Tokiwaso Manga Museum

For my birthday this year, I got treated to a special once-in-a-lifetime event. I visited the Tokiwaso Manga Museum in Toshima City, Tokyo, Japan.

Listennnnnnnnn… as an anime/manga fan, I was REELING with excitement, awe and just pure joy! I was a kid in a candy store, but the candy was history and the store was a museum.

*PAUSE*

That last sentence probably explains my childhood too well. I am really here “weebing out” and laughing at myself! Whew… who compares candy to history?! Full on nerd tingzzzz. And I didn’t even care. Mayyyyyy Anywayssssss…

*PLAY*

So, where to start?

Okay, for those who don’t know what manga is. Short version – manga is the Japanese word for comics published in Japan. The word itself is comprised of two characters: man 漫 meaning “whimsical” and ga 画 meaning “pictures.” Unlike the American perspective of “comics are for kids”, manga is entertainment for people of all ages. Many popular manga series have been adapted and turned into a visual animated production aka anime. If you’re an anime watcher, manga is the blueprint.

The first manga I ever read was back in 2009. “Naruto” created by Masashi Kishimoto. To date, it’s one of my favourites and the story that really made me fall in love with Japanese manga/anime. Here’s an excerpt below of one of my favorite chapters:

Fun Fact: Manga is written/read from left to right. Which is the opposite of how we read. The physical books also follow a Japanese format; they start from the back and end at the front.

So, now that manga is explained. Let’s get to the museum.

Tokiwaso is a two-story apartment building whose framework was set up at 2253, 5-Chome, Shiinamachi, Toshima City on December 6, 1952 and was an ordinary building in those days. In the following year, Tezuka Osamu moved to this apartment building thanks to Gakudosha, who was the publisher of the magazine “Manga Shonen,” finding it for him. After around a year, Terada Hiroo moved to this apartment building in the same manner. Later, Tokiwaso became a gathering spot of young manga artists who came up to Tokyo. They improved themselves through friendly rivalry and continued developing the possibilities of manga.

[Reference: Tokiwaso Manga Museum Official Website. https://tokiwasomm.jp/en/]

Manga artists in connection with Tokiwaso

Akatsuka Fujio, Ishinomori Shotaro, Suzuki Shinichi, Sonoyama Shunji, Tsunoda Jiro, Tezuka Osamu, Terada Hiroo, Nagata Takemaru, Nagatani Kunio, Fujiko.F.Fujio, Fujiko Fujio Ⓐ, Maruyama Akira (Editor), Mizuno Hideko, Moriyasu Naoya, Yamauchi Jhoji, Yokota Tokuo, Yokoyama Takao.

(Japanese syllabary order; honorifics omitted)

[Reference: Tokiwaso Manga Museum Official Website. https://tokiwasomm.jp/en/]

Soooooo….

Listed above are many of the greats who were connected to Tokiwaso but for now, let me just take this name out of the paragraph above: “Gakudosha, who was the publisher of the magazine “Manga Shonen”

Remember, just a little earlier in this blog when I said “Naruto” was one of my favourites. Manga Shonen is its publishing house. And this publishing house is my FAVOURITE of ALL time. They have produced and continue to produce some phenomenal series such as:

Naruto
One Piece
Bleach
One Punch Man
My Hero Academia
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Spy Family

I said all of that to say: I WAS LITERALLY ABLE TO WALK INTO A MANGA TIME CAPSULE!!!! Not only that, one that is connected with my favourite publishing house. Listennnn…. I. WAS. OVER. THE. MOON.

I was able to go back in time and see how some of these amazing manga artists lived. Where they worked. Where they cooked. Where they slept. Where they ate. Where they gathered to chat and drink sake. Even where they showered and used the toilet (A little TMI for some but hey…I was all up in there soaking it ALL in. Lol!!)

Photos were forbidden in many parts of the museum but I managed to capture some moments where allowed. If you are a manga/anime fan it’s definitely worth a visit!

Twas’ a great day. Twas’ a great time. Twas’ a great experience. Some of my moments below:

A short walk from the main sign to the museum with some historical imagery and gorgeous artwork.

The Squeaky Stairs.

All part of the aesthetic. And STILL very much squeaky! Lol!

Some of the rooms had vintage TVs…and I mean VINTAGE vintage.

Some were actually working and was running some footage of the artists at work, creating manga.

During the tour, I was able to commemorate my stay with a Tokiwaso Manga Museum Coin. In one of the artists’ rooms there was a machine where you choose the coin and engrave it with your name and the date. The front has an image of the museum and the back has your name and the date of your visit. Pretty cool way to end an amazing step back into time. And all done and engraved in under 10 minutes!

Arigato Tokiwaso! Arigato! THANK YOU!

PS: HUGEEEE shoutout to Maggie! My fellow Lucian and happy-to-have-found cousin who pulled off this wonderful visit and so much more that weekend!! ARIGATOOOOO!!! ALL MY LOVE TO YOU MAGS!!!