Shopping Guide
From Feb. 1-2, the Tokyo Manga and Anime Carnival in Toshima was held in Ikebukuro. In the first floor exhibition hall of the Toshima public center, 18 organizations from cities all over Japan held manga and anime displays in an effort to revitalize their respective cities.
Among those from the hometown area of Toshima was Tokiwa-so, a famous apartment complex in Ochiai-minami-nagasaki where many legendary manga artists, including Osamu Tezuka, Fujiko F. Fujio, Fujiko A. Fujio, Naoya Moriyasu, Shotaro Ishinomori, and Fujio Akatsuka, used to live. Tokiwa-so was displaying their Tokiwa-so Street Cooperation Project. At the same time, they were also jointly sponsoring a talk event with voice actor Akira Kamiya and anime director Akitaro Daichi, which got people excited about their cause.
The Tokiwa-so Street Cooperation Project, which is a cooperative cultural project centered on Toshima, started in April 2009 when, with the backing of the the Toshima Minami-nagasaki Business Association and the town council, the Tokiwa-so Heroes monument was erected. The project has expanded to various businesses incorporating Tokiwa-so’s manga culture. Currently, as part of the project, workshops are being held periodically at the late Fujio Akatsuka’s residence (Shiun-so). This year, the Tokiwa-so Street Rest Spot will also be established.
Tokiwa-so Street’s Official Site:
http://tokiwaso-street.jp/ (Japanese)
