Interest
Manga Museum's Millionth Visitor a U.S. Manga Fan
posted on by Gia Manry
The Kyoto International Manga Museum celebrated its millionth visitor since its 2006 opening on Monday when sixth grader and Los Angeles native Liana Smale walked through its doors. Smale, a manga fan who says her friends are all also interested in manga, received a commemorative gift from the museum's mascot Mamyu (a portmanteau of "manga" and "myūjiamu," or museum).
The museum has a collection of about 300,000 manga-related items. However, 250,000 of them are kept in a closed-shelf archival system and are available upon request for research. The remaining 50,000 items, focused primarily on manga published since 1970, make up the Kyoto International Manga Museum's 140-meter-long (460-foot-long) "Wall of Manga." There is also a section specifically for international comics inspired by Japanese manga. In addition to manga, the museum hosts a variety of rotating exhibits and workshops.
Kyoto Seika University established the museum in 2006, along with a department dedicated to production of manga and anime. The department eventually attracted mangaka Keiko Takemiya (To Terra) as well as translator and cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn. In 2009, the university also launched Japan's first graduate program for manga studies.
Source: The Mainichi Daily News
Image © Kyoto International Manga Museum
