Dino Tourism Boosts Katsuyama’s Railway Promotion

It’s a very Japanese mix of local pride, playful branding, and practical transport planning. And yes, it works better than you might expect.

Dino tourism in Katsuyama is becoming a real railway strategy

Here’s the thing: Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture has been leaning into its dinosaur identity for years, but now that image is doing more than selling museum tickets. It’s helping promote a regional railway line too. Volunteers in dinosaur costumes are showing up as part of local outreach, and that kind of cheerful, slightly absurd energy is exactly the sort of thing Japan does well. Classic Japan, isn’t it?

The line in question is the Echizen Railway Katsuyama Eiheiji Line, which connects Fukui Station with Katsuyama Station over a route of roughly 27 kilometres. It’s not a big-city commuter line, and that’s precisely why the promotion matters. For small regional routes, one good tourism angle can mean the difference between being ignored and being remembered.

Why Katsuyama and dinosaurs fit so naturally

Fun fact: Katsuyama is home to one of Japan’s best-known dinosaur attractions, the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. Opened in 2000 and rebuilt into a larger, more modern form in 2023, it sits in a region where dinosaur fossils have actually been found. So this isn’t random mascot branding; it’s local history wearing a costume.

The area also has a strong outdoor travel appeal. If you go in the right season, you’ll find mountains, quiet streets, and that easygoing rural atmosphere many visitors miss when they stay only in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka. No exaggeration: this is the kind of place where a train ride can feel like part of the holiday, not just transport between attractions.

Volunteer dinosaur costumes and local promotion

Volunteers dressed as dinosaurs are being used to spread the word about the railway, the town, and the surrounding sightseeing spots. That means station events, photo opportunities, and that all-important social media buzz. For example, when people see a dinosaur waving at a station platform, they don’t just think “train line”; they think “I want to go there”.

To be fair, this isn’t a gimmick with no substance behind it. Japanese regional promotion often works best when it ties transport, food, local history, and a single memorable image together. Here, the image is the dinosaur, but the real goal is to get people to ride the train, stay longer, and spend money in the area. See what I mean?

The Hokuriku Shinkansen extension changes the game

While we’re at it: the Hokuriku 新幹線 (Shinkansen, bullet train) extension to Fukui, which opened in March 2024, has changed how visitors reach the prefecture. That matters a lot for places like Katsuyama, because high-speed rail can bring new foot traffic, but it can also create a problem, people arrive in the region and head straight back out again.

That’s where local rail promotion comes in. If the trip from the new Shinkansen gateway to the countryside feels easy, fun, and clearly worth the effort, visitors are more likely to make the extra hop. The railway becomes part of the experience instead of a logistical afterthought. From my experience, that’s usually when regional tourism starts to feel sustainable rather than forced.

Why train connections matter for regional Japan

Pro tip: if you’re learning Japanese, this is a great case study for how transport and tourism vocabulary overlap. Words like 鉄道 (tetsudo, railway), 駅 (eki, station), 切符 (kippu, ticket), and 観光 (kankou, sightseeing / tourism) show up everywhere in real-life travel situations. And once you start noticing how local campaigns use them, you’ll see the same pattern across Japan, from station posters to festival brochures.

My tip: don’t treat the regional train as a “backup” option. In places like Katsuyama, the train is part of the story. It gets you to the museum, the town, and the scenery, and it gives the area a slower, more human rhythm. Personally, I think that’s a big part of the charm.

What makes dinosaur tourism work so well in Japan

Let me show you why this kind of tourism idea lands so well. Japan loves themed local branding, but the best examples are never just cute for the sake of being cute. They have a real place-based logic behind them, whether it’s seafood, hot springs, 侍 (samurai, warrior of the Japanese feudal class) history, or, in this case, dinosaurs. Katsuyama can build its identity around actual fossil discoveries, so the branding feels earned.

There’s also a cultural side to this. Japanese local governments and volunteer groups often work hard to create おもてなし (omotenashi, hospitality), the warm, thoughtful welcome that visitors remember long after the trip is over. A dinosaur costume might sound silly, but it can be a very effective form of omotenashi when it makes families stop, smile, and take the train. Insider tip: that kind of memory sticks.

What visitors can combine in one trip

A day in Katsuyama can be built around the museum, local food, and a rail journey on the Echizen Railway. If you have more time, the surrounding Fukui region adds even more options, from coastlines to temples and mountain views. That mix is exactly what regional tourism needs, something short, easy, and different from the usual golden-route itinerary.

And yes, a dinosaur costume can be the hook that gets people to notice all of it. A small railway line doesn’t need to compete with the Shinkansen on speed. It just needs a reason to exist in the traveller’s mind. Katsuyama seems to understand that very well. Personally, I’d call that smart local promotion, not a novelty act.

If you want to keep up with more stories like this, check out more Japan news on jpnerd.com.

Sources

1. sumikai