Museum and Center on Anime

 Suginami Animation Museum
Suginami Animation Museum is located about five minutes by bus from Ogikubo Station on the JR Chuo Line. Opened in 2005, the museum is the first dedicated to each and every member of the domestic anime industry – unlike those limiting themselves to displaying a given creator’s masterpieces, such as the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.

Of course the question of why such a facility would open in Suginami must be asked, but with approximately 70 of around 600 anime studios in the nation based in Suginami this corner of western Tokyo is without equal in terms of being the largest anime zone globally.

Entering the museum at no charge the first thing you will see is a large chronological chart of Japanese animation history; a quick look from the earliest days of anime to today will compact many years of anime history into one bite-size piece.

Beside the chronological table, a trio of work desks used by an animation director (Yoshiyuki Tomino of “Gundam” fame), a graphic director (Takayuki Goto – “Stand Alone Complex”) and an art director (Shinzo Yuki – “Futariwa Purikyua”) are on display to show the various steps needed in putting together celluloid-based anime.

This museum holds a workshop called “Para-para Anime” in which you take pictures of the anime you make and see on PCs. The museum staff says: “Last summer more than 450 junior high school students came from the U.S. and experienced the ‘Para-para’ anime.” (If you come in a group with many people, please make a reservation.) You can enjoy seeing, creating and having hands-on experiences at this museum.

3-29-5 Kamiogi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 03-3396-1510
FAX: 03-3396-1530

URL: http://www.sam.or.jp/

 Tokyo Anime Center
Since the Tokyo Anime Center opened in ‘Akiba’ - Akihabara to give it its full name - in March 2006, the world’s first permanent dedicated anime facility has attracted more than 600,000 visitors, including around 40,000 visitors from overseas.

In front of the main JR Akihabara Station stand the Cross Field buildings; a location gradually becoming sacred to those interested in anime culture. The Tokyo Anime Center facility is located on the 4th floor of UDX building in the complex and is fronted by the Anime Press Desk which provides information on both the center itself and Akihabara in general. According to the Tokyo Anime Center Press Manager, Mr. Senda, “Akihabara can come across as a deep and mysterious area so the Anime Center can appear more familiar (and easier to) enter than other places in Akihabara - especially for first time visitors. We are now something of a tourist information center for the area.”

Entering the center, a souvenir shop stands to the right alongside a multi-purpose, glass walled recording studio. Another function of the same recording studio is ‘post-recording’ where brief lyrical comments that accompany famous scenes from the popular animation series ‘Pokemon’ or ‘’Neon Genesis Evangelion’ are prepared (in Japanese) and ‘added’ to the visual side of the show(s) by and for visiting members of the general public. The ‘post-recording’ costs 1,000 to 1,800 yen per person.

The shop itself deals in a range of goods, from the cheap and cheerful 100 yen items to original pictures of a certain anime valued at 300,000 yen. Several items are exclusive to the Tokyo Anime Center store.

UDX 4F, Akihabara Cross Field, 4-14-1 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 03-5298-1188
FAX: 03-5298-1215
Open: 11am-7pm

Anime Fair
Anime now
Museum and Center on Anime
Enjoy a visit to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Anime Round Table