Kyoto for Families with Children] What are the attractions and things to do at the Kyoto International Manga Museum?

Do you know "Kyoto International Manga Museum" located in Kanefuki-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture?

Opened in 2006, the Kyoto International Manga Museum is a comprehensive manga museum.

Most of the area in 5,013 m2 is devoted to manga, and 50,000 of the 300,000 manga in the collection can be read freely, making the museum a very famous tourist attraction for manga lovers.

Therefore, in this article, we would like to introduce the charm and history of the Kyoto International Manga Museum, as well as popular cafes located within the museum.

Please visit when you come to Kyoto for sightseeing!

What is the Kyoto International Manga Museum?

The Kyoto International Manga Museum, Japan's largest manga museum, opened in November 2006 on the site of the former Tatsuike Elementary School in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto.

As the first comprehensive museum of manga in Japan, it is one of the largest museums in Japan with approximately 300,000 items, including caricatures and ukiyoe from the Edo period, magazines from the Meiji period, rental books from the postwar period, manga, historical materials, and masterpieces from around the world.

The museum fits perfectly with the calm atmosphere of Kyoto,

Loves reading and history

Both children and adults can enjoy

Enjoy the fullest experience alone or with your family.

Popular not only among Japanese but also among foreign countries

... not only cartoons, but also exhibitions and events.

Many people seem to visit for many reasons, including

In the main exhibition area, visitors can enjoy a "What is Manga?" exhibition section, view actual manga production sites, and enjoy the Manga Workshop, including penmanship, drafting, and portrait drawing.

You can get around the museum in 30 minutes to an hour, but it is also a good idea to take your time and look at the history of the book.

History of Kyoto International Manga Museum

Originally, Kyoto Municipal Tatsuike Elementary School was located here until April 1995, when it was merged with four other elementary schools nearby.

Kyoto Seika University proposed the idea of building a Manga Museum on the site to Kyoto City.

The Kyoto International Manga Museum opened on November 25, 2006.

In just its first year, 227,000 people have visited the museum, and in 2008 it was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.

In 2016, he will receive the 20th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize and Special Award.

And with a record of 4 million visitors in May 2023, the popularity of the museum continues unabated.

Incidentally, the Kyoto International Manga Museum is visited not only by Japanese but also by foreigners as a tourist attraction.

Kyoto International Manga Museum Highlights

What makes the Kyoto International Manga Museum so popular?

Once you know its charms, you will surely want to go there! I am sure that you will want to go there....

Here we will summarize the highlights of the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

○The buildings and atmosphere are retro and fashionable.

The first thing you should check when you arrive at the Kyoto International Manga Museum is the atmosphere of the building.

The building of the former Ryuike Elementary School is still in its modern architectural style, and the atmosphere, including the inside, is that of a retro structure.

The facility's building was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2008.

Of further note is the former main entrance.

The architectural style of the building is Frank Lloyd Wright-style geometric patterns such as squares and triangles, but also has a sense of harmony.

There is also a stylish white decor on the wall of the staircase in the main building.

This one is said to be a copy of the columns of the Grand Theater of Berlin in Germany.

The design is on the wall above your head, so you might miss it, but pay attention to the construction as well as the cartoon.

○ Comprehensive museum of manga

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is known as the Manga Mecca of Japan.

Since its opening in 2006, it has attracted many visitors as a comprehensive museum of manga.

The museum owns about 300,000 materials related to manga.

Not recent, but magazines from the Meiji era, old documents, and cartoons from around the world.

You can see that the Kyoto International Manga Museum, as the name suggests, is the perfect place for manga lovers.

And this is not just a place that collects and exhibits manga.

For example, it is also designed for the purpose of studying and researching comics.

Popular manga are translated into foreign languages as well as Japanese, which is why tourists from all over the world come to Kyoto's Manga Museum to read books.

○ There are many things related to manga!

A must-visit at the Kyoto International Manga Museum is the Manga Wall.

The bookshelf is about 200 meters long and is lined with approximately 50,000 popular manga books from the 1970s onward.

You can pick up a comic book here and read it on a chair, or take it out to the lawn outside the facility and read it at your leisure.

The first floor is for boys, the second floor for girls, and the third floor for young men, arranged in alphabetical order by manga artist, so you can enjoy your favorite books as much as you like.

○Focusing on manga from ancient times and foreign countries.

The "Manga Hall of Fame" area at the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

This is where you will find a collection of great works that have won various manga awards, including magazines from as far back as the Taisho era.

The "Manga Expo" also features manga in languages from around the world.

There is also a research reading room.

The Kyoto International Manga Museum also has a research reading room.

The 250,000 materials stored in the collection include valuable books and other materials, and those who are 18 years of age or older and have made a reservation in advance for the purpose of research or study may enter the museum.

This research reading room also has old magazines and books for loan.

Those who wish to see valuable materials such as Edo caricatures and original manga magazine reproductions should reserve a place here.

○Souvenirs also include a wide range of original products.

The Kyoto International Manga Museum has a store.

There, goods, sundries, art books, and books on manga and anime works are sold.

Writing tools, screen tones, and other tools needed for writing manga are also available for sale at the Manga Museum.

There are also souvenirs available only at the museum, and the original "Mamieux" character goods are becoming popular.

Mamieux is a yurukyara whose trademark is a manga pen extending from the back of her head and a furoshiki (wrapping cloth) on her back.

The furoshiki is filled with manga from around the world.

Other souvenirs on sale, such as clear files with caricature motifs, magnets, and clasp wallets, are also popular among foreigners.

Permanent Exhibit "What is Manga?"

In the main gallery on the second floor, there is a permanent exhibit called "What is Manga?" a permanent exhibit.

This is an exhibit that addresses the question of what manga is, with easy-to-understand explanations of each field of manga, including history, society, and industry.

Manga has a history, we are just reading books, but there are rules of reading there.

This is a permanent exhibition space where visitors can experience such realizations and discoveries through exhibits, such as when they first started reading manga and when they delved deeper into the manga they usually read without even being aware of it.

○Giant firebird

A giant objet d'art of the "Firebird" in the atrium area.

Osamu Tezuka, known as the cartoonist of Black Jack and Astro Boy, contributed greatly to the development of Japanese manga.

A giant wooden sculpture of Osamu Tezuka's most famous character, "The Firebird," has been on display since around 2009.

This objet d'art was created using benimatsu (red pine) as a material as part of the "Kyo-Mono Activity Project," an initiative by Kyoto City to promote the attractiveness of traditional industrial products.

The huge wooden sculpture, measuring 4.5 meters in length and 11 meters in width, will have an overwhelming presence.

○Plaster hand mold "Cartoonist's hand

A visit to the gallery on the second floor reveals a large number of hands.

The hands of manga artists who have visited the Kyoto International Manga Museum are molded in plaster and displayed as hand molds.

Please stop by to see the hands of more than 100 cartoonists on display along with their works.

Kyoto 100 Maiko Exhibition

Speaking of Kyoto, maiko are the most popular type of geisha.

These are women who add to the entertainment with dance and musical entertainment in the prosperous areas of Kyoto such as Kamishichiken, Ponto-cho, Miyagawa-cho, Gion Koubu, and Gion Higashi.

The maiko of this hanamachi district are a symbol of Kyoto's uniqueness.

An exhibition of works by 100 manga artists depicting such maiko is being held on the first and second floors on the south side of the museum.

Each unique maiko has a completely different expression and style. Please take a look at the maiko drawn by each manga artist.

○Emuemu picture story show

The permanent corner playhouse on the second floor is where the old-fashioned but new, "Emu Emu Paper Show" by the Yassan troupe is performed.

Here, the "Emu Emu Kamishibai" (picture-story show), which brings old-fashioned picture-story shows to life, is held, and many people, from young children to the elderly, always stop by to listen to the stories with excitement.

Until 1960, television was still a rarity.

The entertainment for children during such times was the picture-story shows that came to town.

The crates are used as a stage for the storytelling, with pictures and narration.

Each time the picture changes, the child is drawn more and more into the story and entertained.

This section is to show such picture-story shows again.

○ Portrait Corner

At the back of the first floor of the Kyoto International Manga Museum, there is a portrait corner.

Here, a professional portrait artist will draw a portrait of you if you visit on the corresponding implementation date.

Different artists have different tastes, which is another reason why they are so popular. Ask the artist you want to draw to draw your portrait.

Depending on the day of the week, the program may fill up and be closed, so it is best to register early.

Please check the official website for rates and hours.

○Manga Kobo

There is also a Manga Workshop on the first floor of the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

At Manga Kobo, visitors can see young, currently active manga artists demonstrating their drawing skills.

The professional skill with which even the most detailed drawings are well rendered is truly outstanding.

If you are interested in becoming a cartoonist, please stop by here as well.

■Is there an event at the Kyoto International Manga Museum?

The Kyoto International Manga Museum offers a number of events.

Check the official website for the latest information.

In recent years, there seemed to be an exhibition of original manga, art works, handmade goods, accessories, and clothing items for sale as art made!

This event may be a must for manga and art lovers.

■Stop by the Museum Cafe at the Kyoto International Manga Museum!

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is home to Maeda Coffee, which has 10 stores in the Kyoto area.

Located on the first floor near the entrance, it opens at 10:00 am.

Maeda Coffee is a long-established coffee shop that has been loved by Kyotoites for more than 50 years since its establishment in 971.

The Manga Museum branch at the Kyoto International Manga Museum sells coffee, toast, pasta, curry, etc., like Ryunosuke and Ushiwakamaru, and its wide variety of mornings and hearty lunches are becoming popular.

Also, be sure to check out the original collaboration menu with the Kyoto International Manga Museum, which is available at certain times of the year.

Kyoto is a fierce battleground with many cafes, but Maeda Coffee has a unique presence and has long been a favorite of Kyotoites.

The main store is located in Karasuma, in the center of Kyoto, and is popular with regular customers for coffee in the morning and office workers and businessmen for lunch in the afternoon.

The coffee is home-roasted, the food and sweets are all handmade, and there is a wide variety of sweets and other attractive items.

The museum store is also decorated with wall illustrations by visiting teachers, so please check them all over.

■Action required to see, hear, cook, read, eat, and buy!

At the Kyoto International Manga Museum,

View Materials

Listen to a picture-story show

Making badges and manga artist experience

Read manga books

Eating food at cafes

Buy goods related to manga

There are many ways to enjoy the event, such as

Let's take a closer look.

View materials

One of the attractions of the Kyoto International Manga Museum is its collection of tens of thousands of old materials from the Taisho era.

It will be perfect for looking at materials from long ago and doing research.

○Listen to a picture-story show

Picture story shows were popular in the days when television was not widely available.

Nowadays, it is rare to find a place that offers picture-story show readings.

Please visit the Kyoto International Manga Museum, where storytelling is also available.

○Making badges and manga artist experience

When the event is held, there are many hands-on experiences to be had in making the product.

For example, you can make your own original badges or experience making manga.

It will be a valuable experience to be able to write manga using the same art materials as professional manga artists.

We also offer private lessons where you can receive authentic instruction.

○ Read manga books

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is all about reading.

About 50,000 manga can be read freely wherever you like.

It's hard to know what book to read.

○○ Eating food at cafes

Maeda Coffee is where you can enjoy delicious coffee and food while looking at the handwritten illustrations and autographs of visiting artists.

You will be able to enjoy both art and food.

○Buy goods related to manga

The Museum Shop sells a variety of original goods and manga materials.

A wide variety of "Mamieux" goods and comics for overseas markets are also available.

If one day is not enough, you may want to visit several times over the holidays.

More about Kyoto International Manga Museum

address (e.g. of house)

452 Kanabuki-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto

How to access

Approx. 5 minutes walk from Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma-Oike Station

Phone number

075-254-7414

Official Web Site

https://kyotomm.jp/

■ Summary

How was it?

In this article, we introduced the charm and history of the Kyoto International Manga Museum, as well as popular cafes located within the museum.

The Kyoto International Manga Museum has a collection of about 300,000 Japanese manga and graphic novels.

There is also a reading area where visitors can relax and enjoy the calm atmosphere of a former elementary school.

Please visit the Kyoto International Manga Museum to learn about the roots of manga.