You can get a comprehensive overview of Takikawa's flood-control history for free. According to the staff, there are plenty of books, and elementary and junior high school students also use it for independent research during summer vacation. They said it is also expected to serve as a cooling shelter in summer. With a hot spring, campsite, and あそリバ nearby, it's an ideal solution for combining leisure and learning.

This is a science museum in the Nishi-Takikawa area of Takikawa City, near the hot-spring accommodation facility ふれあいの里. Amazingly, admission is free. Before entering the building, the first thing that catches your eye is the Ishikari River at a scale of 1 to 1000. Water actually flows through it, and it realistically reproduces the shape of the great Ishikari River as it runs all over Hokkaido. It was quite impressive to see. Inside, there were canoes and kayaks, a hands-on rope-work area, exhibit panels, models, and river fish in tanks, making for a very substantial and varied collection. With this much to see for free, there's nothing to complain about. The panels teach you about the Ishikari River's history and outline the major river-shortening works, making this a very good educational facility too. The Ishikari River once meandered extensively, which likely explains why it frequently flooded, causing many casualties and much damage. Today we can leisurely admire it as a majestic river, but we should learn again that this became possible through the painstaking efforts of those who came before us. It would be difficult to spend a whole day playing here, but this well-equipped science museum easily lets you pass about an hour.

+3

I stopped by during the Takikawa sightseeing stamp rally. A lot of the exhibits are broken. The library corner is well stocked. Admission is free. I went on a weekday, but there was nobody there besides the staff. The river museum in Ishikari was more fun.

It's nice to gain knowledge while passing the time. The exhibits mainly focus on rivers, but for some reason there's a rope-tying corner, which is a mystery. There's a library corner too, and it's perfect for passing the time after eating your fill at 滝川マリン.

+1

There certainly isn't anything novel. However, there is a boat on display inside that anyone can safely climb into. The children seemed to enjoy themselves just floating bamboo-leaf boats and using the hammock.