Hotaruika Museum (Firefly Squid Museum)

Although it wasn't fire squid season we were treated to a planton light show which was amazing.. the displays are detailed and still contain many different species that reside in Toyama bay.. the staff were friendly and really helpful as well Do make sure to visit the restaurant upstairs.. their tempura is some of the best I've had in Japan😋

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 stuff to learn.

We came to the Toyama prefecture in April 2025 specifically for the firefly boat tour and the museum. Both the tour and the museum were enjoyable experiences! The museum is small but there are so many things to see. The character art and use of art throughout the museum for infographics is so cute and well done. If you like aquariums, you'll like this museum. There are lots of fun interactive experiences as well, like the stamp rally. The shop attached to the museum is also a neat place to explore and look for souvenirs.

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 come back again!

A small but very informative museum about "firefly squid" found every spring at Toyama Bay, and also wider education about deep sea species such as the "giant isopod", "glass shrimp" etc. It's like a mini zoo with live exhibitions! A recommendation would be to focus more on the biodoversity value of these deep sea species (instead of contents on how to catch and cook them). Nonetheless, overall a surprising find!