Mizuki Shigeru Museum

At the end of the yokai-lined Mizuki Shigeru Road in Sakaiminato stands the museum dedicated to the town's most celebrated figure, the manga artist and yokai scholar Mizuki Shigeru. More than a simple gallery of comics, the museum is a warm and often profound portrait of an extraordinary man whose imagination shaped how modern Japan sees its own supernatural heritage, and it is the natural climax of any visit to this folklore-themed corner of Tottori.

Mizuki Shigeru, born in 1922, is best known for creating "GeGeGe no Kitaro," the long-running manga and anime about a boy yokai and his monstrous companions that became a national phenomenon and made the once-fading world of Japanese ghosts and goblins beloved by children again. But his life was as remarkable as his art. Drafted into the Imperial Army in the Second World War, he was sent to the brutal New Guinea front, survived malaria and an Allied bombing raid that cost him his left arm, and lived among local islanders whose culture left a lasting impression on him. Returning to Japan, he struggled in poverty for years before finding fame as a manga artist, and his firsthand experience of war made him a lifelong and outspoken pacifist. All of this is told with candour and affection in the museum's exhibits.

Inside, visitors find original drawings and manuscripts, recreations of Mizuki's studio and workspace, and displays exploring his encyclopedic fascination with yokai — not only those of Japan but supernatural beings from cultures around the world, which he catalogued in richly illustrated reference works. Atmospheric, dimly lit spaces bring his monsters to life through models, dioramas and interactive displays, some genuinely spooky and others endearing, capturing the mixture of fear, humour and wonder that defines his art. The story of his rise from hardship to national treasure — he was decorated with major cultural honours before his death in 2015 — gives the museum real emotional depth.

The museum is thoroughly enjoyable for families, with plenty to delight children who know Kitaro from television, while adults can appreciate the artistry, the wartime history and the cultural significance of a man who almost single-handedly revived interest in Japan's folklore traditions. A gift shop sells character goods and books, and the surrounding street continues the theme with its bronze statues and yokai-decorated shops.

Compact enough to explore in about an hour, the museum forms a perfect pairing with the walk down Mizuki Shigeru Road, turning a stroll past bronze goblins into a deeper understanding of the imagination behind them. Sakaiminato's setting on a seafood-rich fishing port, close to Matsue and Yonago, makes it easy to fold into a wider tour of the San'in coast.

For manga and anime enthusiasts it is close to a pilgrimage site, but even visitors unfamiliar with Kitaro come away moved by the life story and charmed by the yokai. The Mizuki Shigeru Museum is a heartfelt tribute to a beloved artist and one of the cultural highlights of Tottori.