This article is based on a visit made on Monday, 14 May 2018.
Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Toei is one of Japan's major film and TV production companies. They own studios in Tokyo and Kyoto, with the latter also serving as a theme park known as Toei Kyoto Studio Park (東映太秦映画村,
Tōei Uzumasa Eigamura).
Toei's animation division is one of the most prolific production companies in the anime scene. Starting life as Japan Animated Films in 1948, and purchased by Toei in 1956, they've been responsible for many of the world's most popular anime shows. These range from early yet highly influential giant-robot (
Mazinger Z) and magical-girl (
Cutie Honey) shows, to the anime versions of
Dragon Ball,
Sailor Moon, and
One Piece. Pictured here are the lead heroines of
Pretty Cure /
PreCure, a magical-girl franchise which has been on-going for over 15 years.
One of the first things you'll see in the Studio Park's entrance hall is a small yet densely-packed exhibit showcasing their works through posters and figurine cases. I even recognised a figure or two which I had copies of myself at home!
Toei is also famous for its
tokusatsu, or live-action special-effects, hero shows. The first of their two big ones is
Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー,
Kamen Raidā, lit. 'Masked Rider'), whose first season aired in 1971. Created by manga author Shotaro Ishinomori, each of Kamen Rider's thirty seasons (so far) have their own stories and aesthetics, but they all share common elements, namely a protagonist who fights evil by transforming into a masked hero with an insect aesthetic and a motorcycle. In the Hero Land permanent exhibit, there are mannequins of all the different Kamen Riders, starting with (pictured) the two heroes of the
first season.
The other big tokusatsu show in Toei's repertoire, also represented in Hero Land, is
Super Sentai (スーパー戦隊,
Sūpā Sentai, lit. 'Super Fighting Force'), which began with the series
Himitsu Sentai Goranger in 1975. In contrast to
Kamen Rider's solo heroics,
Super Sentai stars teams of heroes who fight on the ground and pilot giant combining robots. One common element about
Super Sentai is that the red ranger serves as the team's leader, so the exhibit here includes mannequins of all the red rangers thus far in the franchise's history.
I'm not as familiar with Kamen Rider as Super Sentai, but these costumes lit up, which is always cool.
If you can manage to tear yourself away from the entry hall's exhibits, you'll get to explore the rest of the park, which consists of many mock-historical townscapes. These places serve as sets for the filming of
jidai-geki (時代劇, lit. 'era drama') movies, which refer to any story set in Japan's history, usually the Edo period. Visitors are allowed to watch the filming of these scenes as they pop up.
I didn't catch any filming during my time there (that I was aware of), but I did get to watch some kids join in on a samurai sword fighting lesson.
You can also rent jidai-geki costumes of your own. Plans start at ¥4,500 for simpler costumes, and go up to ¥12,000 for ones with full wig and makeup.
If you prefer your entertainment to be more regularly-scheduled, there's a theater where free stint shows are held. Compared to the demonstration we saw the day before at the
Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum, this one is more about showing off a narrative tale. It's all in Japanese, but the action, character designs, and effects all help the play speak for itself.
This lake is inhabited by a mechanical monster which bobs its head above the surface every so often. It's not Godzilla -- those rights are owned by another studio, Toho -- but Toei has made their share of
kaiju monster movies themselves.
Facsimilies of specific locations have also been created. This was taken atop a copy of the old Nihonbashi bridge in Edo. Last mentioned in the
Edo-Tokyo Museum article, the
Nihonbashi (日本橋, lit. 'Japan bridge') was a bridge that served as the starting point for all roads leading from Edo. I don't know what the original was really like, but this version was quite steeply-humped.
And this is
Yoshiwara (吉原), based on the former pleasure quarter of Edo. Courtesan women would sell themselves by sitting pretty behind the grated windows along the... storefronts, shall we say. Geisha also worked in the teahouses there, but not -- let me make this perfectly clear --
not as prostitutes. Of course, this park's depiction of Yoshiwara, and the history of what would've went on here, are sanitised for general audiences.
Even among the generic townscapes, the detail is impressive.
There are even a few interior sets kept for good measure. Not as many details as in the
Fukagawa Edo Museum, but all the better to keep things uncluttered for filming.
Some buildings in the park reflect more recent periods. This turn-of-the-century-style building is a museum of Japan's filmmaking history.
The park also has its own trick art museum. Many of the pieces were the same as what I saw last time in
Odaiba, but this time I got the size-illusion room to work. This museum is one of several paid attractions within the park. I also tried out the "Escape the Castle" obstacle course (I beefed it at the laser maze) and the shuriken-throwing range (which I also beefed -- it takes a lot of power just to get them to stick in the back wall, let alone hit the target).
Which brings me to my sign-off selfie, taken next to the red ranger from
Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, the
Super Sentai season from 1992. Why this one? It was the first show adapted by
Power Rangers, the American version of
Super Sentai.
Power Rangers was absolutely huge when I was young, and while I'm not quite the fan I once was, I've come back to this fandom every once in a while, so there was still a thrill to be had posing next to its star hero! My next destination that day would also have given me a thrill as a kid, but more so as an adult. Find out where, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hours: Varies; typically open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Entry ends 60 minutes before closing time. No regular closing days.
Costs: ¥2,400. Paid attractions cost an additional ¥500-1,000 each.
Address: 10 Uzumasa, Higashi Hachioka-chō, Ukyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 〒616-8161
Access: Toei Kyoto Studio Park is 5 minutes on foot from Uzumasa-Koryuji Station (Keifuku Arashiyama
(A) tram), or 15 minutes from Hanazono Station (JR Sagano
(E) line). The park also has a rear exit which is 2 minutes from Satsueisho-mae Station (Keifuku Kitano
(B) tram), or 5 minutes from Uzumasa Station (JR Sagano line).
From Kyoto Station, take the JR Sagano line to Hanazono (E06, 10 minutes, ¥200, JR Pass OK), and walk 15 minutes to the park's front entrance. Alternately, take Kyoto Bus 73 or 75 (Stand C6) to Uzumasa Higashi-guchi (30 minutes, ¥230), and walk 3 minutes to reach the park.
Directions: From Uzumasa-Koryuji Station, turn right at the traffic light, continue up the hill, then turn left at the next traffic light. The park entrance will be on your left, before the train overpass.
From Hanazono Station, turn left onto Marutamachi-dori. At the third traffic light, turn left, then right at the dead-end immediately after. Continue until the next traffic light, then turn left. The park entrance will be on your right, after the train overpass.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
