Japanese Pop Culture: Anime & Manga

It feels like a dream: you're in Tokyo creating anime and manga alongside professional artists. During this visit to the Anime Artist Academy in Ryogoku, a professor and students of the college introduce you to professional tools, guide you through digital sketching, and provide insight into the world of color theory. You'll even get to try your hand at voice recording!

This workshop introduces you to the many fields within the manga and anime industry, and how they operate within Japan. You'll get a feel for what it's like to attend an art academy in Tokyo, and the intensity and fun of taking courses in animation. When you step into the recording studio, you and your friends can’t help but laugh as you voice a scene from an anime, trying out exaggerated tones and dramatic deliveries for the ultimate group performance.

As you wrap up the day, you realize the depth of skill and creativity required to bring anime to life. Whether it’s digital drawing or voice acting, this experience broadens your understanding of the industry and sparks ideas about how your unique talents could fit into its many possibilities.

The floor creaks softly underfoot as you wander through the recreated rooms of Tokiwaso, a modest apartment house that once sheltered manga legends like Osamu Tezuka, “the Father of Manga.” This peaceful museum, tucked away in a quiet Tokyo neighborhood, is a time capsule of manga history. The walls bear the marks of years gone by, and scattered tools of the trade—a drafting table, vintage ink bottles, and carefully placed sketchpads—immerse you in the daily lives of the young artists who redefined Japanese pop culture.

Through exhibits spanning manga’s evolution from the 1950s to today, you trace how art styles, themes, and techniques have changed over time. Upstairs, in the recreated artists’ living spaces, you and your peers pause in a tatami room to sketch, inspired by the creativity that once flourished here. Exploring further, you feel connected to the dedication and ingenuity of the mangakas who shaped a global phenomenon.

This visit deepens your appreciation for manga’s rich history, showing how creativity and perseverance shaped an art form that resonates worldwide. You leave inspired to bring your own unique voice into the world of anime and manga.