| After leaving Misasa Onsen, we drove to our first destination of the day – Yura Station (由良駅), better known as 'Conan Station' (コナン駅). |
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| Wait a minute! We went all the way to Misasa Onsen and Mount Mitoku (三徳山) are often promoted together as 'a place for purifying the six senses and healing the body and mind' (六根清浄と六感治癒の地). In the past, pilgrims regarded Misasa Onsen as the ideal place to rest after visiting Mount Mitoku, and even today most visitors include both in the same itinerary. |
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| However, Mount Mitoku is not an ordinary temple where you simply step inside, say a prayer, buy an amulet and leave. |
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| Visiting Mount Mitoku is considered a form of religious practice, even an act of ascetic training. From the Main Hall to Nageiredô (投入堂), the famous temple built into the side of a cliff high above the valley, there are several temple halls along the route. The furthest point most visitors manage to reach is Monjudô (文殊堂), the lowest of these halls, yet even getting there is far from easy. It can hardly be described as hiking – it's much closer to rock scrambling. Besides requiring a good level of fitness, there is also a genuine element of risk. |
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| As a fan of the Hong Kong comedy group ERROR, I'd actually recommend watching Episode 7 of their variety programme 'ERROR 10M ROCK n ROAD' (ERROR 死腳膠千萬巨蛋自作夢), in which they climbed as far as Monjudô themselves. |
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Bronze statue of Conan Edogawa, 'There is Always Only One Truth', outside Yura Station |
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'A Town Where You Can Meet "Case Closed" – Hokuei Town' |
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Tourist map of Hokuei Town |
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Since neither Todd nor I are in the habit of hiking or mountain climbing, there seemed little point in turning ourselves into potential mountain rescue cases! The drive from Misasa Onsen to Yura Station takes around 30 minutes, and there is a free car park beside the station. |
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Yura Station is located in Hokuei Town (北栄町), the hometown of AOYAMA Gôshô (青山 剛昌), creator of 'Case Closed' (Detective Conan). Naturally, the whole town has been developed around the series as its main theme. The moment we arrived in Hokuei, it already felt as though we had stepped into Conan's two-dimensional world. Conan characters seem to appear everywhere you look. |
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Our Case Closed pilgrimage therefore began at the Conan Station. Yura Station is Hokuei's principal railway station. It opened in 1903 when the government-owned railway operated by the former Ministry of Communications (逓信省) was extended from Mikuriya to Kurayoshi. In 1909, the line officially became the San'in Main Line, and after the privatisation of Japanese National Railways in 1987, it came under the operation of JR West. |
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In 2013, as part of the town's tourism promotion campaign, the station was officially given the nickname Conan Station. Today it is an unstaffed station (roughly equivalent to a DfT Category F1 station in Britain). There are no station staff on duty, so passengers buy their tickets from the ticket machine. The station is also scheduled to join the ICOCA smartcard network in spring 2027. |
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'Conan Station' (Yura Station) |
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Statue of Conan Edogawa – 'The Great Detective Who Never Meets a Dead End' |
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Inside the station building |
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Throughout Hokuei, you'll come across many statues of Case Closed characters. Most of them have not only the character's name but also a title. The statue of Conan Edogawa outside Yura Station is titled 'The Great Detective Who Never Meets a Dead End' (迷宮無しの名探偵), taken from Conan's famous self-introduction, 'My body may have shrunk, but my mind is as sharp as ever. I'm the great detective who never meets a dead end.' |
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The station building itself is filled with Case Closed decorations. Even the windows have been turned into translucent comic panels. |
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Although Conan Station is officially only a nickname, you'll actually see 'Conan Station' or simply 'コナン駅' far more often than the official station name, Yura Station. Even where both appear together, Conan Station is usually displayed in much larger and more prominent lettering. Perhaps the local residents have long since become used to it, while most visitors come here specifically because of Conan, so nobody really minds. |
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Waiting room on Platforms 2 & 3 |
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The refurbished Case Closed themed trains entered service on 16 March 2025 |
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Yura Station's vertical station sign, where the official station name is finally displayed more prominently than the nickname |
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As Yura Station no longer has JR staff, the former station office has been converted into the Hokuei Town Tourism Information Centre, staffed by the Hokuei Town Tourism Association. Visitors can obtain tourist information as well as printed guidebooks in several languages. |
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Naturally... they also sell plenty of souvenirs, including various versions of the Conan Station Visit Certificate (コナン駅来駅証明書), which are actually postcards priced at JP¥200 each. Most of the merchandise sold here is, unsurprisingly, Conan-related. |
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| A themed station naturally deserves themed trains. The first Case Closed train entered service in 2012 to celebrate the launch of Manga Kingdom Tottori (まんが王国とっとり) and the 13th International Comic Artist Conference, which was held in Tottori Prefecture. A second themed train followed in 2015. Both train sets were completely refurbished and returned to service on 16 March 2025, becoming today's Black & White Train (黒白車両) and Detectives Train (探偵車両). Both are JR West diesel multiple units Series KiHa 126. Apart from their exterior livery, the interiors are much the same as ordinary trains. |
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The train to Kurayoshi is approaching... |
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JR West diesel railcar Class KiHa 121 |
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Formed by coupling two single-car units together |
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'Manga Kingdom Tottori' is a tourism brand created by the Tottori Prefectural Government, rather like London's former 'TOTALLY LONDON' or Amsterdam's 'I amsterdam'. Its aim is to strengthen the connection between manga (comic) creators and society while using manga to promote the local economy and tourism. As a Manga Kingdom, Tottori is naturally home to much more than Case Closed. It is also related to MIZUKI Shigeru (水木 しげる), creator of GeGeGe no Kitarô (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎), and TANIGUCHI Jirô (谷口 ジロー), the illustrator of the Solitary Gourmet (孤独のグルメ). |
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After looking around Conan Station, I checked the timetable and noticed that a train was due shortly, making it the perfect opportunity to take a few train photographs. This was the 10:48 local service from Yonago to Kurayoshi. It stopped for less than a minute before continuing its journey. If you're hoping to ride, or simply photograph, one of the Case Closed themed trains, it's well worth checking the timetable beforehand. |
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The coming service was operated by a diesel railcar Class Kiha 121, effectively the single-car version of the Series KiHa 126 used for the Conan trains. Although each KiHa 121 consists of only one coach, this service was formed by coupling two independent KiHa 121 units together to make a two-coach train, |
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Stone artwork of the cover of Case Closed Volume 23 |
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After leaving Yura Station, the road directly in front of the station is Conan Street (コナン通り). Its official name is Prefectural Route 167, although on Google Maps it is now generally labelled simply as Conan Street. Conan Street stretches for 1.4 km, beginning at Yura Station and ending at Roadside Station Daiei (道の駅 大栄), near the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory. Along the route are plenty of photo spots, including bronze statues, coloured character statues, engraved manga cover stone panels and themed manhole covers. |
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Throughout Hokuei, there are 16 bronze statues and 15 coloured character statues. Most are located along Conan Street (including Great Conan Bridge), in front of the Hokuei Town Hall car park, or inside the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory. |
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Besides the statues, there are also stone reproductions of the covers of Case Closed Volumes 1 to 28. Each cover is engraved onto a slab of polished black granite before being hand-coloured. Most of these are located on streets away from Conan Street itself, so if you're hoping to photograph every single one, it's worth picking up a tourist map (available from the Tourism Information Centre at Yura Station.) |
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Statue of Amy Yeager – 'The Adorable Girl Detective' |
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Statue of Mitch Tennison – 'The Freckled Boy Detective' |
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Statue of George Kaminski – 'The Young Boss of Justice' |
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The section of Conan Street immediately outside Yura Station features statues of Amy Yeager (YOSHIDA Ayumi, 吉田 歩美), Mitch Tennison (TSUBURAYA Mitsuhiko, 円谷 光彦), George Kaminski (KOJIMA Genta, 小島 元太) and Anita Hailey (HAIBARA Ai, 灰原 哀). Together with the Conan Edogawa statue outside the station, this stretch includes every member of the Junior Detective League (少年探偵団). |
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Todd commented that Japanese children's anime tends to follow a similar character formula, saying Amy, Mitch and George reminded him of Shizuka, Suneo and Gian from Doraemon. Well... apart from their appearances, their personalities are nothing alike! 🙄🙄 So then, if that's the case, which one would be Doraemon, and which one would be Nobita – Conan or Anita? 😓😓 |
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Putting Conan aside, Anita is probably the most popular member of the Junior Detective League among fans.
Originally known as MIYANO Shiho (宮野 志保), an 18-year-old former member of the Black Organisation under the codename Sherry, she was one of the scientists involved in developing APTX-4869, the drug that shrank Jimmy Kudo (KUDÔ Shin'ichi, 工藤 新一) into Conan. |
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She was later assigned to investigate whether Jimmy had actually died after being forced to take APTX-4869. Although she discovered that Conan was in fact Jimmy, she deliberately altered the Organisation's records from 'Unknown' to 'Deceased', allowing Jimmy (Conan) to escape further pursuit by the Organisation. |
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Statue of Anita Hailey – 'The Sleepy Girl' |
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Statue of Jimmy Kudo, 'The Meeting Place'. Beneath the display window on the right are Conan-themed manhole covers |
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After learning that her elder sister, MIYANO Akemi (宮野 明美), who was a low-ranking member of the Organisation and also girlfriend of AKAI Shuichi (赤井 秀一), had been murdered by the Organisation, Shiho refused to continue her medical research. As punishment, she was imprisoned by the Organisation. During her captivity, she swallowed APTX-4869 in an attempt to take her own life. Like Jimmy, however, she experienced the drug's rare side effect and was physically reduced to the appearance of a seven-year-old child. Using her smaller size, she escaped through an air vent and eventually sought refuge with Dr Agasa (阿笠博士). She then enrolled at the same primary school as Conan under the alias Anita Hailey. |
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Since Anita spends her days attending primary school and her evenings developing an antidote to APTX-4869 in Agasa's lab, she's constantly yawning, which explains the title of her statue. |
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Along this section of Conan Street stands Hokuei Town Library. Besides the illustration of Conan dressed as Sherlock Holmes above the main entrance, there is also a bronze statue of Jimmy outside the building. In the story, it's usually Rachel Moore (MÔRI Ran) who waits for him. This statue, however, seems to reverse that moment in time. Jimmy is shown looking down at his watch, as though he's waiting for someone. I imagine that someone is Rachel. This display window outside the library also features two different Conan-themed manhole covers. |
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Deai no Hiroba (literally 'Meeting Square') |
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Statues of Harley Hartwell and Kazuha Toyama – 'The Lost Harley and Kazuha' |
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Neither Todd nor I are die-hard Case Closed fans, so we didn't plan to visit every single photo spot. Instead, we adopted a 'hop-on and off' approach by car. Walking the entire route back and forth would have covered nearly 3 km and taken quite a bit of time. There are four places along Conan Street where you can park for free: beside Yura Station, in front of Hokuei Town Hall, at Deai no Hiroba (Meeting Square), and at the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory. Since there isn't much to see at the Town Hall apart from three character statues, we decided to skip it and drove straight to Deai no Hiroba. |
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If you don't want to miss any of the photo spots but also don't fancy walking too much, hiring a bicycle is probably the best option. The Tourism Information Centre at Yura Station rents out bicycles for JP¥500 per hire, provided you return them during opening hours. As numbers are limited, it's best to reserve one in advance by telephone (0858-37-5874). If none are available at Yura Station, you can also hire bicycles at the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory, where they cost JP¥200 for two hours. Alternatively, there's a bus from Yura Station that goes directly to the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory. The fare is JP¥170, and you simply get off at the second stop. |
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Conan's House Beika Shopping Street |
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Conan's Kitchen, with the bronze statue 'The Beginning' featuring Jimmy and Rachel in front |
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Deai no Hiroba sits roughly halfway along Conan Street, and its main attraction is Beika Shopping Street (米花商店街). Beika is the fictional city where Case Closed is set. The name is derived from Baker, a reference to Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes lived. The shopping street consists of three buildings. The one facing the road is designed to resemble Jimmy's house. Around the back, however, is Café Poirot (喫茶ポアロ), a real café where visitors can enjoy classic Japanese-style Western dishes such as spaghetti Napolitan and Amuro's signature sandwich. |
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Another building houses Conan's Kitchen, a café specialising in light meals. The third combines the Conan Department Store (コナン百貨店) with Conan Gelato, an Italian-style ice cream shop. |
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The side entrance to Café Poirot, currently closed – Kudo of the East, Hartwell of the West' |
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Conan Department Store and Conan Gelato |
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Conan has disappeared from the bench |
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We spent a little while browsing inside the Conan Department Store, but ended up buying nothing at all. I suppose that simply proves we're not devoted fans! The shop has separate entrances and exits. You enter beside the gelato shop, while the exit is on the opposite side of the building. |
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Under the canopy by the exit there is normally a statue called 'Seated Conan', showing Conan sitting casually on a bench. However, when we visited, the statue had disappeared! All that remained were a traffic cones standing in front of the bench. Perhaps it had been taken away for maintenance. Even so, it felt rather un-Japanese. It's a bit of a shame for visitors who have come all this way hoping to tick off every photo spot. |
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To round off our visit to Hokuei, we naturally made our way to the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory (青山剛昌ふるさと館), located at the far end of Conan Street. The building's official name is actually the Hokuei Town Daiei History and Culture Learning Centre (北栄町大栄歴史文化学習館), but in most people's minds – and on most maps – that name might as well not exist! There is also a free car park here. |
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It was also, by far, the busiest place we had visited in Tottori Prefecture so far. Besides Conan fans, there were noticeably more families with young children than at either Yura Station or Deai no Hiroba. |
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Bronze statue 'The Junior Detective League' |
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Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory |
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Statue of Dr Agasa – 'The Self-Proclaimed Genius Inventor' |
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Outside the Factory is an eye-catching Volkswagen Beetle, the very same car driven by Dr Agasa in the series. This forms part of one of the themed statues, titled 'The Self-Proclaimed Genius Inventor'. Although the title comes from Dr Agasa's own character profile, considering how many ingenious gadgets he has invented for Conan and the Junior Detective League, I'd say he genuinely deserves to be called a genius inventor – not merely a self-proclaimed one! |
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On the second Wednesday of every month, between 11:00 and 11:30, visitors are allowed to sit in the front passenger seat of the Beetle for photographs. The experience costs JP¥200 per person, and registration must be completed at the reception desk between 09:30 and 10:50. |
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In February 2005, before Hôjô Town and Daiei Town merged, the joint merger committee drew up the New Town Development Plan. In line with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's policy of using Japanese animation to promote international exchange and regional revitalisation, one of its key strategies was to develop to tourism centred around Case Closed, creating themed sightseeing routes and visitor attractions. |
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Later that October, the two towns officially merged to form Hokuei. In March 2007, the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory opened as the sole permanent exhibition inside the Daiei History and Culture Learning Centre, becoming the town's principal tourist attraction. |
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Admission ticket and complimentary gift |
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The ticket itself is a holographic card. I actually think it's rather attractive, making a nice bookmark or souvenir. There are three different designs, but each visitor may purchase only one ticket, which is issued at random. If you want to collect the full set, you'd probably need to bring several friends with you! The ticket remains valid throughout the day. For example, you can leave the Factory for lunch and return later using the same ticket. There's one more thing worth remembering – the Factory's 3D projection attraction also requires your admission ticket, so don't throw it away after entering. |
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Upon entering the Factory, the first thing you'll see is a self-portrait of Aoyama together with his pet cat Kaito, hidden inside a giant keyhole. You'll find many more keyholes throughout the Factory, each concealing a puzzle. Visitors can use the Factory's official app to solve these mystery challenges. |
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The G/F mainly displays white plaster statues of the characters, together with life-sized models of several of Conan's gadgets. Around the walls are reproductions of Aoyama's original artwork, covering works such as Gôshô Aoyama's Collection of Short Stories, Magic Kaito (まじっく快斗), YAIBA, and of course Case Closed. |
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Self-portrait of Aoyama and his cat Kaito |
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White plaster character statues in the centre of the G/F, enhanced with special lighting effects |
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Replica of Aoyama's studio |
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The Factory also displays detective novels from around the world. This is fitting, as many names in Aoyama's works pay tribute to famous detective writers and fictional detectives. Besides the previously mentioned Beika, which is a play on Baker Street, even Conan Edogawa's name honours both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes; and Japanese mystery writer EDOGAWA Ranpo (江戸川 乱歩). Likewise, Jimmy Kudo (KUDÔ Shin'ichi) takes his surname from KUDÔ Shunsaku (工藤 俊作), the protagonist of the classic Japanese TV drama Tantei Monogatari (探偵物語, literally 'Detective Story', while his given name pays tribute to science fiction writer HOSHI Shin'ichi (星 新一).
These are only a tiny, tiny fraction of the many references hidden throughout Aoyama's works – there are plenty more. |
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Another highlight of the G/F is a replica of Aoyama's studio. A screen inside continuously plays a short biography and interview footage of the artist himself. |
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As Case Closed is by far Aoyama's most famous work, much of the Factory naturally focuses on the series. This includes Dr Agasa's inventions, some of which we had already seen at Tottori Airport a couple of days earlier. However, the Factory features many more life-sized models than the airport display. For example, gadgets such as the Turbo Engine Skateboard and Stun-Gun Wristwatch, which were only shown as illustrations at the airport, are displayed here as physical models. Other inventions, such as the Lunchbox Fax Machine and the Football Dispensing Belt, were not mentioned at the airport at all. |
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Dr Agasa's inventions – we had already seen some of these at Tottori Airport |
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Statue of Conan preparing to use the Stun-Gun Wristwatch – 'Taking Aim' |
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As for recreated scenes from the series, I actually thought the airport's exhibition was more impressive. Here there is only a replica of the Moore Detective Agency, and even that is constructed largely from printed display boards. To be honest, it feels rather basic. Perhaps the Factory is simply more limited by space than the airport. |
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The 2/F is much more aimed at children. The most entertaining attraction is a simulator of Conan's favourite mode of transport – the Turbo Engine Skateboard. Standing on the board in front of a large screen, you steer Conan around a virtual environment. It reminded me very much of the old arcade snowboarding game ~ Alpine Surfer. There are also several smaller interactive games. I tried one in which you have to use the Stun-Gun Wristwatch to tranquillise Richard Moore (MÔRI Kogorô, 毛利 小五郎). The challenge is to hit his moving neck. Shoot early and he notices you; shoot too late and you miss completely... |
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Towards the end of the exhibition is a statue of Phantom Thief Kid (怪盗キッド, his real name is KUROBA Kaito, 黒羽快斗). I actually missed the one at the airport because it wasn't very obvious. Kid is probably my favourite character in the series, and I know many fans feel the same. While Jimmy has to shoulder all the responsibilities that come with being the perfectly righteous protagonist, Kaito – despite looking almost identical – gets to do all sorts of things Jimmy never could, from harmless mischief to playful flirting, while still pursuing justice in his own unique way. Although the two resemble each other because of their family connection, Kaito also represents another side of Jimmy's personality. Jimmy (or Conan) can never catch Kid. Well, of course not. How can anyone ever catch their own shadow? |
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Statue of Kid – 'Wizard of the Reiwa Era' |
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Statue 'The Phantom Thief and the Great Detective' – two rivals who oppose one another, yet deeply respect each other |
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Although Kid only appears occasionally as a guest character in Case Closed, he is actually the main protagonist of another series, Magic Kaito, which first began serialisation in Weekly Shônen Sunday in 1987 – seven years before Case Closed debuted in 1994. |
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Interestingly, it's not only Jimmy and Kaito who look alike. Even their 'girlfriends' are remarkably similar. Kaito's childhood sweetheart, NAKAMORI Aoko (中森 青子), bears an uncanny resemblance to Rachel Moore (MÔRI Ran, 毛利 蘭). It seems the two cousins not only share similar looks and intelligence, but also remarkably similar taste in lovers! |
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Inside the Factory, Kid's statue carries the tittle 'Wizard of the Reiwa Era' (令和の魔術師), a nickname adopted after Japan entered Reiwa era following Emperor Naruhito's accession to the throne. Before that, he was more commonly known as the 'Magician Under the Moonlight' (月下の奇術師), and the moon behind the statue actually suits that earlier title rather well. It seems Kid has evolved from being merely a magician into something closer to a wizard. Perhaps, in the eyes of ordinary people, his extraordinary illusions have become indistinguishable from real magic. |
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At present, Conan Street is laid out with Conan Station at one end, Deai no Hiroba in the middle, and the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory at the far end, giving the entire route a well-balanced spread of Conan attractions. However, that arrangement will soon change. The current Factory has outgrown its site and is due to relocate. The new building is being constructed beside the Deai no Hiroba car park, on the site of what used to be a large Conan-themed maze. Construction is currently underway, with the new Factory expected to open in Spring 2027. |
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Once the Factory moves, the only attraction remaining at the far end of Conan Street will be Roadside Station Daiei. Personally, I'm not sure that alone will be enough to encourage most visitors to continue all the way to the end of the street. Apart from dedicated anime fans making a pilgrimage, I suspect many ordinary tourists may simply stop at the new Factory instead. |
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The exit from the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory leads directly into the souvenir shop, Conan Detective Agency. Naturally, the Factory saves one last opportunity to empty everyone's wallets send every Conan fan home with Conan – and plenty of Conan merchandise. After visiting the Gôshô Aoyama Manga Factory, our sightseeing around Hokuei was more or less complete. It was also time for lunch. Most Conan fans would probably choose one of the two restaurants in Beika Shopping Street, but I preferred to leave food to places that specialise in it. Instead, we headed to an American-style restaurant tucked away in the countryside – 610 Kitchen. |
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Todd's lunch – Nebarikko Lasagne |
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Soup of the day – Vegetable consommé |
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'Haven't you had enough burgers and chips living in Britain?' Well... not really. I genuinely love burgers and chips. Back when I worked in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, I'd occasionally spend well over HK$100 on a good-quality burger lunch. (That might sound perfectly normal in Britain, but at the time it was considered rather expensive in Hong Kong.) Now that I live in Britain, it's much easier to find good burgers, but that certainly hasn't made me love them any less. |
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610 Kitchen is tucked away among a small rural residential area in a charming American-style wooden house, with parking available outside. Beside the dining area, there's also plenty of space for children to play, making it an ideal place for families. |
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I ordered the 620 Burger (JP¥1,700), which came with two homemade beef patties, cheese, lettuce and tomato, served alongside Western-style sauerkraut, chips and a soup of the day (vegetable consommé on this visit, though I'm not sure whether it changes daily). Their signature 610 Burger is essentially the same, except it comes with just one beef patty instead of two. |
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Todd chose the Nebarikko Lasagne (JP¥1,320), a Japanese-style Western dish featuring one of Tottori's best-known local ingredients. Nebarikko is a unique variety of Japanese yam developed in Tottori Prefecture. According to the menu, the restaurant appeared in Episode 677 of Nippon TV's Manten☆Aozora Restaurant (満天☆青空レストラン), which focused on Tottori-grown sticky yam, with 610 Kitchen invited to showcase dishes using the local speciality. |
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An extra order of 610 Chicken |
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During lunchtime (11:30-14:00), you can add a drink for JP¥260, choosing from fruit juice, Calpis, oolong tea or black tea (normally JP¥360). I went for iced tea, while Todd had hot tea. In Europe and North America, 'iced tea' is usually served with a slice of lemon (don't picture Hong Kong-style iced lemon tea!), while 'hot tea' is normally served with milk. Here, however, both the iced and hot tea were served with individual pots of creamer instead of milk. |
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Seeing the huge fried chicken poster outside the restaurant, we couldn't resist ordering an extra portion of 610 Chicken – six pieces for JP¥1,380. There were three flavours available: Original, Korean Sweet Chilli (ヤミツキチリ), and the Cheese flavour that we chose. There were also four optional dipping sauces – spicy sauce, yoghurt cream cheese sauce, honey mustard, and honey – each costing JP¥320. We didn't order any, as the chicken itself was already wonderfully juicy and tender, with a crisp coating and plenty of flavour. Any dipping sauce would probably have overpowered the chicken rather than improved it. |
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The restaurant also sells its own homemade scones. Scones are actually one of my favourite British treats, but by that point I simply couldn't manage another bite! With lunch finished, it was finally time to leave Hokuei and head towards our next destination – Mount Daisen. |
Click here for English Version 正一非常喜歡自駕遊。要合法在外國駕駛，首先需要「國際駕駛許可證...