Top Ten Anime and Manga Museums

Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Edit 26 May 2020: Replaced entry #9.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I spent a day in Kyoto, including the Toei Kyoto Studio Park.  In addition to live-action productions, Toei is famous as one of Japan's most prolific animation studios.  Kyoto also happens to be the home of the Kyoto International Manga Museum.  With experience of both under my belt, I think now would be the best time to list ten of the best places one can learn about and experience the popular arts of manga, Japanese comic books, and anime, Japanese animated films and TV shows.

In the interest of fairness, and because I have not yet experienced many of these places in person, this list is ordered not by quality, but by geographic location, going from north/east to south/west.  I also wish to give special thanks to the website Anime Tourism 88, proprietors of Japan's 88-site Anime Pilgrimage list, for additional research used in this article.  More information:  (English) (Japanese)

1) Yokote Masuda Manga Museum, Yokote

The Yokote Masuda Manga Museum, after its 2019 refurbishment.
掬茶 / CC BY-SA

Opened in 1995, the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum makes claim to being the first manga-related museum in Japan.  Its unique, nature-inspired interior houses a manga library, galleries of illustrations by manga artists, and a recreated studio of local author Takao Yaguchi (矢口 高雄, Yaguchi Takao, b.1939).  He was best known in the 1970s for writing the manga series Fisherman Sanpei (釣りキチ三平, Tsurikichi Sanpei), about the adventures of a young fisherman.  Yokote, located in eastern Akita prefecture, is also famous for the annual Kamakura Festival, where dozens of snow huts in various sizes are erected throughout the city.

285 Shinmachi, Masuda-chō, Yokote-shi, Akita-ken, 〒019-0701.  Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time.  Closed Mondays.  Costs ¥800.  More information: (Japanese)

2) Ishinomori Manga Museum, Ishinomaki

gleam_df / CC BY

Also known as the Ishinomori Mangattan Museum (a play on "Manhattan"), this museum is dedicated to and named after Shotaro Ishinomori (石ノ森 章太郎, 1938-1998), who was born in the vicinity.  Ishinomori-san holds a Guinness World Record for the most comics published by one author; his career has produced a total of 128,000 pages in 500 volumes across 770 titles, the most famous being Cyborg 009 (1963).  He also developed live-action hero TV shows such as Kamen Rider (1971) and Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975), the first in the Super Sentai franchise.  This museum, along with the rest of Ishinomaki city, suffered damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, but reopened, arguably better than ever, within a couple of years.

2-7 Nakaze, Ishinomaki-shi, Miyagi-ken 〒986-0823.  Open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Closed on the third Tuesday of March to November.  Costs ¥840.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

3) Niigata Manga Animation Museum & Niigata City Manga House, Niigata

The Niigata City Manga House.
DAI-nk / CC BY-SA

Niigata is the hometown of many famous manga authors and animators, including Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Inuyasha), Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note), and One (One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100).  So in its honour, I have not one, but two sites to represent it with!  First is the paid-entry Niigata Manga Animation Museum, which has interactive exhibits about making anime and manga, and childrens' play areas with characters from some of the above creators.  And second is the free-entry Niigata City Manga House, whose reading room carries over 10,000 books.  Additionally, like the Comiket in Tokyo, Niigata hosts a bimonthly fan-comic convention called the Niigata Comic Market, or "Gataket" for short, which is the largest of its kind on the Sea of Japan coast.

Niigata Manga Animation Museum: 2-5-7 Yachiyo, Chūō-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata-ken 〒950-0909.  Open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM; opens at 10:00 AM on weekends and holidays.  Closed on 1 January.  Costs ¥200.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Niigata City Manga House: 971-7 Furumachi-dōri 6-banchō, Chūō-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata-ken 〒951-8063.  Open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.  Closed on Wednesdays, and from 29 December to 3 January.  Free to enter.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

4) Ghibli Museum, Tokyo

The exterior of the Ghibli Museum.
Taken by the author on Wednesday, 9 May 2018.

The Ghibli Museum, the official museum of Studio Ghibli, was personally designed by Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎 駿, b. 1941), the director of many of Ghibli's highly-acclaimed films.  Their list of works includes such beloved titles as My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and many more.  Since I first reported on the Ghibli Museum, they have opened up online ticket sales to overseas, English-reading visitors, making this place no less competitive to get in, but far more accessible, and in some cases affordable, than ever before.

1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tōkyō-to 〒181-0013.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Closed on Tuesdays.  Costs ¥1,000; advance reservations required.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere in Tokyo, I also recommend:

• Suginami Animation Museum: A small, but free, general exhibition of animation, with some hands-on activities.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Closed on Mondays, and from 28 December to 4 January.  Free to enter.  More information: (English) (Japanese)
• One Piece Tower: An indoor theme park with a specific focus on One Piece, located at the base of Tokyo Tower.  Open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.  Costs ¥2,300, or ¥3,300 with admission to a live show.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

5) Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida

Evangelion World at Fuji-Q Highland.
Taken by the author on Wednesday, 16 November 2016.

The Fuji-Q Highland theme park has a couple of anime-themed attractions, such as the GeGeGe no Kitaro Haunted Mansion, but the big one, almost worth the price of admission alone, is Evangelion World.  Replacing a similar Godzilla-themed attraction, this museum-esque attraction features re-creations of sets from Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangerion), the titular giant-robot anime franchise.  The centrepiece is a life-size bust of the Unit-01 robot, which features in a regular light show.  You may read my report from Fuji-Q Highland here, and my separate report from Evangelion World here.

5-6-1 Shin-Nishihara, Fujiyoshida-shi, Yamanashi-ken 〒403-0017.  Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or to 6:00 PM on weekends and holidays.  No closing days.  Costs ¥800 for Evangelion World, or ¥5,900 for unlimited rides throughout Fuji-Q Highland.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

For more official Evangelion shopping, I also recommend:

• Evangelion Store.  Open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  Located immediately north of Ikebukuro Station (JR Yamanote, Saikyo, etc. lines).
• Eva-ya.  Open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Located directly below Hakone-Yumoto Station (Hakone-Tozan line).

6) Go Nagai Wonderland Park, Wajima

Indiana jo / CC BY-SA

Go Nagai (永井 豪), born Kiyoshi Nagai (永井 潔, b. 1945), whose manga career has just marked its 50th anniversary, is influential, iconoclastic, often controversial, and highly productive.  His most famous works include Devilman, Mazinger Z, and Cutie Honey, with the latter two series codifying the giant-robot and magical-girl subgenres of anime.  This museum dedicated to his many manga creations is located in his hometown of Wajima, a city on the Noto Peninsula, along the city's famous Morning Market.

1-123 Kawaimachi, Wajima-shi, Ishikawa-ken 〒928-0001.  Open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.  No closing days.  Costs ¥520.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

7) Kyoto International Manga Museum, Kyoto

The courtyard of Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Taken by the author on Friday, 18 November 2016.

A particular favourite haunt of mine whenever I'm in town, the Kyoto International Manga Museum was established in 2006 in a former school building.  The museum boasts a collection of 50,000 manga books that are free for visitors to read, and uniquely for these types of museums, a fair selection of them are in English and other languages.  In good weather, the courtyard (shown above) is a pleasant place to read the books, or even meet up for cosplaying. You may read my report from the Kyoto International Manga Museum here.

Kinpuki-cho, Nagagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu 〒604-0846.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Closed on Mondays and 1 January.  Costs ¥800.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere in Kyoto, I also recommend Toei Kyoto Studio Park.  The theme park and studio of this major film/TV company also has content related to its many anime productions.  You may read my report from Toei Kyoto Studio Park here.

8) Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, Takarazuka

DVMG / CC BY

Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫, Tezuka Osamu, 1926-1989) is often likened as Japan's Walt Disney.  Of course there have been comics and animation made in Japan long before Tezuka-san's heyday in the 1950s and '60s, but his success shaped these industries into the juggernauts they are today.  His manga stories, including Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, and Black Jack, were adapted into some of the earliest and most popular TV anime series.  After his death, this museum was built in his honour in his home city of Takarazuka, a suburb of Osaka and Kobe.  If the name Takarazuka rings a bell to visitors, it may also be because of the all-female Takarazuka Revue theatre troupe.  They are, of course, named after the city, and perform there as well as across the country.

7-65 Mukogawa-chō, Takarazuka-shi, Hyogo-ken 〒665-0844.  Open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.  Closed on Wednesdays, 29-31 December, and 20-28/29 February.  Costs ¥700.  More information: (Japanese)

9) Shigeru Mizuki Memorial Museum, Sakaiminato

Aimaimyi / CC BY-SA

Shigeru Mizuki (水木 しげる), born Shigeru Mura (武良 茂, 1922-2015), was the author of GeGeGe no Kitaro (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎).  Its titular hero, Kitaro, is a young lad who helps out humans in their affairs with yokai (妖怪), folklore monsters, both friend or foe.  Even the walk up to the museum along the aptly-named Mizuki Road, with murals, statues, and other decorations of his yokai-inspired characters dotted liberally along the way, makes for part of the experience.  All this is located in Mizuki's hometown of Sakaiminato, as little as 40 minutes away by bus from the castle city of Matsue.

5 Honmachi, Sakaiminato-shi, Tottori-ken 〒684-0025.  Open from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.  No closing days.  Costs ¥300.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere in Tottori Prefecture, I also recommend the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory, devoted to the series Detective Conan (名探偵コナン, Meitantei Konan), known in English as Case Closed, and its author.  Open from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM.  No closing days.  Costs ¥700.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

10) Kitakyushu Manga Museum, Kitakyushu

Asai1920 / CC BY-SA

Just across the street from Kitakyushu's main train station, Kokura, stands the AruAru City mall, a manga, anime, and pop-culture marketplace in the vein of Tokyo's Akihabara district.  On top of that, in more ways than one, is the Kitakyushu Manga Museum, occupying the two upper-most floors of the building.  Among its regular exhibits, there is a special focus on local manga artists, and in particular Leiji Matsumoto (松本 零士, Matsumoto Reiji), born Akira Matsumoto (松本 晟, Matsumoto Akira, b. 1938), one of the many artists to have originated from this city.  Matsumoto-san is best known for the space-opera series he created in the 1970s: Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999, and Space Pirate Captain Harlock.  As with the manga museums in Kyoto and Niigata, there is a wide selection of manga books for visitors to read freely, although note that there is limited English content throughout this museum.

Aruaru City 5F, 2-14-5 Asano, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka-ken 〒802-0001.  Open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM; closes at 8:00 PM during Summer holidays.  Closed on Tuesdays and New Year holidays.  Costs ¥480.  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Wildcard) World Cosplay Summit

A presentation for World Cosplay Summit 2014, held at Chubu Centrair Airport.
M338 / CC BY-SA

For my wildcard slot, rather than another museum, I thought I'd pick out a regular event related to anime and manga.  There are lots to choose from, from trade shows like AnimeJapan to fan-comic marketplaces like Comiket and the aforementioned Gataket.  But the one that has impressed me the most is the World Cosplay Summit, held in late July/early August in Nagoya.  Cosplay, the art of making and wearing costumes of characters anime, video games, etc., is already a popular sight at related conventions, both in Japan and abroad.  The World Cosplay Summit takes this hobby to an all-new level.  The cosplayers, selected by preliminary contests held all over the world, take part in a parade around the Osu Kannon temple and shopping district, which is already a popular choice for anime-related shopping year-round.  Then comes the main event, the World Cosplay Championship, where teams from each participating country perform skits as the characters they portray.  The costume details, the players' performance, and the special effects all make it feel like your favourite characters have come to life!

More information: (English) (Japanese)

Shibuya Afternoon and Other Pictures

This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 20 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I took my grandmother to visit the Sanja Festival in Tokyo's Asakusa district.  That was pretty much the last big event for the rest of our holiday together, but we still did other stuff for the rest of the afternoon and evening, so I'm putting them together in one last article which will finally, after two years, wrap up my fourth Japan vacation on this blog.

From Asakusa in the northeast of Tokyo, we took Tokyo Metro's Ginza subway line across town, to Shibuya in the southwest.  This was all the way from one end of the line to the other, although not a terribly long ride at under 35 minutes. 

In Shibuya, I escorted my grandmother on a search for some kiriko (切子) glassware, which she had seen a picture of during our calligraphy lesson earlier that day and fell in love with.  When we got there, I introduced her to the famous Hachiko statue in front of the station.

I also introduced her to the Hachiko scramble crossing, and the Starbucks that provides one of its best viewpoints.  The last time I saw the crossing, it was on a sleepy weekday morning, so coming back on a weekend afternoon made for a better contrast between its "stop" state...

...and its "go" state.

There was yet another festival going on in Shibuya that day, around the Center-gai avenue, but sadly it was wrapping up by the time we came down to get a closer look.  It wasn't all bad, though.  When we went to one of the many department stores in the area, my grandmother picked out a lovely blue stem vase.

After taking her safely back to the hotel, I went on one last shopping trip of my own, to Ameya-Yokocho and Akihabara.  In the former, I found a small sight I had never discovered before, a temple by the name of  Marishiten Tokudai-ji (摩利支天徳大寺).  It is located just a block from the market's south entrance at Okachimachi station.

Finally, on my way back "home" to the hotel, I passed by this closed alcove illuminated by pink lighting.  An odd sight, but no less cool for it.

All that was left for us the next day was to pack up and catch our flight home.  My grandmother had us reserve a taxi to take us down the road to the monorail station; it was a short ride, but with both of us taking suitcases with us up to the station platform, I'd say it was a good idea.  Early on, the Tokyo Monorail passes the Rainbow Bridge, which I have crossed numerous times before on a different rail line, the Yurikamome.

One of the stations on the monorail serves the Oi Race Course.  If horse-racing isn't your things, the site also hosts a flea market on weekends, and the Tokyo Mega Illumination, the city's largest nighttime illumination park, which takes place daily from October through December, and on weekends from January through March.  More information: (English)

And with one last moment's rest at Haneda International Airport, it was time for me to bid farewell to Japan once again.  Will I come back here upon my next return?  It's certainly likely, now that even more flights to this airport have been added since the last time I was there, including one from my mainstay Newark.  But that reunion will have to wait.  I still have many adventures planned for Japan, but when I will be able to fully realise them depends on many factors.  How soon I can save enough money is perhaps the biggest one, as well as when their borders will re-open given the current state of affairs.  And that's if my attention isn't stolen by one of the many other countries I've been looking into.  As a matter of fact, I have recently taken another holiday in the United Arab Emirates.  I would like to write about it, but since my past 178 or so articles have been focused entirely upon Japan, I think it would be best if I transitioned into talking about other countries with some high-level articles, talking about the country as a whole and offering some itinerary ideas.  Whatever comes my way, here's to many more posts on Sekai Ichi, and even more experiences of my own in Japan and elsewhere around the world.  *clink*  Kanpai!

Sanja Matsuri

This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 20 May 2018.

The Sanja Matsuri (三社祭, lit. "three shrines festival") is a Shinto festival held annually in Tokyo, on the third weekend of May.  For 2020, this would fall on the 15th to 17th of May; however, due to the... you-know-what, this year's festival has currently been rescheduled to the weekend 16-18 October.  It is one of Tokyo's most popular festivals, drawing in as many as 2 million visitors over the course of the weekend.  As my latest time in Japan drew to a close, I happened to be in town during the 2018 Sanja Matsuri.  So after coming down from the Tokyo Skytree, I set aside some time to check it out.

Sanja Matsuri is based at Asakusa Shrine (浅草神社, Asakusa-jinja), an auxiliary shrine alongside the Buddhist temple Senso-ji.  Dating to 1649, Asakusa Shrine is the oldest standing shrine in Tokyo, having survived the air raids of World War II.  If you've seen a tall red pagoda behind Senso-ji, that's part of the shrine.  This festival was set up to honour the three founders of Senso-ji: Hinokuma Hamanari (檜前浜成), Hinokuma Takenari (檜前竹成), and Hajino Nakatomo (土師真中知), whose souls are enshrined at Asakusa-jinja.  In the picture above, which my grandmother took from atop the Asakusa Tourist Information Centre, Senso-ji's main hall is to the right and Asakusa-jinja's pagoda is to the left.

The festival starts at 1:00 PM on Friday, with the Daigyōretsu (大行列, lit. "large parade") parade along the Nakamise shopping street.  Whilst I don't have any pictures of this, I understand it looks quite similar to the Aoi Matsuri we saw in Kyoto.  On Saturday afternoon, nearly 100 small mikoshi are carried out to receive a blessing at the shrine at around noon.  They are then taken back out to spread that blessing around the Asakusa neighbourhood.  Although I wasn't around for the festival on Saturday, I imagine they would look much like this, in terms of size.

Sunday, meanwhile, is the main event.  Three larger mikoshi set off from Asakusa-jinja at 6:00 in the morning, where hundreds of guests scramble for the honour of carrying them about.  After a couple of hours, they leave the temple grounds and set off around Asakusa and back.  We were lucky enough to spot one of them as soon as we set foot outside the subway station, along with a veritable sea of people holding it aloft.

They need all those people; each mikoshi weighs a ton, and with all the gold leaf and other decorations, costs ¥40 million to produce.  This model on display at the visitor's centre shows what they look like; I imagine this one is smaller, but not by much.

Many small drum-and-flute bands were set up all over the place.

Some of them had moving floats for a stage.  This one was even decorated with what looks to be purple wisteria which, along with catching different views of Mout Fuji, had grown into a running theme of my particular holiday.

It seems not only the performers and shrine priests dress up, but also other regular people take festivals as an excuse to break out their traditional clothing.  I even saw a guy  wearing a happi coat and loincloth with no pants.  No, I don't have a picture of that.  You're welcome.

The Sanja Matsuri was the last new experience we had in Japan, but before I wrap this holiday up once and for all, I'd like to share one final set of pictures in a separate article.  Look out for it, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Asakusa Shrine

Hours: The shrine grounds are always open.  The main hall is open from 6:00 AM (or 6:30 AM from October to March) to 5:00 PM.

Cost: Free.

Address: 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒111-0032

Access: The Kaminari-mon gate is only 1-3 minutes from Asakusa Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza (G), Toei Asakusa (A), and Tobu Skytree (TS) lines), depending on the line and exit used.  The closest exits are Ginza exit 1 and Asakusa exit A4.  Either way, turn right under Kaminari-mon onto the Nakamise shopping avenue.  The temple is at the end of the road, about 400 metres (¼ mile) later.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Tokyo Skytree Daytime

This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 20 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, in 2014, I visited Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest broadcast tower, at night.  At the end of that article, I commented about wanting also to go up it in the daytime.  Well, in my last full day in Japan to date, I finally made it happen.

Actually, I had been here on the first day of this trip, but the cloud cover was so thick, the tower disappeared into it halfway up.  In such occasions, the Skytree may still be open, but the staff will advise you against visiting, since the views would not live up to their full potential.  So, we turned around and gave it a pass, taking a gamble on the weather clearing up for our final day in Tokyo.  It paid off.

A cultural fair promoting Taiwan was being held in the Skytree Town's courtyard, at the base of the tower itself.  These dragon dancers knew how to attract a crowd!

Being late morning on a weekend, and with exceedingly pleasant weather, Skytree was even more crowded than I remember it from last time.  For once, it started to feel like a tourist trap, I must admit.  To save time, we took advantage of the Fast Skytree Ticket line, a new service added after my last visit.  It is open exclusively to foreigners and costs an extra ¥1,000, but for dealing with a much shorter line, I'd say it was worthwhile.

The upside to our choice of time was, once we finally found a place at one of the windows, the views were the farthest and clearest I've ever experienced.  This shot looks down and to the west, with Asakusa's Senso-ji temple complex in the centre.

For the first time from one of Tokyo's observation decks, I even managed to spot Mount Fuji!  From here, it is visible to the left, with Shinjuku's skyscrapers on the right.  Can you spot some of the more famous ones, like the NTT Docomo building and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building?

No visit to an observation tower would be complete without looking down one of its glass floors.  Well, all but the more acrophobic of us.

At the time, Skytree was hosting a promotion for the movie Avengers: Infinity War, so decorations and merchandise of the movie's many Marvel superheroes lined the halls of the tower, including the base and the Tembo Galleria.

Speaking of that upper deck, the 451-metre (1,480-foot) Sorakara Point, its highest point, was taken up by standees of the film's main characters.  So much for taking my obligatory selfie up there...

...but I tried.

Here's an even better sign-off selfie, of me posing with Black Panther.  (Which is one of my favourite MCU movies, alongside Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: Ragnarok, The Avengers, and Avengers: Endgame.)  But getting back on topic, even though I think I've had my fill of Tokyo Skytree for one lifetime, I'm glad I was able to experience it in all its glory, and share in it with my grandmother.  But before I officially sign off on this holiday, I have one more special treat to give you patient readers.  Find out what, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Hours: Open 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. No regular closing days.

Costs: ¥2,100 for the Tembo Deck, plus an additional ¥1,000 for the Tembo Galleria.  On weekends and holidays, the ticket prices are ¥2,300 and ¥1,100 respectively. Major credit cards including MasterCard, Visa, JCB, and Discover are accepted.

It is possible to reserve tickets ahead of time through their website; however, this requires a credit card issued in Japan. However, foreign guests can take advantage of the new Fast Skytree Tickets, which are sold at a separate counter and allow the user to skip the regular lines. These tickets cost ¥3,200 (Tembo Deck only) or ¥4,200 (Tembo Deck & Galleria).

Address: 1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒130-0045

Access: Right next to Oshiage Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon (Z) and Toei Asakusa (A) lines, and Tokyo Skytree Station on the Tobu Skytree (TS) line.  From Tokyo Station, walk to nearby Otemachi Station and take the Hanzomon subway line to Oshiage (Z14, 15 minutes, ¥200).

Directions: The ticket counter is on the 4th floor, directly underneath the tower.  The Oshiage subway stations are on the east side of the Skytree complex (roughly underneath the East Tower), and Tobu's Tokyo Skytree station is on the opposite west side.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Shiba Park Hotel

This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 20 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I finally returned to Tokyo after leading my grandmother on a whirlwind trip around central Japan.  But, before I can wrap up this trip I've dragged out over the past two years in blogging about, there is some unfinished business that I need to attend to.  And that includes sharing with you the hotel which I not only chose for both of my Tokyo stays for this trip, but also slept at for my very first night in Japan: the Shiba Park Hotel (芝パークホテル, Shiba Pāku Hoteru).

Shiba Park Hotel is made up of two buildings, a main building and an annex.  For our first visit in 2010, we stayed in the annex.  Eight years later, however, I booked one of the newly-renovated rooms in the main building.  These Deluxe rooms, formerly called Comfort rooms, offer a roomy 30m² (323ft²) of floor area; the regular rooms in the annex are also above the usual standards for Tokyo hotels, at 21m² (226ft²).

Whereas the annex rooms I remember from last time were clean and functional, if a little dated in their decor, these renovated rooms in the main building have an all-new look that is warm and modern, with little traditionally-Japanese touches here and there to define the look.  A shoji-style sliding door separates the bedroom from the entrance hall, allowing extra privacy if, for example, your partner is getting in the bath.  Conveniences are plenty, from the free and fully stocked coffee/tea set, to the USB wall ports beside the beds.

One minor difference, which even I had not seen before in all my time in Japan, was the toilet being situated in a separate room from the bath.  There is a small sink present, but unless you move some soap in here, you'll have to go around to the other room to wash your hands.

A unique amenity offered by Shiba Park Hotel is their series of Japanese Cultural Experiences.  An instructor, who speaks English to a decent degree, will guide your small group in one of several activities, including origami, tea ceremony, calligraphy.  I signed us up for the calligraphy course, the results of which you can see above.  Different courses are held each day of the week at 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM, and range in cost from free to ¥1,000 per person.

Shiba Park Hotel, and the Shiba-koen/Daimon neighbourhood as a whole, makes for a convenient base when flying into or out of Haneda Airport.  Both rail options from the airport, the Tokyo Monorail and Asakusa subway line, have stops in the vicinity (Hamamatsucho and Daimon stations, respectively)  After our arrival experience, walking the 10 minutes all the way from Hamamatsucho with our luggage, proved less than ideal, we asked our hotel to arrange a taxi to pick us up on checkout and take us to the station, from where we would ride the Tokyo Monorail the rest of the way.  It was an ideal compromise, compared to the cost of taking a taxi all the way!  Since Shiba Park Hotel receives a lot of visitors from overseas, especially with tour groups, their staff speaks good English and is able to accommodate a variety of requests like these.

Whether or not you wind up using Haneda Airport as your entrance or exit to Tokyo, the Shiba Park Hotel is a welcoming choice.  I'm glad I got to share it with you when I could, because I have only a couple of articles from this trip left to write.  Find out where in Tokyo I went from here, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Shiba Park Hotel

Address: 1-5-10 Shiba-kōen, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒101-0011

Access: Shiba Park Hotel is 3 minutes from Daimon (Toei Asakusa (A) and Oedo (E) lines) and Onarimon (Toei Mita (I) line) stations, or 10 minutes from Hamamatsucho Station (JR Yamanote (JY), Keihin-Tohoku (JK), and Tokyo Monorail (MO) lines).

Directions: From Tokyo Station, take the JR Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku line to Hamamatsucho (JY28/JK23, 5 minutes, ¥160).  From the North Exit, cross the street and turn left.  Continue on for 5 minutes (400m), and cross and turn right at the third traffic light, just before the large torii gate.  Continue on for 2 more minutes (200m), and after the next traffic light, the hotel will be on the left side.

Alternatively, walk to the nearby Otemachi subway station and take the Toei Mita subway to Onarimon (I06, 5 minutes, ¥180).  From exit A2, head forward, cross the street ahead, and turn left.  At the next traffic light, turn right, and the hotel will be on the right side.

From Shinjuku Station (not Shinjuku-Nishiguchi), take the Toei Oedo subway to Daimon (E20, 15 minutes, ¥220).  From exit A6, head forward and turn right at the next light, as described above.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Matsumoto Nakamachi District

This article is based on a visit made on Saturday, 19 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited Matsumoto Castle during a brief stopover on my way back to Tokyo.  But rather than leave it at that, I spent some time at Nakamachi (中町), the merchant district which grew in the Edo period, under the auspices of the castle's lords.

Nakamachi is famous for its style of storehouse, or kura (蔵), architecture.  Key aspects of the kura style are thick, white-washed, earthen walls, black tile roofs, and lattice grid patterns along the sides.  Kura are a common site in many of Japan's old towns, as their sturdy construction was an invaluable method of keeping rice and other stockpiles safe and secure.  Further examples, authentic or less so, can be seen scattered about the city, even at this convenience store across from the entrance to Matsumoto Castle.

On the way we passed an old bookstore designed after the black-and-white castle.  It looked all the more surreal squeezed in between two modern rectangular buildings.  To the right is a souvenir store where my grandmother found a temari handball for one of her friends, having fallen in love with the things at first sight in Kanazawa.

Heading down from Matsumoto Castle, our path took us to two parallel streets on either side of the Metoba River.  Just along the north side of the river is Nawate-dori (縄手通り).  This lane of shops was set up in the Meiji period, attracting visitors on their way to the nearby Yohashira Shrine (四柱神社).  This arrangement is similar to what sprang up around Senso-ji in Tokyo or Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.

Nawate-dori is commonly known as "Frog Street", and the reason behind this association is a pun.  The Japanese word for frog, "kaeru" (蛙/かえる), sounds the same as a form of "to buy" (買える), which shop owners called out to potential customers passing by.

Moving on, Nakamachi-dori presents a completely different vibe at first.  The wider road, the bright white walls of the kura buildings, and the beautiful weather of this particular day all give it an open, airy feel in comparison to Nawate-dori.

Nakamachi-dori hosts a wide selection of restaurants.  The cuisines on offer include Japanese kaiseki, izakaya pubs, noodles, bakeries, and Korean barbecue.  Our choice for lunch was Hawaiian Dining Hula-la, a Hawaiian-themed burger joint, as the name implies.

I was intrigued to find sugidama, decorations on the front of sake breweries that were prevalent in Takayama's old town, here in Matsumoto as well.  As it turns out, this sugidama belongs to a community centre called the Nakamachi Kurassic-kan (中町 蔵シック館), a pun using the word for warehouse, "kura", as part of "kurasshiku", the Japanese spelling of "classic".

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663highland / CC BY-SA

Nakamachi also has an eclectic assortment of museums, which we regrettably eschewed in favour of returning to Tokyo sooner.  In the middle of Nakamachi-dori is a Weights and Scales Museum, and just past the west exit, across the main road, is the Matsumoto Timepiece Museum (shown above).  With a giant grandfather clock built above the entrance, you can't miss it.

By 663highland [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons

A short walk from the far exit of Nakamachi will bring you to the Matsumoto City Art Museum (松本市美術館, Matsumoto-shi Bijutsukan), which I featured on my list of Japan's top ten contemporary art museums.  It hosts the works of local artists of the past and present, from sculptures to calligraphy to the festive pop art of Yayoi Kusama (草間彌生, b.1929).

TAKA@P.P.R.S / CC BY-SA

For one last pic to brighten your day, even the vending machines at Matsumoto City Art Museum are coated in Kusama's signature polka-dot pattern, as are the top-right row of cans.  Pity that they don't seem to be for sale, since that would make for one stylish can of Coke.  But whatever; I've got further business to wrap up back in Tokyo, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Directions: To go by bus, take the East Town Sneaker bus from Matsumoto Station's Oshiro-guchi exit to Kura-no-machi Namakachi (5 minutes, ¥200).

To go by foot, start from Matsumoto Station's Oshiro-guchi exit and head straight down the main road.  After 5 minutes, turn left at the fourth traffic light (Fukashi 2-chome / 深志二丁目), then continue straight for 4 minutes.  The entrance to Nakamachi-dori will be on the right.  Nawate-dori is the second right afterwards, just past the bridge.

Hawaiian Dining Hula-la

Hours: Open from 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM, or to 11:00 PM on Saturdays and holidays.  Last orders end 1 hour before closing time.  No regular closing days.

Address: 2-5-13 Chuo, Matsumoto, Nagano 〒390-0811

Directions: From the Kura-no-machi Nakamachi bus stop, turn around and start towards the main road.  About halfway down the block, the restaurant will be on the left side.

Website: (Japanese)

Matsumoto Timepiece Museum

Hours: Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time.  Closed on Mondays and from 29 December to 3 January.

Costs: ¥300.

Address: 1-21-15 Chuo, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken 〒390-0811

Directions: From the Kura-no-machi Nakamachi bus stop, turn around and head towards the main road.  Cross it, turn right, then take the next left.  The museum will be on the left side, at the next corner.

Website: (Japanese)

Matsumoto City Art Museum

Hours: Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Closed Mondays and from 29 December to 2 January.

Cost: ¥410.

Address: 4-2-20 Chuo, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken 〒390-0811

Access: From Matsumoto Station, take the East Town Sneaker bus to Matsumoto-shi Bijutsukan (16 minutes, ¥200).

Directions: To walk to the museum from the Kura-no-machi Nakamachi bus stop, head straight down the street (300m) until you reach the stoplight at the other end, and turn right.  Continue on (300m) to the next traffic light and turn left.  Continue on (300m), and the museum will be on your left, past the next traffic light.

Website: (English) (Japanese)