・The background of the Museum

   In 1979 (Showa 54), the “Community Development for Reviving Fireflies project” was launched to create a river environment that would realize “Moriyama, where fireflies fly around” and to revitalize Moriyama as “Moriyama, where fireflies are abundant”. As part of this project, an artificial river was constructed in Hatonomori Park in 1980 (Showa 55), and a laboratory for artificially breeding fireflies was set up.

  Furthermore, in 1988 (Showa 63), as part of the “Hometown Creation project” proposed by the Japanese government, the “Hometown Moriyama, where Fireflies Live” was created based on the suggestions of local residents. The Moriyama-City HOTARU (Firefly) Forest Museum was opened on April 1, 1990, in the Civic Athletic Park, funded by the one hundred million yen distributed as a project fee for the base facility. At the same time, an artificial river, the HOTARU(Firefly) River, was constructed in the HOTARU (Firefly) Forest.     

・Enactment of the Moriyama City Firefly Ordinance 

　In 2000 (Heisei 12), the “Moriyama City Firefly Ordinance” was  enacted. There are approximately 20 ordinances on firefly protection in Japan, and this ordinance was enacted to revive Genji fireflies (Luciola cruciata) , which are deeply linked to Moriyama, and to promote the development of a community, which is rich in water and greenery, and designated nine firefly protection areas. In the protected areas, collecting fireflies and Kawanina(Semisulcospira libertina) and polluting the rivers are prohibited, and violators will be punished.
(An application is required for firefly protection activities and for collecting Kawanina for research and study.)

  Furthermore, since many fireflies have been observed flying outside of designated areas, the revised Moriyama City Firefly Ordinance came into effect on July 1, 2013, making all rivers in the city a protected area. The ordinance stipulates the types of protected areas, prohibited activities in all rivers in Moriyama City, the obligation to make efforts in weed control, rules on construction standards for river environment, and the responsibilities of citizens.

【the Moriyama City Firefly Ordinance】　　URL：　http://www.city.moriyama.lg.jp/reiki_int/reiki_honbun/i400RG00000258.html