Visited 20.04.2015 (Mon)
Yokai exploration. This is a museum dedicated to Mizuki Shigeru 水木しげる, the late artist who created Gegege no Kitaro ゲゲゲの鬼太郎, the popular manga series depicting ghosts and spirits (otherwise known as yokai) in an amicable way. To be frank, I have limited knowledge about Gegege no Kitaro which originated way before I was born (first released in 1960) and have at most come across the main character, Kitaro, only a few times in my life. Therefore, this trip to Sakaiminato city, a place where Mizuki Shigeru spent much of his adolescent days in, was a great opportunity for me to better understand the background of this manga series and how influential it has been all this while.
Yokai vs Human. Close to the end of Mizuki Shigeru Road is where the museum is located. Upon entering the museum, visitors can welcomed by a figurine of Kitaro and Medama Oyaji, and a beautiful picture showcasing a caricature form of Mizuki Shigeru and his yokai creations. The exhibition hall is divided into sub sections, each with its own theme. On the second level, the characters of Gegege no Kitaro are represented on standing cut out boards and there are interesting display boards put up to provide a good overview/trivia of Kitaro and his family members. For example, an explanation on the process of how Medama Oyaji evolved to become a walking eyeball, an introduction of yokai no mori (yokai jungle), the place where Kitaro lives in, etc. A excellent bibliography of the late Mizuki Shigeru, documenting his life, the hardships he went through during WWII (during which he lost an arm) and contributions to the manga world, can be reviewed in one of the sections. Visitors get a glimpse of Mizuki Shigeru's workroom which is replicated in the museum; featuring his drawing tools and precious manuscripts. There is a Monsters' Cave, an enclosure where numerous figurines of yokai that have appeared previously in the manga series are displayed. Though the displays are all presented in Japanese, there are foreign language audio guides that can be rented by tourists to facilitate comprehension. And if you are lucky enough, you can even meet Kitaro and his friends, either loitering outside the museum or patrolling along Mizuki Shigeru Road. Do grab the chance to take a photo with them and they are more than willing to fulfill this request!
Send a postcard back! Here, visitors can find a specially designed postbox (like a straw hut) situated in Yokai Teien 妖怪庭園. An exclusive postmark featuring Kitaro are stamped on all postcards delivered through this postbox. To facilitate this, the ticket counter here sells both postcards and stamps, and there are even stationery supplies provided at the entrance hall for visitors to pen their thoughts on the postcards. Personally, I always find postcard an excellent souvenir / momento to bring back home from a holiday.
Yokai playground. A stone throw away from the museum is Gegege no Yokai Rakuen ゲゲゲの妖怪楽園. Here, visitors can take photos with more figurines depicting characters from the manga series, such as Kitaro 鬼太郎 and Nekomusume ねこ娘, in its outdoor compound. Apart from that, there are stalls set up in its premises where old school target and ball games can be played at a stipulated fee (300 yen/game). Though there is an overwhelming number of shops offering original Gegege no Kitaro merchandise along Mizuki Shigeru Road, there are some exclusive character goods available only at Gegege no Yokai Rakuen. Being a nanoblock fan, I set my eyes on the exquisite nanoblocks featuring Kitaro, Nekomusume and Medama Oyaji 目玉おやじ and bought them all back without much hesitation!
Break time. Gegege no Yokai Rakuen also housed a cafe where light snacks and drinks can be enjoyed. Fancy some Yokai Latte 妖怪ラテ? You may wonder whether it is some exotic flavoured coffee just from its name, but it is actually normal cafe latte presented in a different way. You can choose from a handful of pictorial stencils (Kitaro, Nekomusume, Medama Oyaji, Ittan Momen 一反木綿 and etc) to be imprinted on the surface of your cuppa latte with cocoa powder. Ordered pancakes which has a small picture of Medama Oyaji stamped on the center, to go along with our Yokai Latte. In my opinion, I will consider the food to be more photo worthy than tasty.
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Mizuki Shigeru Museum 水木しげる記念館
鳥取県境港市本町５
Operating hours: 0930 - 1700 hrs
Admission fee = 700 yen
* Discounted fee for foreigners = 300 yen
http://mizuki.sakaiminato.net/
Gegege no Yokairakuen ゲゲゲの妖怪楽園
鳥取県境港市栄町１３８
Operating hours: 0930 - 1800 hrs
Free admission
http://www.yokairakuen.jp/
How to get there?
(1) By foot. Approx. 10 mins walk from Sakaiminato JR Station 境港駅.
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Video: Mizuki Shigeru Museum was featured in Taiwanese travelogue program "嗨 Let's go".
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Commemorative stamp:
Yokai exploration. This is a museum dedicated to Mizuki Shigeru 水木しげる, the late artist who created Gegege no Kitaro ゲゲゲの鬼太郎, the popular manga series depicting ghosts and spirits (otherwise known as yokai) in an amicable way. To be frank, I have limited knowledge about Gegege no Kitaro which originated way before I was born (first released in 1960) and have at most come across the main character, Kitaro, only a few times in my life. Therefore, this trip to Sakaiminato city, a place where Mizuki Shigeru spent much of his adolescent days in, was a great opportunity for me to better understand the background of this manga series and how influential it has been all this while.
Yokai vs Human. Close to the end of Mizuki Shigeru Road is where the museum is located. Upon entering the museum, visitors can welcomed by a figurine of Kitaro and Medama Oyaji, and a beautiful picture showcasing a caricature form of Mizuki Shigeru and his yokai creations. The exhibition hall is divided into sub sections, each with its own theme. On the second level, the characters of Gegege no Kitaro are represented on standing cut out boards and there are interesting display boards put up to provide a good overview/trivia of Kitaro and his family members. For example, an explanation on the process of how Medama Oyaji evolved to become a walking eyeball, an introduction of yokai no mori (yokai jungle), the place where Kitaro lives in, etc. A excellent bibliography of the late Mizuki Shigeru, documenting his life, the hardships he went through during WWII (during which he lost an arm) and contributions to the manga world, can be reviewed in one of the sections. Visitors get a glimpse of Mizuki Shigeru's workroom which is replicated in the museum; featuring his drawing tools and precious manuscripts. There is a Monsters' Cave, an enclosure where numerous figurines of yokai that have appeared previously in the manga series are displayed. Though the displays are all presented in Japanese, there are foreign language audio guides that can be rented by tourists to facilitate comprehension. And if you are lucky enough, you can even meet Kitaro and his friends, either loitering outside the museum or patrolling along Mizuki Shigeru Road. Do grab the chance to take a photo with them and they are more than willing to fulfill this request!
Send a postcard back! Here, visitors can find a specially designed postbox (like a straw hut) situated in Yokai Teien 妖怪庭園. An exclusive postmark featuring Kitaro are stamped on all postcards delivered through this postbox. To facilitate this, the ticket counter here sells both postcards and stamps, and there are even stationery supplies provided at the entrance hall for visitors to pen their thoughts on the postcards. Personally, I always find postcard an excellent souvenir / momento to bring back home from a holiday.
Yokai playground. A stone throw away from the museum is Gegege no Yokai Rakuen ゲゲゲの妖怪楽園. Here, visitors can take photos with more figurines depicting characters from the manga series, such as Kitaro 鬼太郎 and Nekomusume ねこ娘, in its outdoor compound. Apart from that, there are stalls set up in its premises where old school target and ball games can be played at a stipulated fee (300 yen/game). Though there is an overwhelming number of shops offering original Gegege no Kitaro merchandise along Mizuki Shigeru Road, there are some exclusive character goods available only at Gegege no Yokai Rakuen. Being a nanoblock fan, I set my eyes on the exquisite nanoblocks featuring Kitaro, Nekomusume and Medama Oyaji 目玉おやじ and bought them all back without much hesitation!
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| Completed nanoblock figurine of Kitaro! |
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| Yokai Latte featuring Kitaro and Nekomusume. |
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Mizuki Shigeru Museum 水木しげる記念館
鳥取県境港市本町５
Operating hours: 0930 - 1700 hrs
Admission fee = 700 yen
* Discounted fee for foreigners = 300 yen
http://mizuki.sakaiminato.net/
Gegege no Yokairakuen ゲゲゲの妖怪楽園
鳥取県境港市栄町１３８
Operating hours: 0930 - 1800 hrs
Free admission
http://www.yokairakuen.jp/
How to get there?
(1) By foot. Approx. 10 mins walk from Sakaiminato JR Station 境港駅.
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Video: Mizuki Shigeru Museum was featured in Taiwanese travelogue program "嗨 Let's go".
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Commemorative stamp:
