The is a museum in the city of Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

, Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is operated by the Nawa Insect Research Center.

History

Yasushi Nawa

Yasushi Nawa

was a Japanese entomologist from Gifu Prefecture.- Personal history :Nawa was born in the Motosu District of Gifu Prefecture and had a strong affinity to bugs even in his youth...

, the man who discovered the Gifu Butterfly and is known as "The Insect Man," opened the Nawa Insect Research Center in April 1896. The center was moved to its present location in Gifu Park

Gifu Park

is a public park located at the base of Mount Kinka in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Inside the park, there are many attractions, including Gifu Castle, Mount Kinka, the Mt. Kinka Ropeway, the Gifu City Museum of History, the Eizō & Tōichi Katō Memorial Art Museum, and the Nawa Insect...

 in 1904, and became the Nawa Insect Museum in 1919, the first insect museum in Japan. It currently houses over 300,000 specimens of 18,000 different insect species.

The building that houses the museum was designed by Goichi Takeda in a modern western style that was quite rare at the time. The building is now a Tangible Cultural Property of the prefecture.

Facilities Information

• Hours of Operation: 10:00am to 5:00pm (9:00am to 6:00pm during summer months)
• Holidays: Dec. 27 to Jan. 3
• Entrance Fee:

Adults: 500 yen

Japanese yen

The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...

Children: 400 yen

Other fees may apply for special exhibits.

Access

From JR

Central Japan Railway Company

The is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...

 Gifu Station

Gifu Station

is a train station operated by Central Japan Railway Company and is located in the heart of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Meitetsu Gifu Station, it is one of the two main rail stations in Gifu City.-History:...

 (Bus Platform 11) or Meitetsu Gifu Station

Meitetsu Gifu Station

is the main terminal of Nagoya Railroad in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the two major train stations of the city along with JR Gifu Station....

 (Bus Platform 4), board a bus operated by Gifu Bus

Gifu Bus

is a public transportation company based in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is a subsidiary of Nagoya Railroad and primarily operates within Gifu Prefecture. Some of its public transportation routes within the city of Gifu were handed over by Meitetsu Bus on October 1, 2004. On April 1, 2005, it...

that is heading towards Nagara. Get off the bus at "Gifu Koen, Rekishi Hakubutsukan-mae," approximately 15 minutes from the train stations.

External links

• Nawa Insect Museum Homepage
• Nawa Insect Museum Homepage