Fujiko · F · Fujio Museum

Doraemon for all

There seems to be a museum for just about everything and Doraemon is no exception. Doraemon is universally loved in Japan and is the staple in which every cartoon cat in Japan is compared against. Actually the museum is dedicated to manga artist Fujiko F. Fujio, but it might as well be called the Doraemon museum, since he is most famous for making that. Not to discredit his other works, because it is also lovely. When you get there, you are presented by a timeline of cartoons from around the world, when they are from in their own time. Of course, since Doraemon is from the future, he is shown right at the end. That is a nice touch, I think. The museum is very organized, and it is very hard to get lost. You see some original drawings by Fujiko F. Fujio and see the manga-making process, step by step. Outside the museum, you can find statues and sculptures of the characters from the Anime and Manga. You can even walk through a “Dokodemo Door” if you are so inclined, although it didn’t teleport me anywhere. Oh well. The café was pretty interesting as well. We ordered tea you mix yourself. Both bottles are clear, but when you mix the tea, it changes colors! It was like magic! To get there, just take a train to Noborito Station in Kawasaki and take the Doraemon-themed bus to the museum. It is totally worth it. Unfortunately, English support is pretty limited in this Museum. But even so, you can still find plenty of things to enjoy.