Road Named After Mangaka Shigeru Mizuki Attracts Over 1.5 Mil. Visitors in 2023

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, December 31, 2023

SAKAIMINATO, Tottori — More than 1.5 million people visited the Mizuki Shigeru Road in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, in 2023, about half a million more than in 2022.

The sightseeing spot, named after mangaka Shigeru Mizuki, features statues of characters from his comic series “GeGeGe no Kitaro,” which depicts Japanese yokai monsters. In 2023, the road brought in more visitors every month than the previous year, when about 1.01 million people visited the area. July and December saw 2.2 times and 1.5 times as many visitors compared to the previous year, respectively, according to the Sakaiminato city government.

The resumption of flights connecting Yonago Airport in the prefecture and Incheon Airport near Seoul in late October as well as the release of the new Kitaro movie likely contributed to the increase. The road marked its 30th anniversary in 2023.

“We want to keep the road as a place that draws in many people and families,” said an official in charge of the city’s tourism promotion division.