THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

A woman from Tokyo became the 1.5 millionth visitor to the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum dedicated to Hiroshi Fujimoto, the manga artist best known for the internationally popular “Doraemon” series.
 
Officials said the milestone was reached Sept. 20 at the museum, which opened in Kawasaki’s Tama Ward on Sept. 3, 2011.
 
The woman and her childhood friend from Yokohama said they wanted to see the original manga manuscripts after watching “Stand By Me Doraemon,” a computer animated film released this year.
 
The film was the first 3-D CG feature adaptation from the manga and anime series.
 
The two guests received a half-scale Doraemon toy and replicas of manga manuscripts from the museum’s head, Shunsuke Okura.
 
The two visitors show that Fujimoto’s cartoons and characters are still cherished by fans across multiple generations and that the 3-D CG movie is having a spillover effect to the original cartoon series and the museum.
 
Fujiko F. Fujio was the pen name that Fujimoto adopted when he was part of the manga duo Fujiko Fujio. His partner was lifelong friend Fujiko Fujio A., or Motoo Abiko. Fujimoto died in 1996.
 
Fujimoto lived in Kawasaki for many years. About 50,000 original drawings of “Doraemon,” “Perman,” “Esper Mami” and many other cartoons donated by his family are kept at the museum.
 
The Fujiko F. Fujio Museum also contains a theater, a cafe, a shop and other sections featuring manga characters, and it runs special exhibitions and seasonal events. The museum attracts fans from across the world.
 
Reservations are required for admission and can be obtained via an online booking site. Entry is limited to just four prescribed times a day.