Do you want to live out your Pokémon or Youkai Watch dream? Or maybe you want to go on a Japanese mythology journey? You do?! Then I know the PERFECT place for you. Come on a demon-spotting adventure and “catch” demons in Fukusaki City!
Junko is definitely no stranger to my blog at this point. Check out 3 of our latest adventures here:
*Osaka Tennoji Night Zoo
*Kansai Adventures: A Tennoji Night Adventure
(You would think we really love Tennoji based on this haha)
I love Japanese mythology, legends, and demons, so Junko and I planned to go here in October a couple of months ago. Both of us really needed a refresher after the last couple of weeks, so we were excited to finally go on our day trip and take pictures at Fukusaki City’s demon benches.
Getting to Fukusaki wasn’t too difficult.
We took the 9:40 AM train from Osaka Station directly to Himeji Station, then transferred to Fukusaki Station, arriving around 11:50 AM. The trip cost around 1650 yen. You can expect to spend this much or more if you’re coming from Osaka Station, but check your options, as there are several trains and times to Himeji Station.
***The train back from Fukusaki can be tricky since it’s in a rural area. Trains are a bit infrequent, so plan ahead and give yourself a 5–6 hour window for when you want to catch the train back to Himeji Station. For us, it took about 1 and 50 minutes to get there.
Definitely give yourself some time to do some Fukusaki City sightseeing after if you want though!
As soon as we got to the station, we stopped to get bikes; specifically bikes with motors. You have the option of getting a regular bike for 300 yen, a bike with a motor for 500 yen, or Ebikes (I think they’re just easier to go up with hills with? Really not so sure.) 1500 yen. I saw a couple that got regular bikes and I felt so bad for them. You cannot make this trip on foot, you need at least a bike with a motor to have a pleasant time. Seeing all of the demons took us around 4 to 5 hours, and we went up and down a lot of hills. Make your life easier and have a comfortable trip by spending the 500 yen as we did and by renting a bike with a motor. It wasn’t so difficult with the bike with a motor, so I don’t think you need the e-bike.
You can also pay an additional ¥100 to get a stamp sheet at the Welcome Center that you stamp at 10 of the 22 locations that they have around. Leave it to Junko to do all of the stamps properly lol. From the second stamp spot, I turned my paper the wrong way, so I messed up my stamp sheet very early on :,). You can see the differences here:
And see the end result from after you stamp everything:
At the Welcome Center, there’s also a demon attraction! A little Kappa demon pops up every 20 minutes to welcome you to the town! I highly recommend catching it; it’s creepy but in a cute way. It was the perfect way to start off our Japanese “folklore” day trip~ I’m still amazed that we can take pictures with demons in Japan haha.
You can get a map (English or Japanese) at the welcome center to help you navigate the city. I’m not going to lie, we tried to do it like our ancestors without a map and we struggled. Junko was so great using the map to get us places, but we still used GPS for most of it in the end. You can search the benches’ names on Google Maps OR download this app to help you get to each demon ;). We didn’t know about the app until 2 hours into our journey haha, so let me save you the trouble of struggling~
Apple Store: FUKUNABI APP
Goole Play Store: FUKUNABI APP
Please download the fukunabi app for demon touring and exploring this beautiful Japanese demon town.
When I say this was the perfect place to unwind, I mean it! The area is very rural, and being surrounded by nature felt like a…you guessed it…MAGIC MOVIE MOMENT. I even started singing while we biked because it was so refreshing to feel the wind as we passed through the countryside. Unwinding in the Japanese countryside? What more can a girl ask for? I even saw cows! Maybe you will too when you go. 🙂
There were so many unique photo spots Fukusaki! I’m sure you’re eager to see the demons we “captured” in photos along the way. There are 21 demons—22 if you count one that’s not on the current map. This new one was built just two months ago, in August 2024, so we were surprised to find it.
Lucky us! Here are some of the demons you can take pictures with. Don’t hesitate to get goofy and really get into it; Junko and I had a blast coming up with funny poses.
Isn’t this a genius way to attract tourists to Fukusaki City? The townspeople have created a fun, interactive activity that also promotes local businesses. Many of the demons are located near local stores—one at a grocery store, another at a butcher shop, some at tourist centers, and more! It’s the perfect way to promote the town, share Japanese culture and myths, and offer a unique experience. It’s an activity that people of all ages can fully enjoy.
Of course we stopped along the way to get some snacks. Junko got some Kappa Cider…
…and I got a maple pancake. It was the café’s most popular dessert, and it did not disappoint! It was soooooo good. I highly recommend you get the pancake when you’re at the cafe we went to on your demon journey.
We also stopped at another tourist center for souvenirs. I bought some curry and a few books. The main tourist center has fantastic demon artwork and dolls, but my favorite was the Kappa manga! I laughed so much at the sample pages on display, so much that I bought the entire manga. On the way back, Junko and I read it and couldn’t stop laughing. Whoever came up with a manga about the everyday life of a misguided Kappa is a genius. I highly recommend buying it!
After about 4 to 5 hours of biking, we finally took photos with all the demons in town. While a bit exhausted, we felt so accomplished after completing everything we’d hoped to do in Fukusaki City. If I could give this experience a million-star review, I would! You won’t be disappointed if you go—just be prepared for a bit of exercise haha. This is the best demon-spotting activity in the Kansai region. I will definitely be going back!
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