Japan travel tips for anime & manga fans

Studio Ghibli Animation Movie Museum

“Animation is now recognized as one of the representative cultures of Japan globally. We have many animation pilgrimage spots throughout the country and many people visit them from all over the world… For first comers to Japan, Akihabara and Studio Ghibli are two “must” locations to visit. Personally, I would recommend to visit Studio Ghibli during the day and move to Akihabara (neon-lit street) later in the evening.”

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Suginami Animation Museum

“Excellent spot to learn about Japanese animation...for FREE! This past week I visited the Suginami Animation Museum, located in Kamiogi, Suginami-ku near Nishiogikubo station. It was a wonderful 3 floored museum that all ages can go and enjoy. The museum often features an exhibition of different artists’ works periodically. “

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Akihabara, the place in Tokyo for everything otaku and electronics

“Akiba is the Otaku Mecca, providing everything for fans of manga, anime, videogames, idols, and other geeky hobbies. Let's face it, if you have a need to obtain that special thing to satisfy your burning passionate fandom, Akihabara has you covered. Those new volumes of manga you've been dying to read?... Or just whatever cool thing you can collect? You can probably find it in Akihabara.”
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Mandarake’s main store in Nakano, Tokyo

“The Nakano Mandarake store, in fact, is the original store. The name of the store, Mandarake, spells out the store's concept. "Man" is short for "manga"; "Darake" is Japanese for "overflowing"… But it is certainly not just manga that people come searching for at Mandarake. Manga and anime titles abound, of course, but there are a plethora of other items, including figures, movie props, freebie items from snacks and special giveaways, and many other kinds of collectibles.”

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Have coffee in the former home of a manga artist

“There is one particular Starbucks that is defiantly worth popping by for, not only for their drinks, but for the Starbucks building itself. This is actually the former house of famed Manga artist Ryuichi Yokoyama. This very unique Starbucks is located in the middle of Kamakura… Inside you can sit at a table for a group meet up, lounge back in chairs looking through the glass doors to the pool, or reflect on a couch to gain inspiration under some original artwork by Mr. Ryuichi Yokoyama himself.

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Visit the real places that feature in Evangelion, Slam Dunk, or Ponyo

“Slam Dunk is a popular basketball anime and manga about a high school basketball team and their members. The setting for this anime is in Japan`s popular Shonan coastline in Kanagawa Prefecture. The Enoden train features prominently in this manga and there are many scenes that realistically recreate the real settings. Slam Dunk is one of the best selling manga in Japanese history and has been translated to a number of languages giving it global attention”

Read the full post http://www.deepjapan.org/a/4487