Everybody has seen, or at least heard of Astroboy; with his large eyes, characteristic hair, rocket boosters on his legs, a cannon on his arm and the machine gun from his rear. This character is the brainchild of one Osamu Tezuka, also known as the “God of Manga“. Astroboy is just one of the beloved and well-known characters to come to life from Osamu Tezuka’s pen in the span of his career as a manga-ka (comic artist). He was known to have invented the “large eyes” style of Japanese animation. He based it on cartoons of the time such as Max Fleischer’s Betty Boop and Walt Disney’s Bambi and Mickey Mouse. As an indication of his productivity, the Complete Manga Works of Osamu Tezuka comprises some 400 volumes, over 80,000 pages; even so, it is not complete. His complete works includes over 700 manga with more than 150,000 pages but most of his work was never translated in English. With a manga-ka of this caliber and greatness, it’s only natural to pay homage.

Welcome to the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum of Japan!

Osamu Tezuka spent his youth in Takarazuka City. With the goal of widely diffusing and passing down the great accomplishments of Tezuka to future generations, Takarazuka City founded this Memorial Hall built on the theme of ‘love of nature and the preciousness of life‘ in 1994. It has a unique structure, housing “Tezuka Osamu’s World,” which you can see, touch and feel. You can enjoy various displays and exhibitions, and also see Tezuka’s popular characters on the floors and ceilings. The museum has permanent exhibitions, theme exhibitions which change a few times each year, high-vision screens and computers. There also is a special corner where you can experience some of the basic animation works. The museum not only shows Tezuka’s great achievements but also aims to contribute to advancement of comic-strip and animation culture. At the entrance, there stands a monument of “The Phoenix”, his life’s work. Inside the Memorial Hall, a page from Tezuka’s works is reproduced, and valuable materials are on display. There is also a Hi-Vision Theater where you can watch original anime films, and areas where you can read manga and experience producing anime. You will be able to see, touch and feel the world of Osamu Tezuka.

The first floor is a historical view of Tezuka’s life and early work. The   books and memorabilia are a trip down memory lane, all arranged on stage-like science fiction panels. A small screening room shows an animated film of Tezuka’s life every 20 minutes. A ride up the elevator to the second floor brings you to a small gallery for rotating exhibitions which include not only Tezuka’s legacy but also that of new artists and old colleagues. A Kimba the White Lion cafe lets you sit and read books from the impressive library with hundreds of volumes. The green jungle tables and chairs leave a wonderland kind of setting. The video console in the center of the main hall is the most popular stop in the place. The waiting line is long, for this is a chance to watch rare Tezuka videos. It’s usually very very full so don’t expect to find a vacant seat. The Tezuka Museum is truly a living museum. Adults and children come for hours to watch tapes, read books and play. The gift shop is the next stop where Tezuka marketing is at its finest with everything from pens and pins to T-shirts and towels. Post cards are a popular favorite, as are the complete collection of video tapes. From here, take the elevator to the basement and be prepared to experience the craft of animation first hand.

The basement studio is a great educational experience, complete with a life-size model of the artist at work. The talking Tezuka puppet introduces his profession. There are also clean, long light tables where visitors can make their own four-cel production. Visitors take a seat at the animation light tables and the charming assistant passes out pencils, three-hole-punched paper and animation pegs. With their own imaginations and the directions provided on the console, visitors can make their own films. Once finished, the assistant then manipulates the cels, expanding them in video time, and projects them on a television monitor. The idea behind this memorial was to be a place where people would interact with each other through comics and animation emphasizing education. The museum is more than a success, it’s a national archive for manga and one not to be missed when you visit Japan.

A Map to the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum:

Posted in Attractions, Japan

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