Photo/Illutration Anime Tokyo Station opens its doors in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district on Oct. 31. (Kaho Matsuda)

A new hub of anime culture opened in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district on Oct. 31, showcasing select items from a treasure trove kept by the metropolitan government.

Anime Tokyo Station occupies a floor space of about 1,300 square meters across three floors of an office building near the east exit of Ikebukuro Station.

Unable to manage the vast amounts of materials on their own, many anime production companies and other parties have asked the metropolitan government to keep them on their behalf, officials said.

The Tokyo metropolitan government spent about 500 million yen ($3.34 million) on the exhibition facility.

On the first floor, a monument of about 120 pictures depicting scenes from popular Japanese anime such as “Suzume” and “Kingdom” is suspended from the ceiling.

Background drawings and storyboards for “Astro Boy” are on display in the basement.

Large figures and a game celebrating “Naruto,” a ninja anime popular among foreigners, are available at a special exhibition being held on the second floor.

Tokyo metropolitan officials started discussions about creating a tourist facility based on Japanese anime at the beginning of fiscal 2022, when the novel coronavirus pandemic had not subsided, to cash in on the expected rebound of foreign visitors.

An exhibition facility for anime materials was proposed because there are few facilities like it in Tokyo, though the capital is home to many anime production studios and stores selling related goods, according to officials at the Tourism Divison.

The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to display valuable materials from its archives of about 50,000 items, including celluloid pictures, background drawings, scripts and planning documents for about 120 works.

Films from popular anime such as “Dragon Ball,” “Fist of the North Star” and “Dr. Slump: Arale-chan” are also being kept at the metropolitan government.

Management of the new facility has been entrusted to the Association of Japanese Animations. 

The Ikebukuro district, which hosts a number of anime-related facilities, attracts many anime fans, particularly women.

It was chosen as the location of the new facility “so that visitors can tour the area together with surrounding facilities,” a metropolitan official said.

A 200-meter-long street west of the 60-story Sunshine 60 skyscraper, 700 meters east of Ikebukuro Station, is known as Otome Road (Maiden Road) as it is lined with many stores selling goods and books related to manga and anime targeting women.

An outlet of the Animate anime-goods retailer can also be found along the street.

Mixalive Tokyo, which features anime-related facilities, including a theater and store, opened in the Ikebukuro district in 2020.

The Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival also celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, attracting about 130,000 people.