Fukui: Dinosaur Robot Will Miss Shinkansen Arrival

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:41 JST, December 2, 2023

FUKUI — A 10-meter-long dinosaur robot scheduled to be installed at the exit of Fukui Station is not expected to be completed before Shinkansen trains begin to stop at the station on March 16.

The Fukui prefectural government plans to install two life-size dinosaur robots — a Tyrannosaurus and a Suchomimus — to welcome passengers arriving on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, which will extend to Fukui Prefecture next spring.

According to a senior prefectural official, however, the robot of Suchomimus — a dinosaur with long crocodile-like jaws — will not be assembled in time due to delays in the delivery of parts from overseas. One of the reasons is said to be the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Tyrannosaurus robot will be ready in time as its production started earlier.

Fukui Prefecture is an excavation area for numerous dinosaur fossils. The prefectural government is trying to attract tourists to the prefecture, promoting itself as a “dinosaur kingdom.” The dinosaur robots will be created to reproduce roars and articulated movements under supervision of the prefectural dinosaur museum.

“It is regrettable. We wanted both powerful dinosaurs to surprise tourists arriving in Fukui on the Shinkansen,” the prefectural official said. “We are eager to hurry up and complete the project.”