The Kochikame Memorial Museum Opens in Katsushika Ward, Japan

Recently, in Katsushika City, Tokyo (Katsushika Ward) a new memorial museum dedicated to one of the most memorable comedy manga in history, and that’s Kochikame.

It is a beautiful five-story museum modeled after a police box which includes desks of Ryo-san and his colleagues. One floor featured copies of original drawings, archiving its four decades of history. Another floor included a space for playing various games related to the manga. According to NHK World Japan, there is a room dedicated to the protagonist, Ryotsu Kankichi, and a “shrine” where fans will be able to pick up a character-inscribed fortune-telling slip. Listed below are what the Memorial Museum has to offer, along with the price of admission.

PLEASE NOTE: For Rules Regarding Tickets and its Sales Schedule, click here to learn more. Meanwhile, Katsushika Ward Residents must bring Identification (driver’s license, insurance card, student ID, employee ID, etc.) For proof of Resident Rate.

To celebrate this monumental announcement, a special short story about Kochikame was published in this year’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue No. 17, which was released three days ago. Another short story was published in Shueisha’s JUMP REMIX! Titled Osamu Akimoto’s Nice! Choice Kochikame LIVE!! 10 on sale now. Shueisha is currently doing two giveaways (Hologram Stickers and 2010 Shonen Jump Issue 14 Cover) at feature new items that celebrate the Kochikame Memorial Museum’s Grand Opening (the Giveaway ends on March 30).

Available For A Limited Time: Kochikame DVD Vol. One: Selection (30th Anniversary Celebration)

Kochikame is a comedy manga written and illustrated by Osamu Akimoto, which was first serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine September 21, 1976 – September 17, 2016, consisting of 1960 chapters and 201 tankobon volumes. It has inspired two TV Anime adaptations, three animated films, a live-action film, a TV drama, and stage adaptations. For video games, Ryotsu appears playable in the Weekly Shōnen Jump crossover fighting video games Jump Super Stars, Jump Ultimate Stars, and J-Stars Victory VS. In 2014, Kochikame had sold over 157.2 million tankōbon copies. With 200 volumes, the series held the Guinness World Record for “Most volumes published for a single manga series” from September 2016 to July 2021. It has been nominated and won numerous awards over the years.

Kameari Koen is an actual park in Tokyo’s Katsushika ward. The police station is fictional, but it is modeled after a real one located on the north side of Kameari railway station. The manga has brought considerable fame to the neighborhood, and it draws sightseers from all over Japan. In 2006, two life-size bronze statues of Ryo-san were erected at the north and south gates of Kameari Station. Be sure to check out the new museum and support their business and cause.

Source: NHK WORLD-JAPAN, EN-Mantan Web

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