[Exhibition Report] Kadokawa Musashino Museum "Bookshelf Theater," "Tatsuo Takayama: Memories of Existence - In Endless Time," and more

[Approx. 4,900 characters, approx. 75 photos]
Kadokawa Musashino Museum (Tokyo, Higashi-Tokorozawa). I visited for the first time. Using a Standard Ticket, I saw the Bookshelf Theater and viewed the "Kadokawa Musashino Museum Collection Exhibition vol.03 Tatsuo Takayama - Memories of Existence: In Endless Time." I will write my impressions here.

▶︎Conclusion

I thought it was a spot you should visit at least once. It is suitable for parents and children, friends, and couples. Good points: 1) The Manga and Light Novel Library is fun and educational, 2) Kengo Kuma's architecture is cool, 3) Not just the museum, but "Tokorozawa Sakura Town" has become a community where people gather. However, the approach to books was a bit different from mine, which bothered me slightly.

▶︎Reason for Visiting

I had wanted to visit the "Kadokawa Musashino Museum" for a long time because it was designed by Kengo Kuma. Since I had the opportunity to participate in a sweet potato digging experience in Kawagoe, I stopped by on the way back.

▶︎Access

The Kadokawa Musashino Museum is about a 10-minute walk from Higashi-Tokorozawa Station. The route is simple.

Higashi-Tokorozawa Park, located on the way, has plenty of playground equipment and a large space, so if you go with children, I think they could play for tens of minutes.

On the way, there are 28 of Japan's first "LED manholes" installed. Pedestrians were having fun talking while walking to and from, saying things like, "Oh, I know this!"

Address: 3-31-3 Higashitokorozawa Wada, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture

▶︎ What is the Kadokawa Musashino Museum?

The Kadokawa Musashino Museum is located in a corner of "Tokorozawa Sakura Town." "Tokorozawa Sakura Town" opened in November 2020 as "one of Japan's largest pop culture hubs." It is operated by KADOKAWA Corporation. The premises mainly include the following:

・Kadokawa Musashino Museum
・Musashino Reiwa Shrine
・N High School / S High School
・Japan Pavilion (including shops and restaurants)
・Kadokawa offices, book manufacturing and logistics factory

There were many stalls in the plaza, and it was bustling with people coming and going. And now, off to the Kadokawa Musashino Museum.

The Kadokawa Musashino Museum has five floors. Most people purchase the "Standard Ticket" (1,400 yen), which allows entry to areas other than the event spaces on the 1st and 3rd floors. Overall, my impression was, "I think about 1,000 yen would be fine...."

▶︎Impressions

Standard tickets allow entry to areas other than the "EJ Anime Museum" (3rd floor) and the "Grand Gallery" (1st floor). The recommended route for first-time visitors is 2nd floor (reception) → 4th floor → 5th floor → 1st floor. You can also go around starting from the 5th floor, but it is smoother starting from the 4th floor.

My overall impression is that if you have even the slightest interest in books, it is worth visiting at least once. It is also suitable for a casual date. However, I felt that it is not suitable for people with zero interest in books.

✔️ (4th floor) Edit Town - Book Street

On the 4th floor, Kengo Kuma designed "staggered shelves," where 25,000 books, mainly Kadokawa books selected by the director, Seigo Matsuoka, are arranged in nine contexts based on the philosophy of "encountering new books and creating new associations," with 25,000 volumes arranged in nine contexts.

Edit Town was so crowded with visitors that it felt cramped. Visitors are free to read the books on display. Everyone was excitedly looking at book titles and the like.

Seeing that scene, I wondered, "How much do these people actually read books in their daily lives?" I read about 150 books a year (Cumulative: 2,175 books). The Nikkei reported that "Over 60% of people read '0 books' per month, the highest ever" (2024/9/18).

This space is stylish, fun, and filled to the brim with books. It is truly a "museum of books." However, books are meaningless if you don't read them. Visitors were happily reading books that caught their interest, either sitting in chairs or standing.

However, after paying 1,400 yen, what is the point of repeatedly glancing at text in a superficial space? I believe that by reading a book calmly from cover to cover, you can deepen your understanding and grasp the author's message.

Will the people who came here realize the goodness of books and increase their future reading? I understood Kadokawa's intention to get people familiar with books. However, I felt a gap between the photogenic space and the excitement of the superficial visitors, and the reality that only a handful of people actually read books on a regular basis.

✔️ (4th Floor) Edit and Art Gallery

An art gallery is also located on the same floor as Edit Town. In the past, it has held buzzworthy exhibitions featuring subjects like "Miyuki Nakajima," "Lucky Star," "Mitsuaki Iwago," and "Machiko Tawara." Both in terms of scale and display method, it was an impressive experience.

✔️ (4th Floor) Aramata Wonder Treasure House

An exhibition space for "Wonder" by Hiroshi Aramata. It is held in a narrow space at the end of the Book Street. At the time, it featured various specimens and a special exhibition titled "Birth of the 20th Century Beautiful Girl <Girly Art>." Although I felt the dedication in the content, I got the impression that it was a palate cleanser for the Book Street.

✔️ (4th Floor) Bookshelf Theater

Considered the museum's main attraction. The space is surrounded by about 8-meter-tall bookshelves containing about 20,000 books (all of which can actually be read). Every 20 minutes, a projection mapping show is held. I thought it was beautiful, but I also felt, "That said, what is this trying to convey..."

Also, while being here, I felt that the "spine," "cover," and "title" of a book are extremely important. This is because whether or not a visitor picks up a book is determined solely by these elements.

In the 2020 Kohaku Uta Gassen, this place became a hot topic because YOASOBI performed here.

After that, I went up to the 5th floor.

✔️ (5th Floor) Musashino Corridor

This is a space lined with books and materials related to the Musashino area.

✔️ (5th Floor) Musashino Gallery

This is a space for exhibitions related to Musashino and various cultures. I mostly just walked through both the corridor and the gallery.

After that, I headed to the 1st floor.

✔️ (1st Floor) Manga and Light Novel Library

This is a library space housing a collection of light novels from various publishers, with a total of children's books and comics and more, amounting to over approximately 35,000 volumes. Visitors can freely read them in a relaxed environment.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was distributed by Kadokawa Herald Pictures. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" was the first movie in my life that I watched more than twice (I ended up seeing it in the theater three times).

Other manga involved with Kadokawa that I have seen (read) include "Neon Genesis Evangelion," "Overman King Gainer," "Azumanga Daioh," "Yotsuba&!," "A Certain Magical Index," and "A Certain Scientific Railgun." Considering that I was able to encounter these works, I have nothing but gratitude for Kadokawa🙏

The Manga and Light Novel Library also had children's books available. Parents and children were happily reading picture books there. Since Higashi-Tokorozawa Park and a water play area are also nearby, I thought it was a place you could fully enjoy even when visiting with children .

I learned for the first time that The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Pan Dorobo were published by Kadokawa. When it comes to picture book publishers, I only really knew of Fukuinkan Shoten.

For me, the Manga and Light Novel Library was the most satisfying and educational part. I usually don't pay attention to publishers when reading manga and the like. However, I was able to realize once again that "Kadokawa has actually been a part of my own human development."

It was strange to find myself having completely opposite reactions: seeing people engrossed in reading at the "Book Street" made me wonder, "Is there any point in reading like you're just snacking on books?" while seeing people happily reading books at the Manga and Light Novel Library made me think, "Manga and light novels are wonderful."

✔️ Others

The museum shop on the first floor is not only sophisticated, but also had a wide selection of original postcards.

▶︎ Summary

Did I manage to convey the characteristics of the museum? The good points were that the Manga and Light Novel Library offered unexpected learning, the architecture by Kengo Kuma is cool, and Kadokawa is firmly rooted in the local community. Therefore, I think it is a museum that can be enjoyed by parents and children, friends, couples, and so on. However, I felt that the approach to sparking interest in "books" and the slightly poor accessibility of Higashi-Tokorozawa are issues.

▶︎ Today's Museum Meal

▶︎ Bonus (Potato Digging)

This is potato digging I did before going to the Kadokawa Musashino Museum (photos only). The plot for digging is designated, and the fee is 1,000 yen. When I weighed the potatoes I got, they were 7 kilograms...😮