Tokyo Facility to Showcase Japanese Anime Works Opens in Toshima Ward; Original Art on Display

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:53 JST, October 31, 2023

A new facility to showcase Japanese anime opened in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday.

Anime Tokyo Station, which has two floors above ground and a basement level, displays rare original drawings and other items chosen from about 50,000 anime-related items belonging to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

On the first floor, a 3.5-meter circular hanging made up of character illustrations from 118 anime works including “One Piece” is on display. Temporary exhibitions take place on the 2nd floor, where visitors can enjoy until January a display of figurines and games from the “Naruto” series, which is popular both in Japan and abroad. The basement floor has original drawings and animation cels, and a production process for “Tetsuwan Atom” (Astro Boy) is on display, taking visitors through the process on how an anime work is produced.

“I hope that this facility will be a starting point to the world of anime, and that people coming to Tokyo from all over the world will connect and share those wonderful works,” said Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike during the opening ceremony held on Monday.

The Anime Tokyo Station is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Admission is free.