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Getting off the beaten path: Itami City
What better place to spend a summer afternoon in Hyogo than the Itami City Museum of Insects (I guess the skittish may disagree.) I’d always known the town for its airport but who knew that it was an awesome hub for bugs of all sorts!
Japanese children (and adults alike) love to collect rhinoceros beetles in the summer so it’s a good time to visit because these critters thrive in the warm season (much like cicadas, chirping outside my window as we speak.)
With the insane heat Kansai experienced this year I recommend this indoor activity to those looking not to melt -and avoid the crowds in Namba, Shinsaibashi, etc. Although many visit the “Kaiyuukan” Osaka Aquarium this time of year -it’s very expensive. This museum, however, is 400 yen for adults and between 100-200 for children. Given the high prices these days it’s a steal! It was so cheap I didn’t expect much -but I was completely satisfied with the amount of activities, fun, and things to see -and so were my little friends that joined me.
I went with my young nephews who are 5 and 6 years old. It goes without saying the kids LOVED it -perhaps more than a fishy aquarium! They were psyched from the moment they got here and didn’t lose interest like they might in a regular museum. It wasn’t so big it would tire them out either. The 3 floor building is FILLED with activities and unique spaces to explore. They came away learning something as opposed to Disney where the knowledge gained might be…Mickey trivia? (Not to mention the price difference.)
Access Info
Before getting into the fun stuff I’ve included some practical info on museum access. We’ve translated the website here to keep things easy for you! Whether coming from downtown’s Namba station or a train from Osaka Umeda you can take JR or Hankyu to the Itami Station (very easy indeed!) Just remember to transfer to bus once you reach the Itami station to get to the museum -only about a 10 minute wait between departures. For those with cars, cheap parking is available too! Opening hours are 9:30-430pm and the museum is closed on Tuesdays! For more detailed info make sure to check below!
Butterfly Sanctuary
Now getting back to our journey, the first floor and space we entered was a butterfly sanctuary filled with 14 types of 1000 bugs altogether! It’s the biggest of its kind in Kansai! The living insects are flying all around you and drinking syrup -which was very pretty. They even come and land on your finger although some died which was a little sad.
I think the garden within the structure was beautiful on its own. If it wasn’t so hot I wouldn’t have minded spending the day here just enjoying nature! As opposed to a zoo which keeps bugs in cages it was nice to see my colorful friends fluttering around free! It was a relaxing and meditative space with lots of useful information for adults to read about butterflies while taking a stroll.
Main building: giant bugs, specimens, creepy crawlers and more
Entering the next building, what immediately caught my attention was the giant bug sculptures. There were giant praying mantises, flys, bees, and huge insects that the tots went wild over!
I enjoyed the TV monitor to see the view from an insect’s (many) eyes. There were tons of specimens and living ones too. (My nephews seemed to go crazier for the non-dead critters.) I marveled at the gigantic jungle that they created in addition to the strange sculptures! It goes to show that the museum is full of “art” in addition to the creepy crawlers.
Study Room and bug petting zoo
The next building was the “study room” which besides books and reference material also included live critters and activities to participate in! This included African and South American bugs which could be held like a petting zoo with bare hands! I have heard of these for bunnies and puppies but never seen one with bugs.
My nephews weren’t afraid to handle these giants who were different from Japanese beetles which are cute. They moved slow, some as big as 7mm -almost like a small hamster in size.
My nephews loved the beetles but I was obsessed with the silkworms. They were wriggling around and gigantic, eating mulberry leaves. Who knew that luxurious silk came from such monstrous creatures. When I was 5, I raised two of these at home (nicknamed Pina and Piko) as a homework assignment. It gave me a love of bugs and appreciation for biology. They got bigger day by day and the strange earthy smell is burned in my memory. In the end they made a little silk ball! Recently Japanese scientists have bioengineered them to make glow-in-the-dark cocoons which is a neat factoid!
↑ And speaking of cocoons they offered the full experience with these soft beds (to mimic the silk) -and a cave to jump inside of to experience transforming into a bug. As you can see my nephews enjoyed frolicking about as they watched the video of the morphing grubs to get into their mindset!
Next to some incubating butterfly babies were some big versions for the kids to ride like a horse. (They really are cute when you see them this big.) They reminded me of one of my favorite movies: Godzilla Vs. Mothra! (Another reason why Japanese are so in love with bugs!)
This film was popular in the 90’s and I used to watch it when I was younger. I love Mothra because it’s cute with beautiful blue eyes as opposed to hideous Godzilla. And don’t forget about the adorable Mothra baby↓
The movie is actually very surreal and artistic for a mainstream flick. My favorite is the scene with the miniature twins who sing a Mothra song! Another great example of bugs in Japanese media is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) by Studio Ghibli ↓ It’s a strange made-up insect design but it stuck in my young childhood memory nonetheless. There’s a Ghibli store in Umeda’s Lucua shopping center if you want to check out more Ghibli stuff!
And it’s not just movies, there’s Mothra / Godzilla merch too like these super rare eraser figures! (Nobody does it like the Japanese!) These were actually originally sold in capsule toy machines (where you put in a coin and a random character comes out.) My parents wouldn’t buy one for me and I stole a coin from my Grandma’s piggy bank and got in trouble! These cute figures’ classic design are emblematic of that period and there isn’t anything quite like these anymore. (They sell for a hefty price online!) If you want to see some great pop culture toys make sure to check out Kiddy Land near Hankyu’s Osaka Umeda station. They have an amazing selection of every character you could imagine!
Speaking of these “gacha” machines there was a whole room of them at the museum too! My favorites include a toy that makes the sound of a cicada and a silk moth! ↓
You’re probably noticing a theme here thus far: it’s the amazing attention to detail. Japanese are known for being meticulous about these things and there a few decorations in the museum that caught my attention.
↑ How about these little toilets to teach about different insect poop? My favorite part about it is they look like the Japanese “toto” washlet style toilets!
Next I saw railings in the shape of a butterfly and solar panels in the shape of one too. It’s almost like playing a “Where’s Waldo” game looking for these and it makes walking in between locations in the museum a game!
I saw amazing bug paintings on the floor and burnt into senbei too (on the right.) Just a fun fact, these “Kawara” shaped crackers are a famous brand from Kobe called Kameido and they’re very delicious. They offer customizable designs for businesses as you can see here. It can be on the pricy side because it involves creating a giant ibranding iron to sizzle the picture into the cracker. It’s a very old and fascinating process and it was a surprise to see them here in our local Osakan museum! The text on them reads Itami Konchukan (which is the Japanese name.)
After all that walking you’d think I’d be hungry. But once I saw the “bug food” display↓ (eg: food made out of insects) I immediately lost my appetite. These were samples of dishes served in South-east Asia which include: grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, and moth larvae (yum!) The gift shop even sold some ramen flavor cricket snacks to try for yourself!
Leaving the museum
After leaving the museum it didn’t mean there weren’t activities to do in Itami. Make sure to check out Itami Sky Park which is right next to the airport. Whether it be for a picnic or for observation, the planes take off at the nearby airport right before your eyes! Unfortunately it was too hot for us to visit that day but the park looks incredible! It reminded me of the Inn-N-Out burger next to LA Airport in Los Angeles where you can eat a burger in the parking lot while watching the international flights land on the runway.It’s a great place to set out a blanket and enjoy yourself after the museum during better weather!
Since it was so toasty we headed to a local Saizeria which an Italian food restaurant chain famous for being cheaply priced. My little nephew had fun playing with a beetle from the gift shop on the plate of food. Whenever you can’t find a place to eat in any town in Japan just remember there is probably a Saizeria -and it’ll be easy on your wallet!
But the little ones were STILL not ready for the bug fun to end. We headed to the local home goods store -which always tends to have a pet section. The scurrying beetle in the cage there was probably confused as my nephew held up his plastic version against the case. I don’t recall ever seeing bugs in the American pet shops but “welcome to Japan!”
Don’t forget about dessert
We were ready to cool off. No Japanese summer would be complete without kaki gori -which is a shaved ice dessert. It cools you down and refreshes -in the case of the recipe I made that day, I included some classic Japanese ingredients! I used red bean anko, mikan oranges, watermelon, peach, flavored with a sweet syrup. It was very sweet, it’s always a big hit with the kids! They sell a shaved ice machine to make it at home so it’s very convenient!
Thus concludes a typical summer in Kansai -when you get off the beaten path! I recommend checking out Itami City if you get the chance. Coming from the Osaka Umeda station it’s accessed easily via the JR line with a brief transfer to bus from Itami station (not bad at all!) I hope you enjoy your educational and entertaining journey as much as I did, and while you’re visiting try not to eat too many crickets!
