Yōkai Gallery

Author: Richard Perkins

Photos/Videos Taken: 2021/03/20

Address: Kitaro Chaya Jindaiji-ten 2F, 5-12-8

Jindaiji-motomachi, Chofu-shi, Tokyo,【182-0017】

Shigeru Mizuki, who wrote the comic book ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 (gegege no kitarō), a comic book based upon yōkai, lived most of his life in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo. Because of this, near the popular Jindaiji temple in Chōfu is the "Kitarō Tea House". As one might expect, inside the Kitarō Tea House is the "Yōkai Shop", a store that sells a variety of Kitarō-related goods. There’s also the "Yōkai Cafe", a cafe where one can enjoy food and drink based upon Gegege no Kitarō. 

Next door to the shop and cafe is the "Yōkai Gallery", an exhibition room with a number of yōkai on display. There’s a ¥100 entrance fee, but here you can learn about yōkai via original artwork by Shigeru Mizuki. There are also many yōkai figures here that make the characteristics of yōkai easy to understand, as well as make it clear where across Japan yōkai inhabit.

In a portion of this room is a small exhibit about Shigeru Mizuki himself. You can learn a little about what kind of person he was and what sort of a life he lived.

As of right now, the descriptions below each display are only in Japanese.