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■ About the Tokiwaso Manga Museum
Tokiwaso was a legendary two-story wooden apartment building in Toshima City, Tokyo, where many famous manga artists resided between 1952 and 1963. It became a gathering place for budding young manga artists, who lived together and developed their skills through friendly rivalry.
When the building was demolished in 1982, many feared that a priceless piece of manga history had been lost forever. However, thanks to the contributions and cooperation of many supporters, it was rebuilt and opened its doors as the Tokiwaso Manga Museum in 2020.
Today, the museum is a place where visitors can experience manga history by viewing recreations of the rooms where famous manga artists once lived and worked. It also hosts various exhibitions and events related to manga and anime as a center for learning about these aspects of Japanese culture.

■ Museum Highlights
Hallway (2F)
The second floor of Tokiwaso, where the manga artists lived, has been recreated. Both sides of the hallway are lined with manga artists’ rooms.

Room No. 18 (2F)
An authentic recreation of one of the rooms where manga artists lived. Get a glimpse into the daily life of manga artists in the 1950s and 1960s

Communal Kitchen (2F)
The kitchen shared by the manga artists has been recreated, including replicas of the original stove and utensils.

Manga Lounge (1F)
Books about the manga artists who lived in Tokiwaso are on display here.

■ About Toshima City
The Tokiwaso Manga Museum is located in Tokyo’s Toshima City, a densely populated district centering around Ikebukuro Station, which is used by 2.7 million passengers per day. In recent years, Toshima City has also become a center of “otaku” culture. The Ikebukuro Station area is home to many anime-related stores including the flagship store of Animate, Japan’s largest retailer of anime, manga, and video games. It also contains the “Otome Road” district, a center for female anime and manga fans. Cosplay events are held on an almost monthly basis, and the annual Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival has become one of the biggest cosplay events in Japan.

■ Surrounding Area
The area around the Tokiwaso Manga Museum contains other facilities related to Tokiwaso and the history of manga.

Tokiwaso-Dori Oyasumidokoro (Rest House)
Visitors can view the reproduced room of manga artist Terada Hiroo. Souvenirs are also available for purchase.

Tokiwaso Manga Station
Works by the manga artists who lived in Tokiwaso and related books are available to read for free.

Tokiwaso Street Showa Retro Museum
A museum dedicated to the history and culture of Toshima City during the Showa era (1926-1989), including manga artists of the era and their works. Reproductions and dioramas authentically recreate life during the era.

■ Current and Past Special Exhibitions
“Devilman and Mazinger Z Double 50th Anniversary Exhibition” celebrating the joint fiftieth anniversary of the two iconic series by manga artist Nagai Go will be held from April 8 to July 30, 2023.
Past special exhibitions include “Astro Boy: Japan’s First Domestically Produced 30-Minute Animated Television Series” and “Otomate Brand 15th Anniversary Exhibition: Tokiwa Otome.”

■ Other Special Topic
“Tanabata coloring tanzaku event on 6th -9th of July 2023.”
Tokiwaso park Tanabata decoration is an annual event which decorate with 40 bamboo.
Tokiwaso Manga Museum will welcome elementary school and junior high school student for FREE during 6th-9th of July.
We prepare tokiwaso related manga artist’s coloring tanzaku. Please pick one and write your wish and decorate bamboo.
Coloring tanzaku is also prepared at Tokiwaso-Dori Oyasumidokoro.
Why don’t you come and enjoy Tanabata festibal in Tokiwaso park!

■ Facility Information
Facility Name:  Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum
Address:  3-9-22 Minaminagasaki, Toshima, Tokyo (inside Minaminagasaki Hanasaki Park)
Operating Hours:  10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (Last admission: 5:30 p.m.)
Closed Days:  Mondays (or the next non-holiday if Monday is a national holiday); year-end and New Year holidays; exhibit-changing periods
Admission Fee:  Admission fee required to enter all areas of the Museum during special planned exhibitions
                        (Please check the Museum’s website for details.)
Access:  5-minute walk from Ochiai-minami-nagasaki Station on the Toei Oedo Line
           10-minute walk from Higashi-Nagasaki Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line
           15-minute walk from Shiinamachi Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line
URL :  https://tokiwasomm.jp/en/

■ Contact Information
Tokiwaso Manga Museum
Email: infotokiwaso@toshima-mirai.or.jp

Photos (From the left):

1.  Tokiwaso Manga Museum ©トキワ荘マンガミュージアム

2.  Hallway (2F)

3.  Room No. 18 (2F)

4.  Communal Kitchen (2F)

5.  Manga Lounge (1F)

6.  Tokiwaso-Dori Oyasumidokoro

7.  Tokiwaso-Dori Oyasumidokoro (2F)

8.  Tokiwaso Manga Station

9.  Tokiwaso Street Showa Retro Museum

10. Tanabata coloring tanzaku event

11. Tanabata coloring tanzaku event （light up ver.）