Excavations at Lake Nojiri have been conducted annually by citizen scientists and professionals since 1962.
The Naumann elephant (Palaeoloxodon naumanni) is named after German geologist Heinrich Edmund Naumann.
The museum displays artifacts showing that early humans used obsidian tools sourced from the nearby Mt. Tateshina area.
Research here provides one of the few records of human-megaherbivore interaction in the Japanese archipelago.
The museum's collection includes bones from the Yabe's giant deer, which lived alongside the Naumann elephants.
The Lake Nojiri Naumann Elephant Museum is dedicated to the long-running paleontological excavations centered on the discovery of Naumann elephant fossils in the lake sediment. The site gained national attention following the 1948 discovery of an obsidian tool alongside elephant remains, suggesting human activity during the late Paleolithic period. The museum houses a significant collection of fossils excavated from the Nojiriko Formation, which dates back approximately 50,000 years. Visitors can view reconstruction models of the Naumann elephant, which was roughly the size of a modern Asian elephant. The facility acts as a research center for studying the relationship between early humans and extinct megafauna in Japan. The exhibits detail the stratigraphy of the lake bed and the environmental history of the Nagano region.
The life-sized reconstruction of the Naumann elephant in the main hall.
Bring comfortable walking shoes to explore the surrounding lake paths after your museum visit.
Check the museum's official website for rotating special exhibitions that often feature new findings from current excavation seasons.
Visit the museum shop to see literature and unique merchandise related to prehistoric Japanese paleontology.
Do not assume the museum is open during year-end holidays or on scheduled maintenance days; check the calendar before traveling.
Closed on certain days of the week, typically Mondays, and during the winter season.
Quiet behavior is expected in the exhibition galleries; photography rules vary by exhibit so check signage.
