Blade Runner. What is a buried forest museum, you ask? Well, back before World War II when the city was developing the shoreline they uncovered a series of petrified tree trunks from thousands of years ago, a rare geologic formation where the ocean quickly rose next to a seaside forest, preserving the trees beneath the ocean floor.
The museum was built on the site of the original findings where you can see one of the tree trunks preserved in salt water, plus others out of water that you can touch. I’d rate it a solid half-day trip if you’re in the area, though it’s not worth coming to Toyama specifically for.
…though this piece of goodness, which can be found in the museum cafe, might be worth a special trip. Sadly, they’d only just sold out when we arrived, thus necessitating the need for a second trip. (Attempts to recreate the dessert with grocery store frosting were unsuccessful.)
The Buried Forest Museum is located along the seashore near an active fisherman’s wharf, where you can see the boats, nets, and equipment after the fishermen come in for the day. This is the biggest pile of nets I’ve ever seen.
…along with the biggest pile of meat and bean sprouts I’ve ever seen. My friend accidentally ordered this beast at our favorite ramen shop and we were unable to finish the whole thing.
O-taku car spotted outside a pachinko parlor in my town. In addition to its exterior design, the dashboard was covered in plastic figures of anime girls, with the seat covers and steering wheel similarly adorned. The pièce de résistance, however, was the gear shift knob (whose picture, sadly, came out too dark) fashioned to resemble a samurai sword.
The Tower of the Sun in Osaka, site of the 1970 World Expo (Progress and Harmony for Mankind). The tower was the expo centerpiece, and is all that remains after the rest of the site was torn down and turned into a park. I highly recommend the park if you’re in Osaka, though our attempts to go inside the AMAZING-looking museum inside the tower were foiled when the clerk revealed that they’d recently switched to a reservation system—make a plan before you go!
We were, however, able to get into the Expo Museum, which showcases the buildings, art, fashion, and exhibits of the expo some fifty years ago. It was a fascinating look into the past, and included exhibits like this one recreating what a Japanese room looked like in 1970.
Plastic food replicas at their finest, featuring loaves of bread drenched in gooey dessert toppings. We passed.
Best toilet paper name ever.
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