T-rexcellent Race Heats Up Dinosaur Festival in Toyama; Race Included over 350 Participants Wearing T-Rex Suits

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:13 JST, June 26, 2024

TOYAMA — It’s not every day you see multiple extinct apex predators racing against each other toward the finish line. But festivalgoers of the Oyama Dinosaur Matsuri in Toyama got to witness that event, albeit the extinct predators were people wearing Tyrannosaurus rex suits.

The T-Rex race was the main event of the festival on June 8 in city’s Oyama district, known as the town of dinosaurs. The venue, Oyama Sogo Ground, was bustling with participants and hosted many food stalls.

A fossil footprint, or an ichnolite in scientific terms, was found in the area in 1990, the first such discovery in Toyama Prefecture. A cluster of more than 300 ichnolites, arguably the largest in the country, was excavated in 1995. Many precious fossils have been discovered in the district.

The event was launched to make the most of such distinct features and boost the local community. The organizing committee was formed by entities including the youth league of the local chamber of commerce and industry.

About 350 people took part in the T-Rex race, which has three age categories related to dinosaurs: the adult dinosaur category for junior high students and older; the cub category for elementary school students and the egg category for preschool children.