A geo-museum relating a volcanic disaster
The hall is Japan’s first interactive learning facility on volcanoes under the theme of what happened and what remained in this area when it came to the Heisei Era eruption on Shimabara from 1990 to the declaration of its end in 1996. It is divided into a free zone and a zone which requires admission.
A theater to experience a simulated disaster and displays of valuable information
In the admission zone, there are 11 display areas pertaining to volcanoes and disaster prevention. Within this zone, there are items on display which were damaged by actual pyroclastic flows including the “Pyroclastic Flow Road” which has trees damaged by such flows within a 39-meter glass-enclosed floor with light running through at the same 100 km/second speed as the phenomenon itself, the Heisei Great Daifunka Theater which features a spectacular 7 minutes of the sensation of a volcanic disaster where you feel a vibrating floor and hot winds while pyroclastic flows and avalanches are shown on the dome screen which is 14 meters in diameter, and electric poles and telephone booths which ended up becoming charred. Also, the facility is designed so that you can learn from a variety of perspectives such as samples of sedimentary cross-sections of ejecta from the eruption, displays of the Unzen volcano freely using 3D graphics, a theater featuring 3D picture stories which can be easily understood by children, displays of damaged cameras which had been used by cameramen who were killed by pyroclastic flows, and a video documentary based on the actual footage from those cameras (378 seconds worth of footage).
Displays and original goods relating the attraction of Shimabara
At the Shimabara Peninsula World Geopark Information Space in the free zone, geopark information everywhere from Japan and the world is introduced by video and pamphlet along with displays of valuable information. Not only is there information on disaster prevention, but there is also tourist information on the Shimabara Peninsula. At the café/restaurant which has a panoramic view of Fugendake and the Ariake Sea, you can dine on the local cuisine of Shimabara and from a menu associated with the volcano. At the museum shop, original goods and specialty items are sold.