The people at Japan's cash-strapped National Museum of Nature and Science say a crowdfunding campaign has drawn an overwhelming response from the public.

They say they raised over 900 million yen, or about 6 million dollars. That's more than nine times their goal.

Museum officials say around 56,000 people contributed to the money-raising drive that ran from early August until Sunday.

The institution fell on hard times during the coronavirus pandemic and is now struggling with spiking utility costs.

The museum houses 5 million items that include animal, plant, and fossil specimens. The collection is one of the biggest in the country.

Officials say they will use about a third of the money to buy gifts for contributors and cover campaign costs.

They plan to use the rest to expand a storage facility in Tsukuba City, near Tokyo.