Summary
With tourism coming back to an all-time high in Japan now that the borders have finally opened again, more and more otaku destinations continue to pop up across the map. The latest one to appeal to otaku both international and domestic was announced last week by none other than the Japanese government itself. This latest attraction is in one of thebest otaku neighborhoods in Tokyo, Ikebukuro.
This new attraction will be anew museumcalledAnime Station Tokyo, or Anime Tokyo for short (to not confuse anyone who might assume it is at Tokyo Station, rather than Ikebukuro). Operated and maintained by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Anime Tokyo will be a 3-story museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of anime in Japan. It will contain anime cels and production materials from historic works and have spaces for workshops and other exhibitions as well.
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Anime Tokyo will be a short 4-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station when it opens in October, the latest otaku attraction in the neighborhood. Historically, Akihabara has always been the otaku capitol of Tokyo on its East side. But in recent years, Ikebukuro has opened in more and more things to draw otaku to the other side of the city. Some of the other otaku attractions in Ikebukuro includePokémonCenter Tokyo and aPokémon Gostore, plenty of cosplay shops and secondhand anime merchandise stores, and the largest Animate store in the country, which also just opened its doors in 2023.
As for Anime Tokyo, it will be on the first two floors and in the basement of the Fujikyu East Building 5 Office. The basement level will consist of an archive of anime cels, including one of the most significant anime in history,Astro Boy. It will also have rotating exhibitions of other cels for fans to check out. The first-floor area will be reserved for workshops that will show and teach otaku about anime production. And finally, the second floor will have rotating exhibits of currently popular anime and a shop.
Japan knows that anime is one of its biggest contributions to the world, and also one of its biggest draws for foreign tourists. And as the yen continues to plummet in the global economy, Japan needs tourists to bring in money more than ever. It makes perfect sense that Japan is trying to use anime more than ever before to try to tempt people to come and spend their money. Plus, Anime Tokyo also is preserving some important pieces of cultural history, so it’s a win-win.
Anime Tokyo has not announced what anime will be featured on the second floor yet, but if we had to guess, it will probably be the likes ofSpy x Family,Jujutsu Kaisen, orOne Piece, all of which are some of the most popular anime in Japan right now. It will definitely be another great place to add to your list of things to see when you come to Tokyo, experiencing bothmodern and historical anime, both preserved and showcased in one convenient place.
