Electronic edition of the Museum Guidebook

Welcome to the Osaka Museum of Natural History

The Museum focuses on the themes of the diversity of nature around us, the acknowledgement that nature has been cultivated over a long span of time, and the close interactions between changes in nature and us, mankind. The culture of us, human beings, strongly reflects influences from nature. At the same time, changes in cultures of human beings may change forests or swamps into bare hills or rice paddy fields, and conversely, bare hills may become forests, and farmland may change to factories. Human activities and nature are inextricable from one another. With this in mind, the theme of the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Natural History is “Story of Nature and Human Intaraction .”

We hope that you will recognize or discover a lot of things in the Museum. Beyond the impact of the large Naumann’s elephant and Allosaurus, which might leave a strong impression, we hope you can make smaller discoveries that may be an opportunity to observe living things, to face nature, and to review your own lifestyles, from seeing the lives of insects in interesting places or learning how the world of living things works through hands-on games in the 5th Exhibition Room.

The “Nature Square: Nature of Osaka” exhibition room introduces the diverse nature here in Osaka. This section does not display special preservation districts, but show ordinary fields and hills, as well as nature in residential areas. We hope this exhibition becomes an incentive for you to face nature by saying “let’s go to that mountain to observe nature,” instead of merely leaving the Museum thinking that you enjoyed yourself.

In addition to enjoying nature in Osaka, those who are from outside Osaka may be able to recognize the greatness of nature in your country or area through comparing Osaka’s nature with that of yours. It would be wonderful if this is the case. Moreover, understanding nature in Japan can make your understanding of Japanese culture more profound. We hope that you can reconfirm, regardless of regions or countries, the close universal correlation between the activities that people engage in to maintain culture and the activities that preserve nature.

How to Enjoy the Museum

1. The 1st and 2nd Exhibition Rooms are located on the 1st floor of the main building, and climbing the stairs to the 2nd floor will take you to the gallery for fungi and minerals. At the other end of the building’s 2nd floor are the 3rd and 5th Exhibition Rooms, and the 4th Exhibition Room is laid out along the corridor. In the “Information Center for flower, greenary, and nature,” is the “Nature of Osaka” Exhibition Room, which introduces nature at each location in Osaka and has a space for studying and Q&A. The Special Exhibition is located on the 2nd floor of this information center.
   Additionally, small-scale themed exhibitions are occasionally held in the main building, etc. Information on these exhibits can be obtained from the Museum website or from Facebook.
2. Feel free to take as many photos as you want in the Museum’s permanent exhibitions, as long as you do not disturb other visitors. However, please do not conduct flash photography, since it may be blinding to other visitors. We welcome visitors to post and share their memories on SNS. We would appreciate it if you add the hashtags “#osaka_shizenshi” or “#omnh” to your photos. Using translation apps such as Google Translator may be helpful if you are using a smartphone.
3. When you find something in the Museum that interests you, talk to your friends or family members about it. Your mother or father may actually know a lot about things that you’ve already or never seen before.
   As long as you are not being rowdy or running around, there is no reason for you to be silent when looking at the exhibits. Please enjoy browsing the exhibits of the Museum of Natural History.
4. Talk about what you find and what was enjoyable in the Museum with your family and friends. Talking about Your discovery will cement it in you and everyone’s memories.
5. If you have any questions or if you want to know more about the exhibits or about nature, please feel free to visit the Museum counter. Our expert curators will answer your questions.
6. Drinking from a thermos or a plastic bottle is allowed at the tables on the 1st floor in the Museum, but please refrain from eating and drinking in the exhibition rooms.
7. Please hold onto the ticket you showed us as admission until you leave. As long as you have your ticket, you can go in and out of the permanent exhibition. Return visits to the Museum after a walk to the botanical garden or after eating at a restaurant will be granted as long as it is within the same day. Please use your entire day to enjoy yourself.
8. For those who want to know more about the Museum or to learn about nature, there is the Friends of Osaka Museum of Natural History. Please ask a staff member for more information.
9. The website for the Osaka Museum of Natural History is: http://www.omnh.jp
   The Museum Facebook is: https://www.facebook.com/osakashizenshi
   Our websites are available in several languages.
   The English Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/osakamuseumofnaturalhistory/