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Hi everybody, Today I took part in an educational fossil hunting trip organized by the Mifune Dinosaur Museum, in Kumamoto. It was the occasion for me to go once again to a place I visit alone 3 month ago but this time with Kumamoto Paleontologists and… a lot of kids! It was so great to see kids discovering their first fossil, smile on the face. Remembered me years ago when I found my first ammonite. So the place we went was in the mountain near to Mifune Dinosaur Museum (MDM), about 30 minutes by car. It’s a formation called Mifune formation (an original name for sure) from cretaceous period. According to the paleontologist, this part of the formation is full of shell, spiral shell, turtle bones, crocodile tooth and recently shark teeth. There is a big chance that this particular part of the formation was the estuary of a large river. So today we get a briefing at the museum and went on site for a 2 hours hunt. I cannot say I made great found, only found some little shell and spiral shell but I found an imprint of very big carnivorous shell not yet named (They’re doing a study about those one which does not have name yet, they were referred by their closest parent). Anyway today was more about listening to professional and enjoying Japanese autumn than fossil. So please, enjoy these few pictures. I will put some found pictures later, I have some trouble with my camera right now. See you next week for a new hunting trip report, this time, it will be in Goshonoura Island, Amakusa. David

Japan, country where every worker, known as " Salaryman" is a soldier working for the Japanese economic supremacy, is known for its sushi, technology, kimono, ammonite and never resting workers. But his week was quite an event as thanks to 3 national holiday, Japanese "salarymen" (white collar) were able to have some rest during 5 days (from saturday to wednesday). I took the opportunity to go on a fossil hunting trip on the 23rd September. My destination, Amakusa, is a string of island located in the Ariake sea known in Kyushu for its two upper cretaceous formation : * Goshoura formation * Himenoura formation Leaving home at 4 am, I arrived at 6 am just when the first lights hitted the sea. I searched for fossils for about 4 hours at the Himenoura formation near Ryugatake. The formation is made at this place of black shale and contains mainly ammonite (polyptychoceras), inoceramus, shark teeth and flying reptile teeth. The weather was good and I really enjoyed the time spend alone, just with my hammer and my chisel. I found some interesting fossil like a bunch of polyptychoceras, a squished gaudryceras (thanks to fossisle and fossilDAWG for helping me to ID it), an inoceramus and this... thing...don't know what it is, maybe it is not even a fossil. I hope you will enjoy the few picture I put and If you have any question do not hesitate. If yu have any idea concerning the mysterious thing, I am all ears too. Have a nice day, David.

Hi, As I described in my trip report last week (http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/56838-kyushu-fukuoka-pref-ashiya-machi-japan/) I went to Ashiya machi and found what looks like to me a bone. The outcrop is from oligocene period and the matrix is made of sandstone. Found fossil were bivalve, shark teeth, and turittella which suggest a sea environment. Could you help me to ID this fossil ? I will say fossil because I do not even know if this is a bone as it would be the first time I found one. I read that at this place was discovered sort of big penguin called Plotopterum and sea mammal like seals. I read somewhere that birds bones and mamal bones were quite different so even if we cannot put any ID on this maybe, I still have the hope that someone can tell me if it's a bird or a mammal. I am waiting forward to reading your suggestion and post. David

Hello all, I will be going to Japan(specifically Tokyo, Nara and Osaka prefectures) on a free & easy trip end of this month, and was hoping if anyone on TFF can share with me if there are places to go for fossil-related activities. I have heard that the National Science Museum in Tokyo and Natural History Museum in Osaka are worth visiting, any reviews? I am also hoping to pay a visit to any markets or shops that are known for offering fossil material(too bad the Tokyo Mineral show is not on!). I am not sure if Japan has dig-tours for tourists, would really like to get in on one too! Thank you all for your time! Han

Got a snall sample of so-called "star sand" from Taketomi,Okinawa,Japan, that was loaded with some of (I think) the most beautiful forams: 99% of the sample consists of 2 species, Baculogypsina sphraerulata & Calcaroides spengleri; Went thru my inventory of forams & found some examples of their fossil kin: unfortunately, like any other fossil, the Miocene & Cretaceous ones have suffered a lot of wear & tear, but hopefully you'll be able to view & compare. Don't know if the images do them justice. Each foram is about the size of a grain of sand. [attachment=18991 8:foram1a.jpg]