Oizumi Anime Gate
大泉アニメゲート · Oizumi Anime Gate
- Ward
- Nerima
- Price
- Free
- Hours
- Open 24 hours (outdoor deck)
- Closed
- Open daily
- Getting there
- Directly at the north exit of Oizumi-gakuen Stn (Seibu Ikebukuro Line)
- Founded
- 2015
- This ward is where Japan's first feature-length colour animation was made
- It sits on the pedestrian deck at the station's north exit
- It is easy to see the statues and leave
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
This ward is where Japan's first feature-length colour animation was made. A studio said to be the largest in Asia was completed in Higashi-Oizumi in 1956, and that film emerged from it in 1958. In 1961 Osamu Tezuka founded his production company in Fujimidai and made the country's first weekly television series. Over ninety animation companies still operate in the ward.
It sits on the pedestrian deck at the station's north exit, completed in 2015, so it is right there as you leave the gates. No admission, no opening hours. Five life-size bronze figures stand there, alongside a wall carrying a timeline of the ward's animation history and photographs from the film studios. Plenty of people are taking pictures, so just keep out of the walkway.
It is easy to see the statues and leave, but a museum run by the studio itself stands about fifteen minutes' walk from the same exit. It closes Wednesdays and on irregular days, so check first. Every May an animation event fills the streets around the station. What sets this ward apart is that it is a working industry, not a sight.
What it is
Nerima is a ward where farmland coexists with the anime industry. Walk on and the line between public path and someone's daily life blurs. That blur is the character of the place. Toilets are far off. Sort that out at a station or park beforehand. Monday closures are common in this line of business — check especially if you plan an early-week visit. Carry a little cash for peace of mind — cards are still not universally accepted. If you return, come at a different hour — the impression changes considerably.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
It costs nothing, so it fits any itinerary regardless of budget. It is barely hashtagged. Being a view not yet consumed is itself the value.