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Museum Replicating Osamu Tezuka's Former Residence Opens

A museum reconstructing the Tokiwaso, an apartment building in that ward's South Nagasaki neighborhood famous for housing some of Japan's most renowned early manga artists, including Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), Fujio Akatsuka (Tensai Bakabon), Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon) and Shōtarō Ishinomori (Kamen Rider), opened in Tokyo's Toshima Ward on Tuesday.

The Tokiwaso Manga Museum replicates the rooms of the acclaimed manga artists, and is located in the South Nagasaki Hanasaki Ward Park, only about 200 meters (650 feet) away from where the original building once stood. It was about 420 square meters (4,521 square feet) big with two stories.

Plans to create the museum were announced in 2016, and construction began in 2019. At the museum's opening ceremony, Toshima ward chief Yukio Takano said, "We want to showcase the birthplace of anime and manga culture to the entire world."

The museum's first visitor was 38-year-old manga artist Yuka Kawasaki. "Not only the exterior but even mold and spots on the interior walls have been recreated, I could feel firsthand the manga creators' lifestyle and breath," she said, saying that she was "overwhelmed."

Shinichi Suzuki, an animator who lived in Tokiwaso (and a model for Mr. Koike in Fujio's Obake no Q-Taro), recalled the apartment fondly when he was first made aware of the project in 2016. "Back then we didn't have any money, and as close friends like brothers, we worked as hard as we could under the same roof, making our manga." He admits that it was an old building with cracks so big the sunlight shone in, but was happy to hear that it would be reconstructed.

Mikio Koide, who has been active in using the site of Tokiwaso to revitalize the neighborhood through an informative rest stop and a monument, was also glad to hear the news. The nearby shopping district once had over 300 businesses, but they had dwindled to about 80 by 2016. "I'd like the shopping street's rejuvenation to be tied to lots of manga fans visiting from inside and outside Japan now that Tokiwaso is being reconstructed," he explained.

The building was torn down in 1982 when it fell into disrepair, but in the years since the address has become a tourist destination for curious manga fans. The museum is free to enter, although bookings must be made in advance through its official website. It was originally planned to open in March in anticipation of the Olympic Games, but was delayed until July due to the circumstances around COVID-19.

Source: Kyodo News