Mizuki Shigeru Road

Home Mizuki Shigeru Road Mizuki Shigeru Road: A Yokai Street Adventure in Japan In the quiet port city of Sakaiminato on Japan’s Sea of Japan coast, an ordinary street has been transformed into a living manga world. Mizuki Shigeru Road is a whimsical, slightly spooky, and endlessly photogenic homage to Japan’s most famous yokai (supernatural creatures), created by manga artist Mizuki Shigeru, author of the beloved series GeGeGe no Kitaro. For first-time visitors to Japan, this is a fun detour from the classic Tokyo–Kyoto route: part open-air art museum, part theme street, and part crash course in Japanese folklore. Families, manga fans, and curious travelers all find something to love here. Who Was Mizuki Shigeru? Mizuki Shigeru (1922–2015) was a pioneering Japanese manga artist known for popularizing yokai culture through his hit series GeGeGe no Kitaro. Born in Sakaiminato, he grew up listening to local ghost stories and folk tales. These stories became the foundation of his life’s

Tottori Sand Dunes / Sand Museum

Home Tottori Sand Dunes / Sand Museum Guide to Tottori Sand Dunes and the Sand Museum in Japan On Japan’s rugged Sea of Japan coast, far from the neon of Tokyo and Osaka, you’ll find one of the country’s most surprising landscapes: the Tottori Sand Dunes and the nearby Sand Museum. For first-time visitors to Japan, this is a chance to see a completely different side of the country, where wind-sculpted sand, sweeping sea views, and intricate sand art combine into a uniquely memorable day trip. What Are the Tottori Sand Dunes? The Tottori Sand Dunes (Tottori Sakyu) are Japan’s largest coastal dune system, stretching roughly 16 km along the shoreline and reaching up to 2 km inland. Some of the dunes rise more than 40 meters high, creating a desert-like scene that feels almost unreal in a country better known for rice fields, forests, and mountains. While they may look like a desert, the dunes are shaped by the wind and waves of the Sea of Japan. Over thousands of years, sand carried from