GeGeGe-ki 2026 in Chōfu: A Walk Through Shigeru Mizuki’s World

GeGeGe-ki runs November 18–30, 2026, at sites around Chōfu, western Tokyo. The city honours manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro, with a paper stamp rally, a memorial, a weekend programme by the station and ticketed anime screenings. Start at Chōfu Station for a walk through places that carry his work into everyday life. Chōfu City programme

Quick answers for a visit

What does GeGeGe-ki mean? Chōfu uses the name for its observance of November 30, the anniversary of Mizuki’s death in 2015, and for the festival around that date. He lived for decades in Chōfu, which named him an honorary citizen. His Kitaro stories make characters out of yōkai, strange beings familiar from Japanese folklore. Chōfu City, Toei Animation

Where do I start the stamp rally? Pick up a paper sheet at Nukumori Station, the visitor information counter outside Chōfu Station’s central ticket gates. Its standard pickup and exchange hours are 09:00–16:00 JST. On November 28 and 29, the tourism association directs visitors to the event space in the station plaza instead. Fudaten Shrine and Jindaiji Temple also distribute sheets and exchange prizes from 09:30–16:00. Official stamp locations and hours

Can I go without a screening ticket? You can follow the paper rally and visit the GeGeGe Gallery and flower tribute independently of the screenings. The November 28–29 programme around the station runs 11:00–16:00 and includes character appearances, performances and stalls. The city lists the noon cosplay photo session as free for participants dressed as characters from Mizuki’s work. City programme

Do the screenings have English subtitles? Toei’s programme does not confirm English subtitles or interpretation for the live talks. If language access matters, check the specific screening before booking. Toei’s screening programme

A short walk and a longer stamp route

For a short visit, make Fudaten Shrine and the GeGeGe Gallery your two anchors. Walk from the station through the Tenjin-dori shopping street toward the shrine. Chōfu’s tourism map points out Kitaro and other yōkai figures along this street. Fudaten’s stamp is available from 09:30 to 16:00. Then go to the first floor of the east building of Chōfu City Cultural Hall Tazukuri for the gallery and flower tribute, which the city lists from 08:30 to 22:00 during the festival. The city asks visitors to keep food and drink offerings away from the tribute. Chōfu tourism map in English, rally and gallery details, city programme

For a longer outing, build the walk around the stamp and exchange hours. The 12 stops include a bookshop, Kitaro Park, a produce market and Jindaiji. Six stamps qualify for the paper coaster and 12 for the calendar, while supplies last. The individual stops keep different hours. Decide where you’ll exchange the sheet before adding the farther stops, particularly if you’re starting in the afternoon. This is the paper rally. The tourism association also lists a separate digital promotion tied to purchases at participating shops. Official paper rally, tourism association festival guide

Even after the rally, there is a permanent way to follow these traces of Mizuki’s work. The Shigeru Mizuki Zone is a walkway from Chōfu Station to Kitaro Park, opened in March 2025. That park walk and the shrine stop give you two ways to see how the city makes room for Mizuki’s characters, through a public space designed around his work and a festival route through places people already use. GO TOKYO visitor guide

Choose a screening by what you want to learn

Toei has programmed distinct sessions across several TV adaptations. The November 21 session at Aeon Cinema Theatus Chōfu pairs animation director Akihiro Ota with animation historian Masahiro Haraguchi for live commentary on three episodes. It offers a way to look closely at how different series draw and move the same world. For a cast discussion, the November 22 sixth-series session at Kusunoki Hall lists Miyuki Sawashiro, who plays Kitaro, and other cast members. The November 28 session at the same hall marks 30 years since the fourth TV series began. Toei’s programme, Toei Animation Museum’s profile of Ota

Ticket check, November 13: Pia marked the November 21 Ota session’s general allocation as exhausted. It showed the November 22 and November 28 sessions in their general sale periods when checked. Open the individual listing for current seat availability. Toei says there will be no same-day sale for a session whose advance tickets sell out, and that staff may check ID on the day. A posted door price alone cannot tell you whether there will be tickets at the venue. Ticket Pia listings, Toei’s admission terms

What people noticed on earlier routes

Chōfu FM reporter Shōko Okamoto tried all 13 stamps in 2019. She described moving between a temple approach, a produce shop and municipal buildings, and meeting people doing the route in character costumes. She also reported that some visitors had to return another day to finish. The 2026 map changes the stops and the thresholds. Her older account gives a reason to start with the places you want to see and the time you have. Okamoto’s Chōfu FM report

The event also connects Chōfu with Sakaiminato, the Tottori port town where Mizuki grew up. In its 2025 report, exhibitor Yanoman describes bringing its Sakaiminato attraction GeGeGe no Yōkai Rakuen to Chōfu as a visiting stall. This year the city again lists that stall and a booth serving crab soup from Sakaiminato. Look for that exchange between the two places beside a festival largely experienced on foot around a Tokyo station. Yanoman’s 2025 exhibitor account, Japan Tourism Agency on Mizuki Shigeru Road, 2026 stall locations

Sources and next checks

The city supplies the schedule, memorial and weekend rules. The tourism association lists each stamp stop and exchange point, and Toei and Pia provide the screening programme and current seller listings. The Chōfu FM and Yanoman accounts describe earlier editions. Details checked November 13, 2026. Check the city’s notices before travelling because events may change or be cancelled. Chōfu City, tourism association, Toei, Pia