Special Exhibition "Discovered Fossils of Tokyo" Held at Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, from August 29 (Sat) to October 18 (Sun), 2026

Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, Special Exhibition "Discovered Fossils of Tokyo"

Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, will hold the special exhibition "Discovered Fossils of Tokyo" from Saturday, August 29, 2026, to Sunday, October 18, 2026.

Exhibition Period: Saturday, August 29, 2026 – Sunday, October 18, 2026

Venue: Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, 1st Floor Special Exhibition Room (1-4 Hibiya Park, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Fridays 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Sundays and Public Holidays 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM) *Last admission 30 minutes before closing.

Closed: Monday, September 21, 2026 (Public Holiday)

Admission Fee: General 500 yen, University/High School Students 300 yen

*Free for residents of Chiyoda City, junior high school students and younger, holders of disability certificates, etc., and one accompanying person (please bring proof of residency, etc.).

Organizers: Chiyoda City, Chiyoda City Board of Education, Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City

Sponsor: Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

Exhibition Overview

In the heart of Tokyo, numerous excavation projects for subways, roads, and buildings are underway, digging deep underground. Many fossils of extinct large animals and shells have been discovered from these sites. This exhibition introduces what kind of fossils have been found where in Tokyo, and the geological strata containing these fossils.

Special Exhibition Page

https://www.library.chiyoda.tokyo.jp/information/20260705-tokyonokaseki/

"Discovered Fossils of Tokyo" Website

Exhibition Highlights

(1) Fossils Discovered in the City Center, Including Extinct Large Animals Like Elephants and Shells

Fossils found in Chiyoda City, as well as Chuo City, Shibuya City, Bunkyo City, Taito City, and other wards, will be introduced. Among terrestrial creatures, fossils of extinct large animals such as Naumann's elephant and Yabe's giant deer will be displayed. Among marine creatures, fossils of walruses, which inhabit cold seas, and the extinct Tokyo scallop will be exhibited.

In particular, for Naumann's elephant, fossils discovered in front of the British Embassy (next to Hanzomon) during the construction of the Metropolitan Expressway, the "Hamacho Specimen" found in Nihonbashi Hamacho which served as a reference for creating a full-body skeleton, and the actual fossils of the equally famous "Harajuku Specimen" will be specially exhibited.

Additionally, Pleistocene marine mollusk fossils (Goshomachi Shell Bed), first confirmed in the ward, will be publicly displayed for the first time.

(2) Was Tokyo Once an Ocean? Understanding the Formation of Topography from Deep Underground Strata Not Usually Seen

Why are fossils of shells and dolphins found in areas that are currently land? The answer is "because it was once the sea." During the Pleistocene epoch, which began approximately 2.588 million years ago, the Earth experienced repeated glacial and interglacial periods, causing sea levels to rise and fall, turning low-lying areas into seas and then back into land.

This exhibition will display 35 meters of geological strata (the lowest part dating back approximately 330,000 years) collected from deep underground, demonstrating that the city center was once covered by the sea. Please also look for strata named after places within the ward.

Poster for the Special Exhibition "Discovered Fossils of Tokyo" at Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City

Gallery Talk

Dates: Friday, September 4; Friday, September 25; Friday, October 16

(All sessions from 6:00 PM, approximately 30 minutes each)

Participation Fee: Free (No prior registration required, separate admission fee applies)

Lecturer: Exhibition Curator, Cultural Properties Office, Hibiya Library and Museum

Related Lectures

●Related Lecture 1 "Tokyo's Naumann's Elephants - Elephants Awakened by Urban Development"

Lecturer: Keiichi Takahashi (Professor Emeritus, Lake Biwa Museum, Shiga Prefecture)

Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Doors open 1:30 PM)

Venue: Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, B1F Hibiya Convention Hall (Main Hall)

Capacity: 200 people (First-come, first-served basis; closes when capacity is reached)

Participation Fee: 1,000 yen (500 yen for Chiyoda City residents)

Registration Opens: Saturday, August 1, 2026, 10:00 AM

Registration Page for Related Lecture 1 "Tokyo's Naumann's Elephants - Elephants Awakened by Urban Development"

●Related Lecture 2 "Exploring the Formation of Chiyoda City's Topography and Geology"

Lecturer: Takehiko Suzuki (Professor, Faculty of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University)

Date & Time: Sunday, September 27, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Doors open 1:30 PM)

Venue: Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, B1F Hibiya Convention Hall (Main Hall)

Capacity: 200 people (First-come, first-served basis; closes when capacity is reached)

Participation Fee: 1,000 yen (500 yen for Chiyoda City residents)

Registration Opens: Sunday, August 9, 2026, 10:00 AM

Registration Page for Related Lecture 2 "Exploring the Formation of Chiyoda City's Topography and Geology"

●Related Lecture 3 "Fossil Shells Sleeping Beneath Tokyo"

Lecturer: Taketomo Sasaki (Associate Professor, University Museum, The University of Tokyo)

Date & Time: Sunday, October 4, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Doors open 1:30 PM)

Venue: Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, B1F Hibiya Convention Hall (Main Hall)

Capacity: 200 people (First-come, first-served basis; closes when capacity is reached)

Participation Fee: 1,000 yen (500 yen for Chiyoda City residents)

Registration Opens: Sunday, August 16, 2026, 10:00 AM

Registration Page for Related Lecture 3 "Fossil Shells Sleeping Beneath Tokyo"

Collaboration Project with Fukui Prefecture

Special Lecture "Fukui Prefecture's Geo-Annular Layers x Dinosaurs: The Forefront of Research 2026"

Part 1: "Counting 70,000 Layers - How Japan's Small Lake Became a 'Global Standard Ruler'"

Lecturer: Tsuyoshi Nakagawa (Director and Professor, Center for Paleo-climate Research, Ritsumeikan University)

Part 2: "Dinosaur Research Has Come This Far - Dinosaurs in Japan and the Dinosaurs Depicted by Latest Research"

Lecturer: Masaki Shibata (Professor, Faculty of Dinosaurology, Fukui Prefectural University)

Date & Time: Monday, October 12, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Doors open 1:30 PM)

Venue: Hibiya Library and Museum, Chiyoda City, B1F Hibiya Convention Hall (Main Hall)

Capacity: 200 people (First-come, first-served basis; closes when capacity is reached)

Participation Fee: 1,000 yen (500 yen for Chiyoda City residents)

Registration Opens: Monday, August 24, 2026, 10:00 AM

Registration Page for Special Lecture "Fukui Prefecture's Geo-Annular Layers x Dinosaurs: The Forefront of Research 2026"

Chiyoda Museum Network Collaboration Lecture "Fossil Digging Experience"

Lecturer: Shinya Miyata (Curator, Oishi Fossils Gallery, Mizuta Memorial Museum, Josai University)

Date & Time: Saturday, October 10, 2026, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Location: Tamagawa Riverbed

Target Audience: 5th Grade Elementary School to 3rd Grade Junior High School students and their guardians

Capacity: 10 groups (Lottery if applications exceed capacity; priority given to residents/students of Chiyoda City)

Participation Fee: 500 yen per group

Application Period: Saturday, August 22, 2026, 10:00 AM – Monday, September 7, 2026, 5:00 PM

Homepage for Chiyoda Museum Network Collaboration Lecture "Fossil Digging Experience"

Contact Information

1 Regarding Exhibition Content and Gallery Talks

1-4 Hibiya Park, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0012

Cultural Properties Office, Hibiya Library and Museum

Phone: 03-3502-3348

2 Regarding Related Lectures

Hibiya Library and Museum Main Line

Phone: 03-3502-3340

3 Regarding Media Inquiries

Public Relations and Project Department, Hibiya Library and Museum: Minamitsuji

Phone: 03-3502-3340

*For media application, please see the following page.

https://www.library.chiyoda.tokyo.jp/journalists/