But this time I enjoyed myself rather more than the last. For one thing, I didn't have to drive quite so far. Secondly, I visited the Ibaraki Nature Museum!
These two lively chaps were unfortunately replicas but it was still quite impressive when faced with the true scale of them.
There were also some animatronic versions battling it out.
On top of all of the dinosaur and creature exhibits there were loads of fascinating rocks, and crystals too.
Outside there are even some open grassy spaces for kids to go wild in and tire themselves out for the car journey home!
Ticket entry was very reasonable but the food prices were quite steep. Maybe next time I'll bring a picnic!
If you find yourself up that way, then I definitely recommend the Nature Museum for a day out.
AH