Japan’s animation and manga industry is one of the country’s most iconic cultural exports. For fans, the chance to visit studios, museums, and the real locations that inspired beloved series is an extraordinary experience. This guide maps the key destinations for manga and anime production tourism.
Toei Animation Museum, Tokyo
Toei Animation — home to Dragon Ball, One Piece, Sailor Moon, and Precure — operates a public museum at its Nerima studio in western Tokyo. Permanent exhibits chronicle decades of production history with original cels, storyboards, production documents, and character design sheets. Special exhibitions rotate seasonally. The museum shop stocks exclusive merchandise. Advance booking via Toei’s website is recommended; English audio guides are available.
Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Studio Ghibli’s beloved museum in Mitaka immerses visitors in the creative world of Miyazaki Hayao and his collaborators. Exhibits cover hand-drawn animation principles, original sketches, and working animation desks. An exclusive short film screens in the small cinema. Admission is strictly timed and must be reserved months in advance via Lawson convenience stores or overseas agents. No photos are permitted inside the main building.
Kyoto International Manga Museum
Housed in a converted elementary school, the Kyoto International Manga Museum holds over 300,000 manga volumes in its “manga walls” — shelves lining every corridor available for visitors to read freely. Exhibits cover manga history from wartime kamishibai to contemporary digital production. Manga artists hold workshop demonstrations on weekends. The building itself is an attraction, with a pleasant garden and cafe on-site.
Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum, Takarazuka
Located in the hometown of Astro Boy creator Tezuka Osamu, this Hyogo museum celebrates the manga master’s life and legacy. Original artworks, personal objects, and interactive exhibits cover Astro Boy, Black Jack, Phoenix, and his cinematic manga innovations. A small animation studio on the premises creates short films. The museum is a 30-minute train ride from Osaka and easily combined with a day in Takarazuka.
Anime Pilgrimage Sites
Many anime series are set in identifiable real-world locations. Washinomiya Shrine in Saitama inspired Lucky Star’s central shrine and draws thousands of fans annually. Chichibu in Saitama was the setting for Ano Hi Mita Hana (AnoHana). Toyama Bay shaped the world of Nagi no Asukara. Fans visit these locations carrying copies of production stills to photograph matching angles — a practice called seichi junrei (sacred site pilgrimage). Local tourism boards have embraced the phenomenon with dedicated maps and commemorative stamps.
Practical Information
- Ghibli Museum tickets sell out weeks or months ahead. Book immediately when your travel dates are confirmed.
- Many studios do not offer public tours. Toei and Sunrise occasionally host special event tours — check official sites.
- Akihabara in Tokyo and Nipponbashi in Osaka are the country’s largest trading hubs for anime merchandise, figures, and vintage manga.
- Comiket (held twice yearly at Tokyo Big Sight) is the world’s largest fan-produced media fair, drawing 200,000+ visitors each day.