AKITA -- The Yokote Masuda Manga Museum has reopened in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, after undergoing renovations since April 2017.
Opened in 1995, the municipal government-run facility boasts a collection of about 220,000 original drawings provided by popular manga artists such as city native Takao Yaguchi, Akiko Higashimura, Yoshihiro Takahashi, Junichi Nojo and Goseki Kojima.
At the Manga no Kura (Manga warehouse) section, visitors can watch museum staff add each drawing's digital data to the museum's database.
On April 20, the museum held a preopening ceremony for Yokote residents attended by about 160 guests, including Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake and manga artist Machiko Satonaka.
Yokote Mayor Dai Takahashi said in a speech that he hopes that the museum "will develop into a facility that can pass on Japan's manga culture to future generations."
Prints on display at station
The prints of 30 original manga drawings from the museum's collection are on display at JR Yokote Station to promote the facility's reopening in May.
The municipal government started the display of the prints by the five manga artists to introduce the museum at the gateway to the city. The display will last through August.
Among the visitors was a 56-year-old company executive in the city, who said he once collected all the volumes of "Tsurikichi Sanpei" (Fisherman Sanpei) by Yaguchi. "It's interesting to see the original drawings as they give us a glimpse into the process of a work to its completion," he said.
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