Hotaruika Museum — Attraction in Namerikawa

I had a good time. I visited since Namerikawa is our town's sister city and I was interested in catching the sights. It's a museum of the firefly squid, but also sort of a tiny aquarium - they have exhibits of nearby fish found in the Toyama region.

Ticket price was 620yen which was very fair, cash only.

Although they have an English guide, I used my phone extensively for translation since the exhibits are all in Japanese. It's totally understandable - I wouldn't expect everything to be in English in a specialized museum either. The staff were more than happy at using translation where possible and guiding me to the live show when it was time.

Immediately before that, I noticed some burly men setting up in a cordoned off part of the museum. I was like "hmm... interesting...". The live show was about 30 to 45 minutes and, although I couldn't use my phone to translate what was being said for this presentation, it ended with an exhibition of the sea fireflies glowing a vibrant blue, made possible by a tub the size of a grand piano which pumped seawater, simulating the ocean environment.

Once the live show was over, the burly men were gone and it turns out they were setting up for an exhibit of fish on display in what was practically giant kiddie pool (see pictures attached) including crabs and sea urchins, and the whole thing was rather cute.

The visit was a whole lot of fun. Even as a foreigner, they took care to make sure I felt included in the learning experience, and there was plenty of cool...

The best season is from April until early May. You cannot see squids lighting show in the other season. 1 or 2 hour is enough to see.

Updated 2023 Feb

My kids love the museum and we visit more than 10 times a year. Naturally it is a good thing to see firefly squid during the season.

As a repeat visitor, I recommend the poem by Takashi Takashima, which can be seen immediately after entering the museum. It is a poem of nostalgia for the past, and shows the wonderful sensitivity of Takashi Takashima, a local poet and doctor. This poem is expressed in a wonderful calligraphy by Masa-aki Oh-hira, a calligrapher also from Toyama Prefecture.

Unfortunately, there is no English translation, so here is my own translation.

The nostalgia for the past can be likened to that of a firefly squid sinking to the bottom of the Sea of Darkness. A small town in the Etchu region...

Despite most of the signs and descriptions in Japanese, I had a wonderful time in this museum. Just make sure you have google translate and you’re all set!

This isn’t a big museum but it kept me fascinated and entertained for a solid two hours. I could not stop learning more about this amazing firefly squid and the culture around it. It’s a shame that they only have the live firefly squid during spring and early summer, but the live demonstration made use of krill so you get a sense of the blue glow in the ocean.

Children would enjoy the interactive pool with the cold water and the other exhibits around it. The garden eels are especially cute, and do look out for the endearing (and never-moving) isopod.

Have some firefly squid fry at the cafe after visiting the museum, and pick up some delicious snacks to bring home. 5/5 - would definitely...