Kushiro City Museum

The Kushiro City Museum stands on the bank of Harutoriko Lake in Kushiro City, Hokkaido, and it is characterized by its unique exterior. The building was designed by a local architect, Mozuna Kiko, using the image of a crane with both wings spread, and it subsequently won the Architectural Institute of Japan Award. The building itself is a three-dimensional exhibition space with an all-sky Dio Nature Dome, and inside there are a variety of things to see, including a replica of an entire mammoth skeleton, a skeletal specimen of a blue whale, mountings of Siberian salamanders and cranes (which are Kushiro City and national natural treasures, respectively), and items relating to Ainu culture. Around 4,100 items in total are on display, and through them visitors can learn about the nature and topography of Kushiro.