Iyoboya Kaikan, Murakami

Iyoboya Kaikan (イヨボヤ会館) is Japan's first salmon museum, situated in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, alongside the Tane River, a tributary of the Miomote River that has served as a salmon fishing ground for centuries. "Iyoboya" is the local Murakami dialect word for salmon, reflecting how deeply the fish is embedded in the city's identity. Murakami has maintained an unbroken relationship with salmon culture since the Edo period, and this facility was established to document and preserve that legacy for future generations.

The museum spans three above-ground floors and one basement level, with exhibits covering the history of salmon fishing on the Miomote River, salmon ecology, and traditional life in Murakami. The first floor displays fishing tools including boats and nets, while the second floor houses the Children's Salmon Science Museum, where interactive illustrations and computer games make the subject accessible to younger visitors. A mini hatchery on the upper floors allows visitors to observe salmon hatching from eggs, and a separate ecology observation room features a large aquarium where salmon can be seen up close throughout the year.

The highlight of the museum is found underground: the 50-meter-long "Miomote River Salmon Observation Natural Museum" in the basement, which features 10 underwater viewing windows set directly into the Tane River. During the salmon migration season — typically late October through December — visitors can watch salmon returning to spawn in their natural habitat. Outside the museum, Salmon Park surrounds the building with seasonal flowers, a pond with koi, and a bronze statue of Buheiji Aoto, a central figure in the region's salmon conservation and propagation movement.

A particularly sought-after seasonal activity is the salmon-salting workshop held at the Echigo-Murakami Sannomaruryu Sake-shiobiki Dojo within the facility, running from late November to mid-December. The hands-on session lasts approximately two hours, guided by a master salter, and participants take home their own salt-cured salmon at the end. Admission to the museum is ¥600 for adults. The museum can be reached by taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Niigata (approximately 2 hours 15 minutes), followed by an express train to Murakami (around 48 minutes), and then a 20-minute walk from the station.