Manga Museum and Aru Aru City

The Kitakyushu Manga Museum is located next to JR Kokura station. The museum is located

on the 6th floor of Aru Aru City, a multi-floored shopping mall devoted to products and

services for anime, manga, idol culture, and cosplay fans, a kind of Harajuku in miniature.

The permanent exhibition area on the 6th floor concentrates on manga writers and artists who

have a connection with Kitakyushu; and while more than thirty are listed, the best known is Reiji

Matsumoto, who is also the honorary director of the museum.

The rest of the Aru Aru City shopping mall is devoted to shops and services for Japan’s pop youth

culture. There are lots of shops selling manga, anime DVDs, J-Pop CDs, computer games, trading

cards, as well as related paraphernalia such posters and figurines. There are games arcades, an

internet cafe, model car racetrack, a karaoke bar, and several cafes and bars serving alcohol, as

well as a full maid cafe.

There are numerous establishments offering services for otaku, including a rehearsal space with

a recording studio for budding musicians, an event space with a stage and lighting that can be rented,

and a cosplay studio where cosplayers can be photographed professionally in a variety of settings.

General information

Address

2-14-5 Asano Kokura-kita, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka-prefecture

Access

a short walk from JR Kokura Station

70 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city

100 minutes by a vehicle from Beppu

100 minutes by a vehicle from Yufuin