Tezuka Osamu Museum

Hailed as one of the greatest mangaka (manga artists), Tezuka Osamu’s bibliography is impressive to say the least. The creator of many a childhood favourite, including Astro Boy, a manga about a crime-fighting robot, and Black Jack, a medical doctor who dedicates his life to helping those in need, fans of his work can now relish the fact that there exists a museum solely dedicated to the Walt Disney of Japan.

As you walk to the museum, spot beautiful statuettes and artwork of characters that have appeared in his most famous works. Built in 1994, the museum houses a permanent collection of articles as well as a theater showing films made exclusively for the museum, and a manga library that visitors can peruse. While most of the museum is solely in Japanese, there are some English language materials available in the library, amongst other select foreign languages.

See original sketches and photographs by the man himself.

A sizeable portion of the museum is dedicated to his upbringing in Takarazuka, a city located in Hyogo Prefecture that was the source of inspiration for many of his works.

As you make your way into the very first room on your left when you enter the museum, be sure to keep an eye on the ceiling to see the beautiful stained glass murals of prominent characters in his works. The room is filled with capsules in which various materials, such as original sketches, are displayed.

For those who want to immerse themselves in a hands-on experience, make your way downstairs and enroll in the museum’s Animation Workshop, where you can create your very own animated characters for free. It’s the perfect souvenir to take home. Workshops are fairly easy to follow as there is an English translation of the instructions available.