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Himi is a small town, about an hour’s train journey from Toyama City, Kanazawa or Takaoka. And if you’re a manga fan, you’re definitely going to want to check it out.
Himi is famous as the birthplace of manga artist Abiko Motoo, half of the duo Fujiko Fujio – specifically, he was Fujiko A. Fujio.
This twosome created some of Japan’s most beloved manga characters, including those in Obake no Q-Taro, Ninja Hattori-kin, Kaibutsu-kun, Perman, Kiteretsu Daihyakka and, perhaps, the most famous of all, Doraemon.
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The town of Himi is one big tribute to its famous son, so here’s what to look for if you come to visit.
Manga Road
If you’re coming to Himi, you’re going to get a crash course in some Fujiko Fujio designs, as the whole main street, now called Manga Road, is full of them.
Statues of their creations sit on plinths by the side of the road, they jut out of walls, they take up half the seats on benches and adorn postboxes. Some of them even make noises as you walk past.
Clever tricks like the one involving Kurobee and his shadow above also allow you to pose for fun pictures with some of the characters as you head down the road.
There’s also a fish theme to the road, with cute fish characters interspersed among the cartoon favourites. These eight characters come from Fujiko A Fujio’s ‘Himi’s Fish Gentlemen’s Book’ and are based on the fish caught around the Toyama region.
The road will lead you from the station north, almost 2 kilometres. Also, keep an eye out for murals and parks containing the statues on your way.
The endpoint is at the Kitano Bridge, where you’ll find four giant bronze characters on each corner of the road.
Ninja Hattori Kun Trick Clock
You’ll also want to try to time your visit to the Ninja Hattori Kun Trick Clock carefully. I arrived at this, and couldn’t quite see what the fuss was about – it turns out you need to be here on the hour, and then exciting things happen! I took this picture at 9.54 and obviously wandered off before the important bit!
Although in a way that’s good, as my photo hasn’t spoiled the fun!
It operates between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you’re here on the weekend, you’ll be able to catch it on the half an hour as well.
Kozenji Shrine
I visited a few of the shrines in Himi, but I managed to totally miss this one, which is a shame, as it features heavily in the story of Fujiko A Fujio.
He was actually born here, as his father was a priest at this shrine. When his father died, Fujiko A. Fujio moved to Takaoka, where he met Fujiko F. Fujio. The graveyard here is also where he’s buried.
Stone carvings of four of his most famous characters are lined up outside the shrine – the picture of them all peeking out from the gate is quite special.
The Fujiko A. Fujio Museum
This museum offers an opportunity to delve into the artist’s life and work in greater detail, from his career as a newspaper journalist to his fame as a renowned illustrator.
The Museum is two floors, the first floor doesn’t allow photography, but you can take fun pictures with the exhibits on the second floor.
The Museum costs just 200 yen to enter and is open 7 days a week, between 10 am and 5 pm.
Himi Main Street
I loved this faded old street. It’s filled with local shops and old, retro signs.
Most of the stores aren’t going to see you spending a fortune as they cater for day-to-day life rather than tourist-style shopping. However, they’re still cool to see, especially if you’ve been traveling in heavily touristed areas where every shop is selling artisan pottery or tote bags!
Do take a minute to stop off at 三権商店, though.
Located just south of the Trick Clock, they sell one of Himi’s specialty foods – kamaboko.
Kamaboko is a type of fish cake made from pounding white fish into a paste, then mixing it with other ingredients to create a cake. You’ll possibly have tried it on top of ramen, where it often comes in the form of a swirly pink and white circle.
三権商店 is said to sell the best kamaboko in Himi, and they also create it into amazing forms of fish, flowers and other shapes.
Also, keep an eye out for the CD Store – not only does it have this cool sign, it still has a His Master’s Voice dog outside! (I may be showing my age here.)
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Try For a Mountain Photo
If the weather is right, take a trip to the seafront area to the east of the town. It’s one of the many places in the region where, in the right conditions, you can get a picture of the snowy mountains of the Tatayama alpine range behind the sea.
These are actually a long way from Toyama, but their height creates the image that they’re just across the bay.
You need clear skies to get the perfect picture, meaning they’re more likely to be seen in winter – and apparently, conditions are best after it rains.
I got lucky as I passed nearby Onnaiwa Rock on the train and just managed to snap them in the background of the picture above. I was there in early May, which is typically the last month when the tops of the mountains still have snow.
If you are a photographer looking to snap the perfect image of the mountains, this guide from Toyama tourism offers advice for the best vantage points.
The picture above was taken from the train window on the way back to Toyama from Himi, while trying to capture a shot of Onnaiwa Rock, one of Toyama’s most famous landmarks.
Getting Your Timings Right
Now, I was silly when I visited Himi. I decided to combine it with a visit to Takaoka on the same day. My train was also uncharacteristically late leaving Toyama, which meant I arrived later than I planned, and with long gaps between the trains, everything got a bit crunched.
The result was that I only had just over an hour in Himi. That was nowhere near enough. You need two hours to wander Manga Road if you also want to pop in some of the shops, explore the side streets and visit Kozen-ji. If you want to visit the museum, you’ll need at least another hour.
I also wouldn’t suggest arriving too early. My train got me into town around 9.15, and the place was deserted on my walk up the road – shops were only really opening up when I made my way back down.
If you do want to see the shops open, avoid visiting on a Sunday as this is when most of them close.
Where’s Doraemon?
Ah – you don’t come here for the little blue space cat – he has his own tribute in nearby Takaoka. More on that to come.
How to Get To Himi
You need to make your way to Takaoka Station (not Shin-Takaoka, although there are easy connections between the two), and then you’ll catch the Himi Line north. It takes just under 40 minutes to reach Himi from Takaoka.
One thing to note. If you’re transferring trains at Takaoka (I arrived from Toyama), you’ll follow a clearly marked path to the small train that takes you to Himi. But at no point on this clearly marked path do you see an obvious ticket office. As you can’t use Suica in this area, I was a bit concerned about this as I was effectively travelling without a ticket – but don’t worry, you can pay when you get off at Himi.
If you’re using the Hokuriku Arch Pass to travel around this area, the journey is included in that. If you’re not, the cost from Takaoka to Himi will be 330 yen.
The trains between Himi and Takaoka are quite frequent first thing in the morning – one reason why I arrived so early – and during the evening rush hour, but the gap does lengthen throughout the rest of the day. There’s only a train roughly every 90 minutes, so make sure you check the timetable on an app like Navitime when planning your day.
Related Read: 13 Apps You Need for Your Japan Trip
So there you have it – my guide to taking a day trip to Himi.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
