Kyoto International Manga Museum

Museum Guidance

1. Research Exhibition Gallery / Archives (Basement floor)

Introducing the long history of Japanese manga from nostalgic works to historical materials. You can also view part of the collection of over 250,000 items that makes up the resource archives.

2. Manga Studio / Portrait Drawing Section (1st floor Atrium Hall, open only on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays)

Here you can see graduates of Kyoto Seika University give demonstrations of how to draw manga. There is also a portrait drawing section (charges apply), which would make a great memento of your visit to the museum.

3. Workshop Corner (Workshops held only on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays)

We have created a workshop corner with the themes of drawing, creation and experience where manga are used in a fun way. Workshops are also held on weekdays for groups of 5 or more (by appointment, charges apply). For further details visit our website or contact us by telephone.

4. Children's Library (1st floor)

The children's library has a collection of manga and picture books that can be enjoyed by children. On weekdays anyone can enter freely, but during busy periods (especially Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays) the children's library may only be used by children of elementary school age or under, and their parents/guardians.

5. Exhibition of 100 Maiko Illustrations (1st & 2nd floors)

The hall walls are lined with richly unique pictures of maiko-san, drawn for us by 174 different manga artists.

6. Tatsuike History and Memorial Room (2nd floor)

Kyoto International Manga Museum was opened on the site of the Tatsuike Primary School, which had previously closed. Here you can find an introduction to the history of Tatsuike Primary School, which was built in 1869 (the 2nd year of the Meiji period) with the aid of donations given by the people of the Tatsuike school district.

7. Yassan's Street Picture Story Show (2nd floor Multipurpose Research Room 1)

Not just the nostalgic picture story shows of old, but also performances of picture story shows that can't be seen anywhere else. There are various types, such as "picture story shows without pictures" and "picture story shows without words", making them popular with visitors from overseas too. You can also learn about the history of these picture story shows here.

8. Manga Laboratory (2nd floor)

This is a corner where you can experience the manga of the future. You can use a computer to read manga and draw your own characters and designs.

9. Selection Gallery (2nd floor Galleries 1, 2 & 3)

Through this display of the history of Japanese manga and the nature of manga from overseas, as well as cartoons, you can gain a broad specialized knowledge of manga.