Interest
Tour a Manga-ka Share House in French TV Program
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The French television program toco toco began streaming its interview with Yuka Fukuma, the manager of the Tokiwa-so Project, on Wednesday. The project was founded 10 years ago and provides low-cost housing in Tokyo for aspiring manga creators working on their professional debut.
The video shows one of the houses that can host up to five people.
The project has expanded beyond Tokyo and into Kyoto and other areas with a total of 27 houses. The project is named after the famous lodging of in Tokyo's Toshima Ward that is known for being the one-time home of Osamu Tezuka and many other young manga artists, before they made it big. Other residents have included Shōtarō Ishinomori (Cyborg 009, Kamen Rider), Fujio Akatsuka (Osomatsu-kun, Tensai Bakabon), and Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon).
The Kyoto branch opened in 2013 and was funded by the city government, which allocated 13.8 million yen for the project. Kyoto refurbished a century-old, two-story wooden row-house for the project, which features three six- or seven-tatami mat-sized rooms (~100 sq ft), a shared kitchen, and a shared bathroom. The monthly rent is between 45,000 and 50,000 yen (~$450-500), which includes Internet and utilities.
The Tokiwa-so Project also inspired the Animator Dormitory Project which raised US$15,780 last year to expand the dormitory housing program founded in 2014. The project provides housing in in Tokyo.
