Nawa Museum of Insects — Attraction in Gifu

Easily the best dedicated insect museum anywhere. Fantastic collections of butterflies and beetles, with the Morpho wall especially breathtaking. For Birdwing enthusiasts, the museum displays a nice aberration of the Tailed Paradise Birdwing, Ornithoptera paradisea flavescens. I'm not a Beetle enthusiast, but the Stag and Rhinoceros Beetle displays are magnificent. Curation and display of all specimens is perfect. Some collecting equipment (including nets, Shiga pins and setting boards) is available, as well as popular books celebrating Luehdorfia (Gifu-cho) butterflies. Well curated specimens in bespoke frames are also available at fair prices. Combine with the adjacent history museum and Gifu Castle cableway for a great day out, especially for entomology and natural history enthusiasts not offended by specimens, and families...

I'm not a fan of insects and spiders but I thought I'd give this a try to see how courageous I could be. This little insect museum, few and far apart in Japan, was so fascinating and had a variety of Kabutos (Beetles) and Butterflies on display.

Absolutely stunning to see the wide array of these two particular types of insects. They're easier on the eyes than spiders, most of which were "hidden" in the wooden quiz compartments, if you want to avoid seeing them. I was really thankful for this aspect.

For the grande finale, traverse to the second floor, all the way in the back, to find a wonderfully beautiful display of vibrant blue...

Absolutely delightful. Very interesting to see all sorts of amazingly kept insects. The museum is nice and small, and the second floor is dedicated to the quiz they have set up, which is also available in English. The staff is very kind and speaks a little bit of English. Definitely worth a visit if you're walking around...