Hiwasa Sea Turtle Museum Caretta — Attraction in Minami

This amazing museum is named after the scientific term for loggerhead sea turtles. Every year between May and August, loggerhead turtles come to lay eggs in the sand of Ohama beach, which is just a few steps away from the museum! In fact, there are also a few other beaches along the south of the prefecture where the sea turtles come, but Ohama is probably the most famous.

The museum features various exhibitions about the turtle evolution, ecology, and stages of development and visitors can actually watch the turtles of different ages swimming in their tanks. The outdoor pools containing sea turtles over one meter in length are fascinating. Huge loggerhead turtles swimming around and making funny noises are so much fun to watch! There are also tanks where you can watch the turtles swimming above you! Minami town has been protecting the sea turtles for decades, and in the museum you can see the artificial hatchery where some young turtles are reared until they can be released into the wild.

The history of the Caretta Museum is also really impressive. It all started in 1950, at the time of a food shortage, when the students and a teacher of Hiwasa Junior High School found the carcass of a loggerhead turtle on Ohama beach. Apparently, it had been killed for its meat, which absolutely shocked the kids and made them determined to do what they could to protect these creatures. Their teacher launched Hiwasa Junior High School Sea Turtle Research Group, which dedicated its time to recording the number of eggs laid by sea turtles and researching breeding habits.

The sea turtle research group pushed forward with their activities with great determination for about 10 years. The research results were revolutionary at the time, bringing various scientific awards to the group. Moreover, the content of their reports was enough to surprise sea turtle researchers around the world who got access to them several decades later.

At the same time, the sea turtles kept at the school grew so big that, along with the widespread interest in the research group, the school was unable to carry out its usual activities due to the high number of visitors. As a result, the town authorities assumed the responsibility of breeding the sea turtles, placing them into the town’s aquarium.

About twenty years after the foundation of the Hiwasa Junior High School Sea Turtle Research Group, the government issued a law, officially regulating Sea turtle protection, and in 1985, Hiwasa Sea Turtle Museum "Caretta" first opened its doors...

Quite interesting place to know something about turtle and see them face to face. It provides an educational introduction to turtle in general and those who are local in the beach next. You can have close observations to tens of big and...

When I went part of the museum was in renovation. 600¥ entrance for adults. Nice to be able to see so many kinds of water turtles alive. Sad that there is so little information...