Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum

In short

Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum is a facility run by Toshima City that recreates "Tokiwaso," an apartment building where Tezuka Osamu and other manga artists who would later become famous lived during their youth. Although Tokiwaso was demolished in 1982, it was brought back to life in 2020 in Minami-Nagasaki Hanasaki Park near its original site.

• ​Recreated 2nd Floor​​: You can view the shared kitchen and the four-and-a-half-tatami-mat rooms where the manga artists lived
• ​Creaking Stairs​​: Even the squeaking sound of the stairs from the original Tokiwaso has been recreated
• ​Manga Artists' Rooms​​: Rooms such as the one belonging to Mizuno Hideko, the only female manga artist at Tokiwaso, are recreated

History and Highlights

​Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum​ is a facility that recreates the apartment building "Tokiwaso," which once stood in Shiinamachi, Toshima City (now Minami-Nagasaki). Tokiwaso was a two-story wooden and mortar apartment building built in 1952. Tezuka Osamu was the first to move in, in 1953. Afterward, Terada Hiroo, Ishinomori Shotaro, Fujiko F. Fujio, Fujiko Fujio Ⓐ, Akatsuka Fujio, and others lived there. Manga artists resided here for about 10 years, from 1953 to 1962.

Tokiwaso was demolished in December 1982. For the recreation, restoration plans were drawn up and the building was designed based on interviews with former residents and research into manga and essays. The building has been given an "aging" finish to represent its appearance about 10 years after Tokiwaso was built. The exterior walls have been treated to look stained with rain and soil. The museum opened on July 7, 2020.

Highlights for Viewing and Experiencing

• ​Second-Floor Four-and-a-Half-Tatami-Mat Rooms and Shared Kitchen​​: The 2nd floor is a level where you can experience the wooden apartment Tokiwaso. At that time, there were 10 four-and-a-half-tatami-mat rooms on the 2nd floor. There was one kitchen each on the 1st and 2nd floors, and the sink was also used for washing faces and laundry. The ramen bowls on the counter bear the name of "Matsuba," a Chinese restaurant frequented by the residents, and were provided directly by the restaurant.
• ​Creaking Stairs​​: When people walked up and down the stairs back then, they made a creaking sound. The museum recreates this very sound. It is said that the manga artists could tell by this sound when an editor had arrived.
• ​Manga Artists' Rooms​​: Room 19 is the room of Mizuno Hideko, Tokiwaso's only female manga artist. She lived here for only seven months to draw collaborative manga with Ishinomori Shotaro and Akatsuka Fujio. Room 20 belonged to Yokota Tokuo, and Room 18 belonged to Yamauchi George, who was Ishinomori's assistant.

Tips for Exploring

The museum is located inside Minami-Nagasaki Hanasaki Park, a 5-minute walk from Exit A2 of Ochiai-minami-nagasaki Station on the Toei Oedo Line. The "Tokiwaso" sign is the most popular photo spot in the facility. Try viewing the exterior and the sign first before heading up to the rooms and shared kitchen on the 2nd floor. The 1st floor features a manga lounge displaying works by the associated manga artists, as well as a special exhibition room. The original site of Tokiwaso is located about 300 meters away from here. Informational signboards introducing places frequently visited by the manga artists are also set up in various locations throughout the neighborhood.