Mizuki Shigeru Road
Tottori
Kitaro, Medama-oyaji, Nezumi Otoko.
This shopping district is home to the full line-up of Yokai (phantoms) depicted by Mizuki in his manga.
Sakaiminato, the hometown of Shigeru Mizuki, one of Japan's leading manga artists, is home to a shopping district that has been named Mizuki Shigeru Road. Spanning 800 m from JR Sakaiminato Station to Honmachi Arcade, this shopping district features bronze statues of more than 150 characters from Shigeru Mizuki's masterpiece, GeGeGe no Kitaro, which depicts the world of supernatural monsters called Yokai, or phantoms! Amusing commentaries are provided for each of the statues, and if you stopped to look at each and every one, you certainly wouldn't be able to see them all in a day.
In addition, people wearing Yokai costumes sometimes appear on the street, delighting passing children! Even adults find themselves breaking into a grin in this tourist-attraction-cum-shopping-district that's without parallel elsewhere in Japan. The statues are lit up at night, giving the place the eerie air of the spirit world, far removed from its daytime atmosphere.
To enhance visitors' enjoyment of this attraction, a Yokai Guidebook is available from the Sakaiminato Tourist Information Center. Collect the Yokai stamps that can be found around the area and you can get a free gift from the Tourist Information Center, depending on the number of stamps in your book. Many exclusive products featuring images of the Yokai can also be found in the shopping district. Do enjoy a shopping trip while you're here.
If you want to find out more about the world of Shigeru Mizuki, we'd also recommend the Mizuki Shigeru Museum, located at the end of the Mizuki Shigeru Road.
Information
Address: Taishomachi Town, Sakaiminato City, Tottori
Phone: 0859-47-0121 (Sakaiminato Infomation Office for Tourists)
Directions: Less than a one-minute walk from JR Sakaiminato Station (4 hours and 20 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station/14 minutes from JR Nonago Airport Station (Yonago-Kitaro Airport, 1 hour and 20 minutes from Tokyo (Haneda Airport). (Car) About 40 minutes from Yonago Interchange on the Yonago Expressway.
