Manga museums in Japan: Kyoto, Takarazuka and Kitakyushu compared

Pick the Kyoto International Manga Museum if you want one stop: it is open 10:00 to 17:00, closed on Wednesdays, and an adult ticket is $8 (¥1,200). The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum is in Takarazuka, Hyogo, not Kitakyushu, and listings disagree on its closed day. Kitakyushu’s museum closes on Tuesdays, and its fees are not on its official page.

It sits in Anime and manga, next to Akihabara for first-timers. Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.

Which manga museum fits your trip?

Closed days decide the choice: Wednesday in Kyoto, Tuesday in Kitakyushu, the third Tuesday in Yokote, and Monday or Wednesday in Takarazuka, depending on the listing.

How to choose:

• One museum, first trip: Kyoto. It has an English site and a published photography policy.
• A Tezuka fan: Takarazuka. Confirm the closed day first, and expect a Japanese page.
• In Kyushu: Kitakyushu, and not on a Tuesday.
• Passing through Akita: Yokote, and not on the third Tuesday.

What does the Kyoto International Manga Museum have?

About 50,000 books on its Manga Wall, a permanent show called What is Manga?, kamishibai (paper theatre), a portrait corner and workshops. The English site covers the exhibits.

Elementary school children need a companion of junior high age or older. A Kyoto subway one-day ticket and some similar passes take 20% off, so an adult pays $6 (¥960). Discounts do not combine.

The museum’s use guide sets the house rules:

• No flash photography.
• No eating inside the building. The grounds are fine.
• No smoking, and no drinks in containers that cannot be sealed.
• No commercial shooting.
• Photos of exhibits or people may raise copyright or portrait issues if you publish them. Special exhibitions can have their own rules.

When is the Tezuka museum open?

The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka opens at 9:30 and closes at 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. Listings give an adult ticket of $5 (¥700), junior high and high school $2 (¥300) and elementary school $1 (¥100). The city page mentions smartphone tickets through e+.

The closed day is not settled. Listings split between Monday (the Osaka tourism site among them) and Wednesday. The city page links a closed-days calendar that is not readable, and some listings add 29 to 31 December and late February. Open that calendar or phone 0797-81-2970 before you pick a day. The page is in Japanese with a translation service link.

What do you need to know about Kitakyushu?

The Kitakyushu Manga Museum sits on floors 5 and 6 of Aruaru City in Kokurakita-ku. It opens 11:00 to 19:00 with last entry 30 minutes before closing, and closes on Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a holiday) and at year-end and New Year. The page offers an English multilingual guide.

Its official page lists no fees, and older listings may be out of date. An internal closure that began on 4 October ended on 24 November 2026. For the fee, ask the museum by email, using the address on its page.

And the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum?

It is in Akita, open 10:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:30, and closed on the third Tuesday of each month (the next weekday if that is a holiday). The page says the permanent exhibition is free and special exhibitions are paid. Its fee table lists an adult ticket of $6 (¥1,000), but it does not make clear which exhibitions that covers. Check before you go.

The walk is about 10 minutes from the Kuranoeki bus stop, and a bus runs from Jumonji station on the JR Ou Line.

Which anime museums are worth adding?

The Suginami Animation Museum in Tokyo is free, per the city. It opens 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) on the third floor of Suginami Kaikan in Kamiogi, and closes on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday) and from 28 December to 4 January. It has English exhibits listed by the Tokyo tourism board.

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is the one that needs planning. The official page sets these terms:

• All admission is by advance reservation. There are no door sales.
• Next month’s tickets go on sale at 10:00 JST on the 10th of the month before. January tickets go on sale on 10 December and February tickets on 10 January.
• From abroad, it lists the Lawson Ticket English site and a Sunrise Tours JTB bus tour. One undated article says the Lawson option is unavailable, so read the official ticket page first.
• A ticket is valid for one date and one entry time. Resale is prohibited.
• Visitors are asked to refrain from photos and video inside.
• Adults (19 and over) pay $6 (¥1,000), ages 13 to 18 pay $5 (¥700), ages 7 to 12 pay $3 (¥400), ages 4 to 6 pay $1 (¥100), and ages 3 and under are free.

Secondary guides report tickets selling out within minutes, so set up your account before the 10th. Closed days appear only on the booking calendar.

What is open at New Year?

Several museums close over New Year. Kyoto, Kitakyushu and Suginami all list New Year closures, and Suginami’s run from 28 December to 4 January. A listing for Takarazuka adds 29 to 31 December. Yokote’s page lists no New Year closure, but its monthly Tuesday rule still applies.

Before you go Check the closed day before you pick a date: Wednesday in Kyoto, Tuesday in Kitakyushu, the third Tuesday in Yokote and Monday in Suginami. Confirm Takarazuka’s on the city calendar.

To verify Takarazuka’s closed day and prices come from listings, not the city page, and Kitakyushu fees are not published. Whether the Manga Wall books come in English, and whether Ghibli Museum tickets carry name and ID rules, is not stated.