Kyoto International Manga Museum

Japan's first comprehensive manga cultural facility opened in 2006 as a joint project between Kyoto Seika University and Kyoto City, which established Japan's first manga department. It is operated as a facility with both museum and library functions to collect, store, and release materials related to manga, which is now attracting attention from around the world, conducting cultural research, and holding exhibitions and events based on these materials.

The collection includes more than 300,000 manga materials, ranging from caricature ukiyo-e from the Edo period, magazines from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods, postwar rental books, current famous works, and works from overseas. Of these, about 50,000 manga books, mainly those published since the 1970s, are displayed on the "Manga no Kabe/ Wall of Manga" bookshelves from the first to third floors of the museum and can be freely picked up and browsed. Each floor is equipped with a touch-panel type search machine. You can easily search for the manga you want to read from a considerable number of titles.

There are also events such as talk shows and lectures by manga artists and manga researchers, live drawing where manga artists themselves show their work on the spot, and cosplay exchange events. Through a wide variety of events, the museum provides a way to enjoy manga that goes beyond just reading.

The retro building is a renovated former Tatsuike Elementary School building built in the early Showa period (1926-1989). The open-air space with artificial grass all over the schoolyard is also a big attraction. There is also a museum store and cafe so that you can enjoy the whole day.