Guide · Akihabara

Part of: Anime Places to Visit in Tokyo: 9 Real Spots

Tokiwaso Manga Museum: The Apartment Where Manga Grew Up, and How to Visit

The Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum, in Minami-Nagasaki, western Toshima, rebuilds Tokiwaso, the two-storey apartment where Osamu Tezuka, Fujiko F. Fujio, Fujiko Fujio Ⓐ, Shōtarō Ishinomori, Fujio Akatsuka and other young manga artists lived and worked from the 1950s. It is five minutes from Ochiai-Minami-Nagasaki Station on the Toei Ōedo line. Entry is reservation-first, with walk-ins when there is space; reservations close at 8:00 on the day. You take your shoes off inside, so bring socks. It is closed on Mondays. I run private anime tours in Akihabara most weeks, and this is the museum I suggest to manga history fans.

Until 23 November 2026 the museum is running a special exhibition for manga artist Jirō Tsunoda's 90th birthday anniversary.

What is the Tokiwaso Manga Museum?

A museum on the story of Tokiwaso, an ordinary apartment built in 1952 in Shiinamachi, Toshima, where Osamu Tezuka moved in 1953 and young manga artists followed. The original was demolished in 1982; the museum reconstructs it and runs exhibitions to pass manga and anime culture on, according to its official pages.

If Doraemon is your way in, the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum in Kawasaki is the other stop to plan; anime places to visit in Tokyo lists more. For the anime shopping side, my Akihabara anime tour.

How do you visit: reservations, shoes and photos?

Reservations get priority; book through the official form, which closes at 8:00 on the day of your visit. Without one you can still enter if the museum is not busy. Inside, shoes come off and bare feet are not allowed, so wear socks. Photography is not allowed except in some areas, and video, flash and selfie sticks are banned throughout.

This is the honest section. The museum is built around a reconstructed 1950s apartment, so much of its interest is in the rooms and the history. During special exhibitions the whole museum is paid; check the exhibition page for the current fee.

What is on at the Tokiwaso Manga Museum in 2026?

A special exhibition, "Jirō Tsunoda: I'll Draw Anything!", for the artist's 90th birthday anniversary, runs until 23 November 2026, with a gallery tour by his eldest son on 10 October (ten places per session). From 14 October 2026 to 22 March 2027, a collection exhibition shows first editions and papers of Akira Maruyama, Tezuka's editor at Kōdansha.

How do you get to the Tokiwaso Manga Museum?

It is in Minami-Nagasaki Hanasaki Park, 3-9-22 Minami-Nagasaki, Toshima. Walk five minutes from exit A2 of Ochiai-Minami-Nagasaki (Toei Ōedo line), ten minutes from Higashi-Nagasaki's south exit or fifteen from Shiinamachi's south exit (both Seibu Ikebukuro line). Buses from Ikebukuro, Mejiro and Shinjuku stop at Minami-Nagasaki 2-chōme, about five minutes away.

Ikebukuro is close, so the museum pairs well with Otome Road or Anime Tokyo Station. For more anime museums near Tokyo, see the Toei Animation Museum and the Suginami Animation Museum.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a reservation for the Tokiwaso Manga Museum? It is recommended: reservations get priority and close at 8:00 on the day. Walk-ins are allowed when there is space.

Do you take your shoes off at the Tokiwaso Manga Museum? Yes. Shoes come off and bare feet are not allowed, so bring socks.

Can you take photos at the Tokiwaso Manga Museum? Only in some areas. Video, flash and selfie sticks are not allowed anywhere.

When is the Tokiwaso Manga Museum closed? Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a holiday), during exhibition changes, and over New Year.

Which manga artists lived at Tokiwaso? Osamu Tezuka, Fujiko F. Fujio, Fujiko Fujio Ⓐ, Shōtarō Ishinomori, Fujio Akatsuka, Hiroo Terada and others.

Manga history in Toshima, anime shopping in Akihabara

If you would like an Akihabara day chosen around the series you love, Adventure in Akihabara with Anime is my private half-day walk, three to four hours, never shared with other guests. The price is on the tour page.

About the author. I am Yuuki, a Japanese teacher and Akihabara anime tour guide based in Tokyo. I run private anime tours here most weeks, rated 4.96★ on Airbnb across 171 reviews. I have watched over 1,500 anime series, which is either a qualification or a warning depending on your point of view.

See the Akihabara anime tour →

Sources: Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum, Top page (reservation priority; book by 8:00 on the day; current exhibitions; address), Visitor guide (closing days; fees during special exhibitions; shoes off and socks; photo, food and pencil rules; payment), Access (stations, exits, walking times and buses), English page (history; connected artists), Jirō Tsunoda 90th anniversary exhibition (8 August – 23 November 2026; gallery tour on 10 October) and Tokiwaso and editor Akira Maruyama (14 October 2026 – 22 March 2027; closures). All checked 4 October 2026. Opening hours and fees are deliberately not given.