Hotaruika Museum (Firefly Squid Museum), Toyama

A museum devoted to the firefly squid that crowd into Toyama Bay each spring and glow blue-white. From late March to late May, watch live squid light up and even touch them.

The glowing squid that signal spring in Toyama Bay

The firefly squid, hotaruika in Japanese, is a small squid that normally lives deep in the sea, 200 to 600m down. Its body is covered in light organs, and when it is disturbed its whole body glows a pale blue-white. It is born in spring and lives for just one year.

Every year from March to May, firefly squid swarm close to the shore of Toyama Bay in huge numbers to spawn. The stretch of sea from the mouth of the Joganji River to Uozu was designated a national Special Natural Monument in 1952 as the "Firefly Squid Swarming Area". When the squid wash up at the water's edge and glow, locals call it the "firefly squid's leap", and it is one of the classic sights of spring in Toyama.

The name hotaruika (literally "firefly squid") was given in 1905, the 38th year of the Meiji era, by Dr Shozaburo Watase of the University of Tokyo. Before that, people locally called it matsuika.

The light show in the Live Theatre

The Hotaruika Museum (Firefly Squid Museum) is inside Wave Park Namerikawa, a michi no eki (roadside rest stop) in Namerikawa, Toyama Prefecture. The highlight is the light show in the Live Theatre, which has a semicircular tank and a screen.

From 20 March until late May, the show uses live firefly squid. After a film about the squid's life, including footage of the fishing, staff shake the net in the tank to stimulate the squid, and you watch them light up right in front of you. At this time of year you can also touch live firefly squid in the touch pool.

From June until mid-March the following year there are no live firefly squid, so the programme changes. Since June 2026, the show has featured glowing plankton instead.

Deep-sea creatures and a VR experience

Inside, large panels explain how the firefly squid's body works, and there are displays of unusual deep-sea creatures such as the giant isopod. The touch pool uses cold deep ocean water pumped up from 333m below the sea off Namerikawa, and depending on the season you can touch creatures such as Toyama shrimp.

There are also film and digital exhibits, including a VR experience in which you explore the deep sea as a firefly squid. From the building you can look out over the sea and, on a clear day, the Tateyama mountain range.

Getting there and seasonal extras

It is about an eight-minute walk from Namerikawa Station: follow the road in front of the station towards the sea. By car it is about 10 minutes from Namerikawa IC and about 40 minutes from Toyama Airport.

At the height of the firefly squid fishing season there are also Firefly Squid Sea Tours (booking required), in which you head out by boat before dawn to see the squid glowing in the fixed nets. The glow can be seen at sea for about a month, from April to early May. Check opening hours, prices and tour dates on the business calendar on the official website.

Tips

The light show with live firefly squid only runs from 20 March to late May. At other times of year the programme is different, so if you want to see the squid glow, go in spring.
Show times are given at reception when you enter. Check the time first thing when you arrive.
The Firefly Squid Sea Tours need to be booked and may be cancelled because of the weather. If you are planning a spring trip, check how to book early.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Hotaruika Museum (Firefly Squid Museum)