Takarazuka

What?
Takarazuka (宝塚) is a city most famous for its all-female musical theater troupe. Take any line of Hankyu Railways in the Kansai area and you will have seen posters or advertisements of their shows. Near the troupes main concert hall is a rather small but interesting museum (手塚治虫記念館) about Osamu Tezuka, the “father of manga”.
Where?
Takarazuka is located in eastern Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県) and very easy to get to from Osaka (大阪). Both JR as Hankyu train companies have Takarazuka lines which lead you to the center of the city in one straight line. JR is a little more expensive but a little faster. But also when using Hankyu it only takes half an hour to get to your destination.
URL
Takarazuka Revue Tezuka Osamu Official

From when I was a little child I loved reading comic books. Being a European, comic books meant series like Yakari, stories about a little native American who could speak to animals; Asterix, stories about invincible Gauls in the age of the Roman Empire; or Sarah & Robin, about a little girl with an imaginary little boy friend. When getting older my taste in comic books also got a little bit more sophisticated, by reading comics for adults by French authors or US graphic novels. The style that appealed to me the most though was that of Japanese comic books, better known as manga. While I of course also read the world famous Dragon Ball or Akira, most of my attention went to manga for (young) adults. Whatever my preferences though, the father of all (modern) manga – or so he is called – is Osamu Tezuka.

He’s most famous for his creations AstroBoy and Jungle Emperor Leo, the latter most famous as being completely ripped off by Disney in the form of The Lion King. I personally knew him best though from more adult stories like Ayako and Message to Adolf. It is that wide range of stories that makes the man’s oeuvre so interesting. I have read AstroBoy and found it above all juvenile, completely outdated and nowhere as groundbreaking and interesting as it is made out to be. On the other hand, a story like Ayako is dark, heartbreaking and outrageously depressing. Both in drawing style as in storytelling tone these stories couldn’t be farther apart, and that shows the versatility of Osamu Tezuka.

The museum’s ground floor tells the story about Tezuka’s life. While there is no English signage available on the walls or next to the exhibits, full translations can be found if you ask the staff. The story of a the young Tezuka drawing since he was a little kid was truly captivating, as were his first steps in the business and his efforts to create comic books for adults. Everything in between was reasonably interesting depending on where your interests lie. For example, I’m not all that into animation, so that part was less appealing to me. A 20 minute animated movie shown at regular intervals was pretty nice though, although nothing too fancy.

Going one floor down, you can find an interactive part of the museum. You can make 2 drawings which the assistants will turn into a animated picture for you. Nothing very specialized, but very fun though. Not only for kids! (I drew a buddy looking at a bottle and eventually drinking it.)

The upper floor had a temporary exhibit about an exhibit held in Angouleme, France, the European capital of comics. Having grown up with those French editors of manga it was a small trip of nostalgia and the many original drawings of the master were way better than any printed work of him I had ever seen. Next to the exhibition is a shop that traditionally sells nothing worthwhile, but more interestingly a very large library of all Tezuka’s books – free for you to read. I spotted some Korean, English and French versions, so even for foreigners like myself there is really no reason not to set yourself down and lose yourself in a manga or two. All in all a nice museum where it’s easy to spend an hour or two.

Tezuka's AstroBoy.

Tezuka x Angouleme

Interesting display on the ground floor.

The walls all have these beautiful pictures.

Most people won’t immediately make the link with Tezuka when they hear the word Takarazuka though. They will rather think of the all-female theater/revue troupe with the same name as the city. For a complete story about the history of this troupe I can easily refer you to Wikipedia.
Looking at their home theater and main hall from outside there is no immediate feelings of impressiveness. A few years ago I had the chance to watch an adaption of the manga Kenshin. Kenshin is a rather atypical story for the troupe to perform as they usually deal with dramatic love stories. Nonetheless I was rather impressed by their musical performance. It was only at the end of the show though that I really got to know what Takarazuka Revue meant: over the top costumes and burlesque-like dancing. It never got boring though!

Takarazuka offers something different than other Japanese cities. But it is true that you have to be interested in either manga or musicals to make the trip. However if you are interested, you can combine both the Takarazuka revue and the Tezuka museum, and you won’t be bored for a moment.