Tokyo: Birthplace of Manga & Anime Guided Museum Walk

Where Manga & Anime Were Born — A Tour Only Locals Know Most anime tours take you to Akihabara. This tour goes deeper, to the streets where the legends lived and created the stories that shaped global pop culture. In the 1950s, a small apartment in Toshima called Tokiwa-so became the birthplace of manga. Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon) and Shotaro Ishinomori (Kamen Rider) lived here. See re-created rooms with desks piled with ink pots, left as after all-night drawing sessions. Walk streets that still feel like 1950s Japan, browse vintage manga at second-hand bookshops, and pass Matsuba, a ramen shop Tezuka once frequented — eat there if you like (optional, pay on-site). (Extended option only) Continue to Oizumi Gakuen, home to the Toei Animation Museum where Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon and One Piece were born. Your guide Hide is a lifelong manga and anime enthusiast — a small-group, personal walk through living history

1. 1

   Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum

   40 min

   Guided tour of the faithfully reconstructed Tokiwa-so apartment where Osamu Tezuka, Fujiko Fujio and Shotaro Ishinomori once lived and created their manga. See re-created rooms, drawing desks piled with ink pots, and unfinished pages left exactly as they were, plus a photo stop.

2. 2

   Toei Animation Museum

   40 min

   (Extended option only) Explore behind-the-scenes exhibits on how Japanese animation is made, from storyboards and hand-drawn keyframes to voice acting booths and editing suites. Try a simple drawing activity, take photos with popular anime characters, and browse the museum shop for exclusive items available nowhere else.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.