Fukusaki's Yokai Bench Trail: 18 Yokai, a ¥500 E-Bike, and Every Google Maps Pin
Fukusaki, a small town in Hyogo, has yokai sitting on benches all over town. Here is how to get there from Osaka, why you want the ¥500 e-bike, the Google Maps trick that beats the hand-drawn map, and a pin for every bench.
Fukusaki is a small town in Hyogo Prefecture and an easy day trip from Osaka or Himeji, about half an hour past Himeji on a local train. It is also the hometown of Kunio Yanagita, the father of Japanese folklore studies, and the town leans into it hard. There are yokai sitting on benches all over town: a tengu on a laptop, an oni taking a selfie, a red bean washer playing a Nintendo Switch. Each bench has a QR code that tells you that yokai’s story, pulled from Yanagita’s books.
I rented a ¥500 e-bike, grabbed the town’s hand-drawn map, and spent about three hours hunting down all 18 yokai on it. I got a little lost along the way. This is the guide I wish I had that morning.
Fukusaki yokai benches at a glance
- Get to Himeji, then take the JR Bantan Line to Fukusaki Station. Roughly an hour from Osaka to Himeji on the JR Special Rapid, then about 30 minutes on the Bantan Line.
- Rent the e-bike. It was ¥500, it is right by the station, and the benches are spread out much farther than the map makes it look.
- Don’t navigate by the paper map. Search Google Maps for “Yokai Bench:” plus the yokai’s name and ask for bike directions. Every pin is on the clickable map below.
- Give it about three hours. That is how long all 18 took me, including one hill and some backtracking.
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How to get to Fukusaki
From Osaka, take the JR Special Rapid west to Himeji. At Himeji, switch to the JR Bantan Line heading north and ride it to Fukusaki Station. Plan on about an hour and a half, plus the transfer.
Say hi to the kappa when you arrive. His name is Gajiro, he lives in a water tank in front of the station, and every 15 minutes he rises out of the water holding a welcome sign. The shows run at 7, 22, 37, and 52 minutes past the hour, from 7:07 a.m. to 8:07 p.m. I caught the 10:07, and it is a very good start to a day of yokai.
Rent the ¥500 e-bike
The bikes rent from the Ekimae Tourism Exchange Center by the station, and the map lists the rental hours as 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mine cost ¥500, and getting it back by 6 was no problem. Check the Fukusaki tourism association’s site for current rental hours and closing days before you go.
Get the electric one. The hand-drawn map is adorable, but it is not to scale, and a couple of the benches are a real ride from the station. One of them is up a hill. On a regular bike I would have been a puddle by yokai number nine.
The trick: every bench is on Google Maps
Here is where I went wrong. I followed the paper map in order, rode right past two benches without noticing, and only figured it out when I got to the next stop. Then I had to backtrack.
What fixed it: every bench is pinned on Google Maps. Search “Yokai Bench:” and the yokai’s name, tap the pin, and get bike directions. Once I started doing that, the rest of the trail went fast.
Two things to know. Google spells a few of the names differently than the map does, so if a search comes up empty, try Konakijijii, Sentakukitsune, or Sunakakebabaa. And the Kappa-Komahiki pin is listed as Kappakomabiki, with no “Yokai Bench:” in front of it.
Here is the paper map with every bench linked. Tap a yokai and its bench opens in Google Maps. The numbers match the stars on the map, and the locations are the businesses and spots the tourism association lists for each bench. If you would rather skip the map, switch to the list.
| Stop | Yokai | Bench at | Google Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Amabie | Station-front plaza | Map |
| 1 | Yuki-onna | Erde Hall | Map |
| 2 | Tengu | Tengu Sushi | Map |
| 3 | Nekomata | Gourmet Meat Nishioka | Map |
| 4 | Konaki-jiji | Saturday Sun | Map |
| 5 | Umibozu | Meat Shop Matsui | Map |
| 6 | Kappa | Tsujikawa Tourism and Exchange Center | Map |
| 6 | Kuwazunyobo | Tsujikawa Tourism and Exchange Center | Map |
| 7 | Abura-sumashi | Tsujikawayama Park | Map |
| 8 | Zashiki-warashi | Mochimugi no Yakata | Map |
| 9 | Kappa-Komahiki (the one I missed) | Yokai Book Cafe | Map |
| 10 | Oni | Monjuso | Map |
| 11 | Azukiarai | Tabedokoro Kurosuke | Map |
| 12 | Sentaku Kitsune | Kaishumaru | Map |
| 13 | Aburabo | Yakiniku House Kitayama | Map |
| 14 | Hitotsume-kozo | Hisaya Salad-kan | Map |
| 15 | Ittan-momen | FamilyMart Fukusaki-Minami IC | Map |
| 16 | Sunekosuri | Bon Marché Fukusaki | Map |
| 17 | Sunakake-baba | Tanyo Shinkin Bank | Map |
| 18 | Yamanba | Marufuku | Map |
Amabie is the Start stop, technically the first yokai on the trail. She is right outside the station, and I forgot to film her on the way out, so I came back for her at the end. You can do it either way.
Kappa-Komahiki is the one I missed. That bench is at the Yokai Book Cafe, so check the cafe’s hours before you plan around it. The tourism association’s full bench list also shows a few benches that are not on the paper map, if you want extra credit.
The best yokai benches
Every bench has its own little bit, and half the fun is seeing what each yokai is up to. A few that made me stop and laugh:
Tengu is a mountain spirit with a long nose, wings, and magic powers. Anything strange that happened in the mountains got blamed on him. In Fukusaki he is wearing a blue suit and typing on a laptop, really interested in whatever is happening on the internet. I can relate.
Umibozu is a sea ogre who holds your boat still out on the water. If he asks you for a ladle, give him one with a hole in it. Here he is a big blue blob holding a surfboard, and he kind of looks like a manatee.
Oni is the one on the hill, and the one in the photo at the top. Folklore has one famous oni standing 6 meters tall with five horns and fifteen eyes, eventually taken down with poisoned sake. This one was just taking a selfie when I walked up. How’s it going, bro?
Azukiarai, the red bean washer, sits by the river washing beans and singing about whether to keep washing or catch someone to eat. Fukusaki’s version is a green guy in a tank top and a gold chain, deep into a game on his Switch.
Yamanba is the mountain hag who eats travelers on mountain paths, though some homes worship her. She also inspired the yamanba gyaru look of the 1990s, which is exactly what you get here: a bench yokai holding up a compact mirror, putting on her face. Beautiful.
Halfway through, the trail runs through Tsujikawayama Park, which has a yokai playground and a koi pond. It is free, and it is a good place to stop and drink some water. Time your stop for the pond show, too: the park has its own Gajiro, who bursts out of the water at 0, 15, 30, and 45 minutes past the hour, while his older brother Gataro sits at the water’s edge.
Watch the whole ride
I made a field guide video of the day, with every bench, the story behind each yokai, and the moment I figured out the Google Maps trick.
Before you go
- Bring a phone mount. I didn’t have one, and you will be checking directions at every turn. The one I wish I’d had is in the gear list below.
- Charge your phone. You will have Google Maps open for three hours and you will take a ridiculous number of bench selfies.
- Scan the QR codes. Each one links to that yokai’s story. It is the best part of the trail, and the bench poses make a lot more sense once you know who you are sitting next to.
- Go in daylight. The trail is spread across town, and you want light to find the benches and to read the map you are not going to use.
- Watch the kickstand. My bike tipped over at the Umibozu bench. Park on flat ground before you go in for the selfie.
What I’d pack
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FPN All-Metal Magnetic Phone Mount for MagSafe
The one I wish I had. I rode the whole trail on Google Maps bike directions with nowhere to put the phone. This clamps onto any handlebar up to 2 inches thick, and a MagSafe iPhone snaps on and off with one hand, so the next bench is right in front of you. Other phones work with the included metal ring.
Check price on AmazonDJI Mic 2
That is the little transmitter clipped to my shirt in every selfie in this post. Two wireless mics and a receiver in one charging case, so I can talk to the camera from a bench without shouting over the street.
Check price on AmazonAnker Nano 3-in-1 Portable Charger
The one I take on trips. Three hours of bike directions in Google Maps eats a phone battery, and this one has the USB-C cable and the wall plug built in, so there is nothing else to pack.
Check price on AmazonMake it a day with Himeji Castle
You change trains at Himeji either way, and Himeji Castle is one of the best castles in Japan. It is an easy walk from the station. If you want to turn the trip into a full day, or stay the night in Himeji, a guided tour gets you the history without the guesswork.
By bike: the Himeji Castle easy bike tour on Viator is a four-hour small-group ride, capped at six people, with the rental bike included and a matcha tea ceremony along the way. It meets at the 7-Eleven by the north exit of JR Himeji Station. If you liked the idea of seeing Fukusaki by bike, this is the same idea with a castle at the end.
On foot: the guided castle tour with a samurai history expert on GetYourGuide is about three hours and meets in front of the Sakuramon Bridge at the castle.
Say howdy
If you are planning a Japan trip and you want more days like this one, the small towns and strange detours that never make the top ten lists, that is what I do. Tell me your dates and what you are into. I will handle the booking and build the trip around it.
Run a travel, food or gear brand? I make UGC videos like this one for brands too.