Author: Kate Mitchell

Location: Hokuei, Tohaku-Gun, Tottori, Japan

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

When you’re studying abroad, it’s important to do something really memorable. Something you thought you’d never be able to do or see, but now you can. For me, that was visiting Hokuei (also known as Detective Conan town) in Tottori Prefecture. I bet you probably have never heard of the town or Detective Conan, so here’s a bit of background. Detective Conan, also known in America as Case Closed, is a Japanese mystery anime and manga series that’s been running for over 25 years. The series is a Japanese cultural icon and a personal favorite of mine. The town, Hokuei, is Detective Conan’s author, Gosho Aoyama, hometown. The town is decked out in Detective Conan buildings, shops and merchandise. I’ve wanted to visit it for the past five years, but never thought I would have the chance. But a friend and I decided to make a weekend trip visting the town and other places in Tottori prefecture where the town is located. So let me take you on a tour of the town that was a dream come true!

My friend, Katie, and I arrived at the station around noon and I couldn’t contain my smiles when I saw it. The entire station was Detective Conan themed, complete with the theme song and everything. Outside the station was a statue of the titular character, Conan, who I immediately took a picture with. Statues of other characters from the show lead us down the street and towards a beautiful bridge. The bridge crossed over a stunning river. Most rivers in Japan are absolutely breathtaking and well-taken care of and this river was no exception. On the other side were a group of buildings all dedicated to Conan. One was a gift shop and another a delicious gelato store! There was also a café and restaurant all named after places in the series. The little details put into the buildings really made me happy.

My favorite part of the trip was the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory. It was a museum dedicated to the series with lots of fun mystery solving games, character statues and a nice gift shop. We were able to try out detective tricks from the series and play with some of Conan’s gadgets. The best part was the section on how manga is made. It’s a long process that requires tons of drawing, editing, and drawing again. I never realized how much work went into creating my favorite manga. The museum ended up being the perfect spot for a Detective Conan nerd like me. And even Katie, who had never read or watched Detective Conan, found the place super cool. Before we left, we wrote on some post-it notes and stuck them on a board filled with them to leave our mark. We were some of the few English speakers that had come to the museum that year, so our notes were extra special!

After the first day in my three-day trip, I was exhausted. We did tons of walking, had taken plenty of pictures, and spent probably a little too much money. But we had to hop on the train to our next location, Iwami, located along the coast of Japan. Weekend trips like this are always super fun, but it’s important not to forget that while studying abroad, you still have your responsibilities as a student. The Tuesday after I would get back, I had a midterm exam for one of my classes. To prepare, I bought a ring of flashcards and wrote everything I needed to know for my exam on them. Since my notes were in a neat and rather small place, they were easy to bring on my trip to study on the go. I was able to study on the train and before bed. Don’t let studying stop you from exploring while studying abroad. There are lots of clever ways to do both at the same time!