Overview of our facility
The Minamata Disease Archives opened in June 2001 at Manabi-no-Oka (Hill of Learning) in Eco Park Minamata, as an establishment affiliated with the National Institute for Minamata Disease of the Ministry of the Environment.
The Archives is a facility with a variety of functions, including: 1) collecting, storing and organizing in a centralized fashion documentary materials and data on Minamata disease and supplying them broadly, as well as conducting research on Minamata disease; 2) supplying information broadly to researchers and the general public through exhibitions and information networks and; 3) organizing conferences aimed at holding academic exchange and other occasions that are related to Minamata disease.
On the merits of being a facility affiliated with the National Institute for Minamata Disease, which is a research institute, the Archives has furnished its exhibition rooms with means for visitors to learn various facts about mercury, the substance that caused Minamata disease, including types and properties of mercury that exist in nature and the circulation of mercury, in addition to learning about Minamata disease. Also on display are the results of measurements, updated constantly, of the mercury concentration taken of the seawater and in the atmosphere of Minamata Bay. Other information being presented in the Archives includes findings from research conducted by the National Institute for Minamata Disease, as well as information on international cooperation activities for mercury pollution issues around the world and on the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
The goal we are trying to achieve through these activities is to advance a further understanding of Minamata disease, to pass on lessons from Minamata disease and to contribute to the development of research on Minamata disease and mercury.
Minamata Disease Archives(MDA) Logo
The beautifully shining water surface that brightens us.
Minamata is rich in nature.
Sky, lush greenery, and the sea.
We expressed the landscape of Minamata with water surfaces.
We know the preciousness of nature.
It serves as a place to convey that preciousness.
With these thoughts of ours, we combined the natural water surface with the exterior of the Minamata Disease Archives.
Overview of our facility
Minamata Disease Archives is a three-story SRC building with basement.
Building area 767.88m², total floor space 1808.94m²
In order to reduce lo1ads on the environment, our facility has been furnished with a variety of features, including photovoltaic power generation, an "eco void" structure, ice/thermal storage air conditioning, rainwater use and LED lighting.
| 1F | Bird's-Eye View Space (video images showing today's Minamata are screened) / Small Exhibition Room / Small Meeting Room / Administrative Office |
|---|---|
| 2F | Exhibition room / Hall / Access corridor to the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum |
| 3F | Archive Room 1 / Archive Room 2 / Reading Room / Information Material Organizing Room |
| Roof | Observation Space / Observation information board / Photovoltaic power generation panels / Atmosphere and Rainwater Monitoring |
Barrier-free features
For the convenience of visitors with walking difficulties, there are ramps and elevators available inside and outside of the Archives, in addition to stairs. Other measures are also taken by the Archives to ensure accessibility, as are described below. If you need help in using the facilities of the Archives, please feel free to ask our staff.
Parking
In the vicinity of the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum adjacent to us, there is a dedicated parking space set aside for visitors with walking difficulties, where roughly five cars can be parked.
Here is how you can access the Minamata Disease Archives. For specific locations, please check the map below:
○ After parking in the parking lot for people with disabilities, enter the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum and take the access corridor to access the Minamata Disease Archives.
○ After parking in the regular parking lot or the parking lot for people with disabilities, take the outdoor access path to enter the Minamata Disease Archives through its main entrance.
Upon advance notice, you could also park in front of the main entrance to the Minamata Disease Archives.
Washroom
A wheelchair-accessible washroom can be found on the second floor.
For visitors who need to use a diaper changing table, the washroom is also equipped with one.
To check the floor guide map, go to the following page:
Wheelchair rental
A wheelchair can be rented free of charge. We have two wheelchairs available for rental. If you wish to use one, please talk to our staff in the Administrative Office on the first floor.
○ We kindly ask that each wheelchaired visitor should be accompanied by at least one assisting person.
○ In addition to the inside of the Minamata Disease Archives, the wheelchair may be used in the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum and the Kumamoto Prefectural Center of Environmental Education and Information and elsewhere on their premises.
After you are finished, please return the wheelchair, before the closing time, at the Administrative Office on the first floor of the Minamata Disease Archives.
○ Wheelchairs are rented on a first-come-first-served basis as we take no advance reservation.
* A wheelchair can be reserved, however, in the course of a group visit request. If you would like to reserve one, please state your request together when completing a group visit request form.