Mejiro: From Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan to Mejiro Garden and Tokiwaso Manga Museum

History and Local Charm

This course takes you through the western neighborhoods of Toshima City, from the west side of Ikebukuro Station to Mejiro and Minami-Nagasaki. During the Taisho era, the school buildings of Jiyu Gakuen were constructed in this area, and the children's magazine Akai Tori was founded in present-day Mejiro. In the postwar Showa era, young manga artists who would later achieve fame lived in Tokiwaso, an apartment building in Minami-Nagasaki.

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan is a school building of Jiyu Gakuen founded in 1921 by the couple Hani Motoko and Hani Yoshikazu. Designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, it is designated as a national Important Cultural Property. The name of the teahouse in Mejiro Garden, Sekicho-an Teahouse, comes from Akai Tori, which Suzuki Miekichi launched in present-day Mejiro in 1918. Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum opened in 2020 as a recreation of Tokiwaso, which was demolished in 1982.

Connect these three sites—each showing a different facet of school architecture, Japanese gardens, and manga history—on foot or by bus.

Key Highlights

• ​Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan​​: The large window of the hall facing the front courtyard can be called the face of Myonichikan. Instead of expensive stained glass, Wright arranged wooden frames and muntins geometrically. Because great importance was placed on students eating handmade lunches together, the dining hall is located at the center of the school building. After the school relocated to Higashikurume, the couple named it "Myonichikan" (Hall of Tomorrow), entrusting to it the future of the school and Japanese education.
• ​Mejiro Garden​​: A circuit-style Japanese garden with a pond managed by Toshima City, opened in 1990. A sliding waterfall (nametaki) pours into the pond from a 4-meter-high spout at a rate of 3 tons of water per minute. Arranged around the pond are the sukiya-style Sekicho-an Teahouse and the hexagonal Ukimi-do Hall. Visitors can enjoy seasonal views: weeping cherry blossoms in spring, autumn foliage in fall, and pine trees supported by snow ropes (yukitsuri) in winter.
• ​Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum​​: Tezuka Osamu was the first to move into Tokiwaso in 1953, followed by artists such as Ishinomori Shotaro, Fujiko F. Fujio, Fujiko Fujio Ⓐ, and Akatsuka Fujio. On the second floor, you can see the 4.5-tatami-mat rooms where the manga artists lived, as well as the shared kitchen. Even the sound of the stairs creaking when ascending and descending has been recreated; it is said that the manga artists could tell from this sound when editors had arrived.

Recommended Route and Travel Time

The estimated time required is about 4 hours. Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan is a 5-minute walk from the Metropolitan Exit of Ikebukuro Station. First, view the large hall window and the horizontally spreading roof with low eaves from the front courtyard before entering the building. On weekends, it is often used for weddings, so days when visitors can tour the interior are limited.

Mejiro Garden is located about 290 meters southwest of Myonichikan. As you walk along the path surrounding the pond, you can take in the waterfall, Sekicho-an Teahouse, and Ukimi-do Hall in turn.

From Mejiro Garden to Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum, it is about 1.8 kilometers to the west. In addition to walking, you can take a Toei Bus from in front of JR Mejiro Station, get off at the Minami-Nagasaki Nichome bus stop, and walk about 5 minutes to arrive. JR Mejiro Station is about a 5-minute walk from Mejiro Garden. The museum is located inside Minami-Nagasaki Hanasaki Park. After viewing the "Tokiwaso" sign and the building's exterior, head up to the rooms and kitchen on the second floor. The original site of Tokiwaso is located about 300 meters from here.

For the return trip, it is a 5-minute walk to Exit A2 of Ochiai-minami-nagasaki Station on the Toei Oedo Line. If using the Seibu Ikebukuro Line, it is a 10-minute walk to the South Exit of Higashi-Nagasaki Station, or a 15-minute walk to the South Exit of Shiinamachi Station.

Experience Summary

A school building designed by Wright, a garden with a teahouse linked to Akai Tori, and a recreation of the apartment where young manga artists lived. This one-day course lets you trace the local history of schools, children's literature, and manga from the Taisho to Showa eras through architecture and gardens.