Mizuki Shigeru Road

Mizuki Shigeru Road is one of the most charming and unusual streets in Japan, an 800-metre shopping avenue in the port town of Sakaiminato transformed into a joyful open-air celebration of yokai — the goblins, ghosts and supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore. It is a tribute to the town's most famous son, the manga artist Mizuki Shigeru, whose hugely popular series "GeGeGe no Kitaro" introduced generations of Japanese children to a whole cast of endearing monsters and helped keep the country's rich tradition of yokai folklore alive.

Born in Sakaiminato in 1922, Mizuki drew on the ghost stories he heard as a boy to create Kitaro, a one-eyed yokai boy, and his eerie companions. To honour him, the road leading from the train station was lined, beginning in the 1990s, with a growing collection of small bronze statues depicting the creatures from his work. Today around 180 of these beautifully cast figures stand along the street — some cute, some grotesque, all full of character — inviting visitors to hunt them down, photograph them and pose alongside their favourites. The result is a delightful walk that appeals equally to children, manga fans and curious travellers.

The whole town leans into the theme with infectious enthusiasm. Shops and cafes along the road sell yokai-shaped sweets, snacks, souvenirs and character goods; manhole covers, lampposts, benches and even the local post box are decorated with Kitaro and his friends; and staff sometimes dress as the characters. The journey itself is part of the fun: the JR Sakai Line trains that run to Sakaiminato are wrapped in colourful yokai artwork, and each station on the line carries a spooky alternative name. In the evening, subtle lighting and mist effects give parts of the road a gently spooky atmosphere that brings the monsters to life.

At the far end of the road stands the Mizuki Shigeru Museum, a dedicated attraction exploring the artist's life, his wartime experiences, his encyclopedic knowledge of yokai from Japan and around the world, and the enduring legacy of his art. Together, the road and museum turn a walk through a small fishing town into an immersive journey into the imaginative world of Japanese folklore.

Sakaiminato itself sits on a spit of land between the Sea of Japan and Lake Nakaumi, close to the border with Shimane and within easy reach of Matsue and Yonago, and it is also a working fishing port famous for crab and fresh seafood, so a visit can be combined with an excellent seafood lunch.

Free to walk and open at all hours, Mizuki Shigeru Road can be enjoyed as a quick stroll or a leisurely half-day of statue-spotting, shopping and museum-visiting. Warm, quirky and thoroughly family-friendly, it is one of the most memorable and light-hearted attractions in Tottori and a wonderful introduction to the enduring Japanese love of yokai.