KYOTO--Manga fans wanting to keep the buzz going after visiting the Kyoto International Manga Museum here should head for the coffee shop across the street. 

There, they can enjoy a cup of java while admiring the walls of the Maeda Coffee outlet that are adorned with manga characters and their creators’ autographs.

A total of 150 manga artists from Japan and abroad, including not only Tetsuya Chiba, Takao Saito, Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Yanase and other noted painters but also younger and relatively unknown cartoonists, have decorated the coffee shop. 

The “walls of signatures” are full of illustrations from these creators’ representative works and other titles that were drawn with permanent markers.

“They were done by manga artists from a range of generations, so they give people a glimpse into the history of manga after the end of World War II,” said Yu Ito, a specially appointed associate professor of manga studies at Kyoto Seika University’s International Manga Research Center.

“As works by deceased artists exist, too, they can be considered to constitute a legacy of the manga community.”

Situated in Nakagyo Ward, Maeda Coffee sits in front of the entrance to the Kyoto International Manga Museum and is a new attraction in the ancient capital.

Customers who order drinks or food at the retro cafe housed within a former elementary school building can freely scour the familiar manga characters who cover the walls and are accompanied by their creators’ autographs.

Found among them are the protagonists from such series as “Anpanman,” “Golgo 13,” “Kosaku Shima,” “Obocchama-kun,” “Hajime no Ippo” (The First Step) and “Hochonin Ajihei” (Ajihei the kitchen knife master).

According to Ito’s accounts, Chiba is the first to work on the walls. Chiba dropped in at the eatery on Jan. 7, 2007, a month and a half following the opening of the cafe and museum. He was then invited to the museum for an event.

Ito asked Chiba to “paint something in commemoration,” and Chiba willingly complied with his request.

Chiba swiftly drew a picture of Joe Yabuki, the protagonist of the popular title "Ashita no Joe" (Tomorrow's Joe), painted by Chiba and written by Asao Takamori aka Ikki Kajiwara, and signed it in pen.

Measuring 70 centimeters by 70 cm, the renowned character was reproduced on the white wall to the left of the coffee shop’s entrance.

“I remember I felt terribly hesitant to draw my character on the broad, pure-white wall that had just been painted,” said Chiba, looking back on that time.

Following that, Ito started guiding manga artists who visit the museum to the cafe.

Painted on the wall on the opposite side is Duke Togo from Saito’s “Golgo 13.” Monkey Punch, Machiko Satonaka, Keiko Takemiya and other famous creators successively popped up there for illustrations.

No fewer than 22 artists showed off their skills in 2007 alone. The number of paintings continued rising the following year and later.

After six artists, such as Akira Oze, who hails from Kyoto Prefecture and is well known for “Natsuko no Sake” (Natsuko's sake) and other works, painted the cafe walls in 2022, the number of involved illustrators topped 140.

Ito said painters are typically requested by the store’s staff to work on walls but there are also manga artists who voluntarily show up there to wield markers.

Playful creations can be spotted on the walls. Some take advantage of the ceiling and wall edges, while the sole of a formerly drawn character is tickled in a newly added cartoon.

“The directly painted works can be enjoyed up close, allowing viewers to retrace blurred ink and other pen strokes,” noted Ito.

Manami Sasai, the cafe’s manager, explained the popularity of her shop’s attraction.

“Many patrons are astonished to learn that they were actually drawn by the authors of those manga,” said Sasai. “Customers come here just to look at the walls at times. I am grateful that they have long been kept clean. I expect visitors to enjoy viewing the pictures without touching them.”

Looking at an image of the interior of the coffee shop, Chiba told The Asahi Shimbun that he was “impressed by the sight of the recent photograph that shows few blank spaces” on the walls.

“The ceiling and other places are now packed with nearly 150 characters,” Chiba said in a statement.

Chiba likened the painted walls to an alumni gathering for cartoonists marked by a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.

“Who painted them and when creators came to the cafe are different from one another,” he said. “The view, however, gives me a mysterious impression as if artists in the manga community all turned out together, as many newcomers whom I have never met are among them.”

The Maeda Coffee outlet is open from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. It is closed on the same days as the Kyoto International Manga Museum.