HyogoLeisure

Tsujikawayama Park (辻川山公園)

Flow of the course

About 60 min here

About 5 min to the next stop

Next stop: See the birthplace and materials behind the start of Japanese folklore studies

About this spot

Tsujikawayama Park (辻川山公園) is the yokai park that made Fukusaki Town famous overnight. A mechanism brings the kappa Gajiro (ガジロウ) up from the surface of the pond at fixed times, and the lifelike movement makes children and adults alike cry out. Scattered through the park and along the surrounding streets are yokai benches created from designs submitted by townspeople, and simply searching them out one by one turns into a small treasure hunt. It is an idea that could only have come from this town, the place where the folklorist Yanagita Kunio spent his childhood. Sarubia Park (さるびあ公園) is only a short drive away, making this a perfect first stop of the morning.

Tips

Admission is free. The kappa appears on a fixed timetable, so check the times on the information board as soon as you arrive. Some spots have little to block the sun, so put a hat on the children from the start. A few of the yokai statues look quite fierce, so telling a timid child in advance that they are just models will put them at ease.