Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

Prior to the group trip, I – Timothy – am solo in Tokyo. Using artificial intelligence, I concocted a busy four days featuring Ito on the Izu Peninsula and Sawara, also known as Little Edo. I also end this Journey Across Japan with a solo spell in Minato, near Taito and Tamachi Station. 

As first proper activity, I decided to visit the Toei Animation Museum, all the way in Nerima, a special ward of Tokyo. I grew watching Toei produced anime. 

Toei Animation Co., Ltd.

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (東映アニメーション株式会社, Tōei Animēshon Kabushiki-gaisha; /ˈtoʊ.eɪ/) is a Japanese animation studio largely controlled by its parent company, Toei Company. It was originally established on 23 January 1948 as Japan Animated Films by Kenzō Masaoka and Sanae Yamamoto.

The studio is best known for producing a wide range of popular animated series, including ‘Sally the Witch‘, ‘GeGeGe no Kitarō‘, ‘Mazinger Z‘, ‘Galaxy Express 999‘, ‘Cutie Honey‘, ‘Dr. Slump‘, ‘Dragon Ball‘, my fovourite show as a teen ‘Saint Seiya‘, ‘Sailor Moon‘, ‘Slam Dunk‘, ‘Digimon‘, ‘One Piece‘, ‘Magical Doremi‘, ‘Toriko‘, ‘World Trigger‘ and ‘Pretty Cure‘, among others.

In addition to animation production, Toei Animation also manages character licensing, as well as overseas distribution and sales through its wholly owned international subsidiaries.

Toei Animation’s headquarters are located in Nakano, while its main studios are based in Higashiōizumi, Nerima, where the Toei Animation Museum is also situated. The company operates an overseas studio in the Philippines known as Toei Animation Phils. Its official mascot is Pero, the protagonist of Toei’s 1969 film adaptation of ‘Puss in Boots‘.

The studio was founded in 1948 by animators Kenzō Masaoka and Sanae Yamamoto as Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画, Nihon Dōga Eiga), often abbreviated as Nichidō Eiga (日動映画). In 1956, Toei acquired the studio and renamed it Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (東映動画株式会社, Tōei Dōga Kabushiki-gaisha; dōga meaning “video” or, more broadly, “animation”). 

The Japanese name was later changed in 1998 to align with its English equivalent. Over the decades, Toei Animation has produced numerous television series and feature films, including many adaptations of Japanese comics that achieved worldwide popularity. Prominent figures such as Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yasuji Mori, Leiji Matsumoto, and Yōichi Kotabe have all worked at the studio. Toei was also a shareholder in the Japanese anime satellite network Animax, alongside studios such as Sunrise, TMS Entertainment, and Nihon Ad Systems.

While Toei Company often commissions Toei Animation to produce its animated content, it has also collaborated with other studios. For example, although Toei Company produced the ‘Robot Romance Trilogy‘, the animation itself was handled by Sunrise (then known as Nippon Sunrise). Similarly, ‘Space Emperor God Sigma‘ was animated by Academy Productions rather than Toei’s own staff. 

Since 1962, Toei Animation has maintained its own production offices separate from Toei’s television division. Toei Animation has received several Animage Anime Grand Prix awards: ‘Galaxy Express 999’ (1981), ‘Saint Seiya’ (1987), and ‘Sailor Moon’ (1992). From the 1960s onward, the studio also provided animation for American films and television productions, particularly during the 1980s.

In October 2021, Toei Animation entered a strategic partnership with the South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM. 

On 6 March 2022, an unauthorised third party attempted to breach Toei Animation’s network, forcing the temporary suspension of its online store and internal systems. The company confirmed that the incident disrupted broadcast schedules for several anime series, including ‘One Piece’, and delayed the release of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero‘ to 11 June 2022. Regular broadcasting resumed on 6 April 2022. The following day, NHK reported that the disruption had been caused by a targeted ransomware attack.

On 5 June 2025, Toei Animation announced a new production label, Eterna Animation, dedicated to original works. The label’s first project, ‘Foxing‘, a short film, is scheduled for release in 2026. Later that year, on 26 August, Toei revealed plans to open a new studio in Osaka. 

The Osaka studio will serve as the company’s second domestic production facility, aimed at expanding operations, recruiting artists from the Kansai region, and strengthening ties with the local community. Board member and head of production Kiichirō Yamada stated that Japan’s animation industry faces a serious labour shortage and that Toei sees the establishment of regional studios as essential to sustaining creative talent beyond Tokyo.

The Toei Animation Museum (東映アニメーションミュージアム) is located within the company’s main studio complex in Nerima,  a district often regarded as the birthplace of Japanese animation. It offers visitors an opportunity to explore the studio’s long history and gain insight into its production processes. 

The museum stands at 2-10-5 Higashi Ōizumi, Nerima-ku, and is about a fifteen-minute walk from Ōizumi-gakuen Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. Entry is free, and the museum is typically open from 11 AM to 4 PM (last admission 3:30 PM), closing every Wednesday and on selected irregular holidays. Most visits take around thirty minutes to an hour.

Inside, the museum presents a compact but well-curated collection of exhibits tracing the evolution of Toei’s animation from its early hand-drawn works to the modern digital era. 

The main exhibition area displays original storyboards, sketches, animation cels, and promotional materials from the studio’s vast catalogue, including internationally known titles such as ‘Dragon Ball’, ‘Sailor Moon’, and “One Piece’. 

Interactive screens allow visitors to browse the studio’s full production history and learn more about its creative techniques. 

No photos

Photography and filming are generally prohibited in the exhibition rooms due to copyright restrictions, though specific areas, including a photo zone and dance-corner inspired by the ‘Pretty Cure’ series, are available for taking pictures.

Outside, the museum’s courtyard provides a relaxing space featuring a fountain and statues, most notably one of Pero, the studio’s long-standing mascot. Hidden character motifs are scattered around the garden for visitors to discover. A small museum shop sells exclusive merchandise, including stationery, keyholders, tote bags, and other items inspired by the studio’s franchises. 

With its mix of archival displays, interactive features, and family-friendly atmosphere, the Toei Animation Museum serves as both a cultural landmark and a tribute to one of Japan’s most influential animation studios.

A visit

The museum is more a showroom than a museum. You’re invited to look for seven dragon balls, but without Bulma‘s rader, I didn’t find any. 

So, was the visit a waste of time? I’d say no because, but also yes because it’s far away. But I did get to see Nerima.

Nerima

Nerima (練馬区, Nerima-ku) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the north-west of Tokyo’s Wards Area (東京都区部, Tōkyō-to kubu), it is primarily a residential district. In English, the ward refers to itself as ‘Nerima City‘, following the practice of several other special wards of Tokyo, although in Japanese it continues to be known as Nerima Ward.

Widely recognised as the “Town of Animation” (アニメのまち, Anime no Machi), Nerima holds a central place in the history of Japanese animation. 

The earliest anime studios were established here, including Toei Animation and Osamu Tezuka’s Mushi Production, earning the ward its reputation as the birthplace of anime. It was in Nerima that Japan’s first colour animated feature film, ‘The White Snake Enchantress‘, was produced, as well as the first animated television series, ‘Astro Boy‘. As of 2007, Nerima had the highest concentration of anime studios in Japan, followed by neighbouring Suginami Ward.

Nerima has also served as the backdrop for several well-known anime and manga series, including ‘Doraemon‘, ‘Ranma ½‘, ‘Maison Ikkoku‘ (‘Juliette, je t’aime‘, ‘Tokyo Ghoul‘, and ‘Digimon Adventure‘.

As of 1 June 2025, Nerima Ward had an estimated population of 749,451 residents living in 399,800 households. Approximately 21.6% of its population is aged 65 or older. Covering a total area of 48.08 square kilometres, the ward has a population density of around 15,591 people per square kilometre.

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.