History and Outline

There is a long history between Namerikawa City and "hotaruika"(firefly squid) and a record of a catch of fish was remained around 1585. Hamada Tsunenosuke, a former Governor of Toyama Prefecture visited to Namerikawa City to recommend tourism. After that, the firefly squid tourism started in the city. The firefly squid sightseeing tour offered at night using three boats and started to produce processed foods of firefly squid around 1961. They later modified this tour in 1987, providing sightseeing tours in the early morning hours, and land tours also started in 1989 at the Fishermen Center by Namerikawa City Tourism Association. Firefly squid was designated as a representative fish of Toyama Prefecture in 1996 and the Hotaruika Museum was built in 1998.

Address

410 Nakagawara, Namerikawa-shi, Toyama-ken 936-0021 Japan

Telephone number

+81-76-476-9300

Business hours

9:00am-5:00pm (no entry is permitted after 4:30pm)

Closed

Tuesday during the period from June 1 to March 19 (the following day if it falls on a national holiday), from December 31 to January 1

Parking

Parking provided (capacity of 10 large-sized buses and 100 cars)

Access

8 minutes walk from JR Namerikawa Station on the JR Hokuriku Line. 10 minutes by car from Hokuriku Expressway Namerikawa I.C. 40 minutes by car from Toyama Airport.

Highlight

This museum is not usual museum that only offers ecological information of firefly squids. As the only one of its kind in the world, this museum offers visitors the chance to have a fantastic impression making free use of the newest media and with the mysterious light of firefly squids as its theme. Why don't you put yourself into the space for a while and trip the seafloor with the lead of the mysterious light of firefly squids?