Learn about Mount Hakusan through lifelike educational displays

The Chugu Onsen Visitor Center and Chugu Nature Museum and Heritage Center provide visitors with a variety of information on the Mount Hakusan and Chugu Hot Springs area. It is located on the scenic Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road, a mountainous driving route through Hakusan National Park.

The facilities feature models, photographs, and videos introducing the animals and plants that live in the area. You can take a close look at taxidermy animals such as the Japanese macaque, the Asiatic black bear, and the Eurasian nuthatch, displayed in a lifelike forest diorama. Children can explore a touchable animal fur exhibit and exhibition tent. There are also exhibits on the topography of Mount Hakusan. Get a sense of the region's geohistory through the visitor center's collection of prehistoric fossils and an exhibit showing how the terrain has been shaped over time.

Mount Hakusan gets heavy snow every year, and there is a high risk of avalanches in the area. A diorama at the museum recreates the effects of an avalanche that once destroyed part of the exhibition hall.

Maps are updated frequently with information on the plants and animals that can be seen throughout the seasons. There are even time-stamped updates on the movements of Japanese macaques. The visitor center offers free guided walks along the Jadani nature observation path, where experienced volunteers point out interesting plants and animals that you may not notice on your own.