Hi everyone! It’s Ayumi, your favorite otaku writer of MANGA.TOKYO. Guess what…I went to J-WORLD TOKYO! Since Weekly Shonen Jump is the sacred text of my life, this was an extraordinary visit for me, and I wanted to share my experience with you, our otaku readers!
I suppose many of us like Shonen Jump, but few know that there is an amusement park for Jump fans in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It proudly calls itself J-WORLD TOKYO and MANGA.TOKYO sent us, the secret otaku team, to infiltrate the place! What sort of Shonen Jump world is waiting for us? Let’s begin exploring!
J-WORLD TOKYO, situated on the third floor at Ikebukuro Sunshine City, is an indoor amusement park where all the characters from Weekly Shonen Jump are gathered. Games, attractions, food, and exhibitions of popular Jump manga are always waiting for you! You can buy exclusive character goods and visit the cafe that serves food based on the characters (more on themed cafes). It’s not a temporary thing nor a collaboration with a third party, but a permanent amusement park at Ikebukuro Sunshine City entirely dedicated to Shonen Jump. It’s a haven for Jump fans. Tourists can also visit whenever they want. It’s otaku heaven.
Entry fee (Doesn’t include fees for attractions)
16 years old and over: 800 yen
4 years old and over: 600 yen
Passport (Entry fee plus unlimited use of attractions)
16 years old and over: 2600 yen
4 years old and over: 2400 yen
Night Passport (Entry fee plus unlimited use of attractions, sold after 5 p.m.)
16 years and older: 1800 yen
4 years and older: 1600 yen
You can enjoy the park without taking part in the attractions, but I recommend you get yourself a passport if you want to enjoy the park in its fullest: the fees for attractions can add up quickly. You can re-enter the park anytime during the same day until 9 p.m. (ask the information desk at the entrance for details), so you can freely leave and re-enter as you like. You can join all the attractions you like with your passport. I usually get a passport and try as many attractions as possible in one day.
Now, let me show you each area and its attractions. Let’s step into the world of Jump!
Seek! Dragon Balls!!
The divine dragon Shenron is there to greeting! I’m already excited!! This area recreates the atmosphere of Dragon Ball perfectly.
You’ll find a photo spot with Nimbus (Kintoun). Take a photo to mark the occasion. You’ll definitely get a lot of likes when you upload the photo on Facebook.
Freeza’s imperial army uniform and a scouter are here! The area allows photos, so you can take as many as you like. Stand in front of the scouter and it’ll measure your power level. I was just level 5…. I murmured to myself, ‘I’m just trash.’
There is even a model of the classic round spaceship! Wow! I’ve been hoping to get on board at least once in my life to be honest. You can get in and take photos as well. I was too excited to stay calm. I don’t know how long I can keep my sanity in this place. My anime power levels are growing!
In the attraction ‘Seek! Dragon Balls!,’ you have to clear mini-games to collect the seven dragon balls in order to save Earth. Try the attraction with your friends, whether they are Dragon Ball fans or not. You can always explain to them about the importance of the dragon balls. It’ll be great fun.
Walk further and you’ll find the second attraction called ‘Shoot! KAMEHAMEHA!’. You must have tried shooting Kamehameha at least once if you are a Dragon Ball fan, haven’t you? Here, you can shoot Kamehameha along with Goku. Brilliant!! Don’t worry if it’s your first time shooting Kamehameha, as Goku will guide you through♡
Dream match! Fateful rivals! Another cool photo spot!
There are many free games that you can enjoy at J-WORLD. Always read the instructions before playing.
I love the fact that you can take great photos wherever you are in this area! Striking a pose at the gate is fun. Why not submerge yourself in the world of Dragon Ball?
Although every area in J-WORLD is enjoyable, I think the Dragon Ball area is the most attractive and you can have fun with friends and family, or even on your own!
Next, I visited the Kuroko’s Basketball area. The popularity of this anime has increased recently among ladies as well as guys. I can’t wait to watch the theater version movies! There are exclusive character goods you can only buy here, so fans must check out the area!
First, you can see the match venue!
These pictures are dynamic and vivid. I can even feel their sweat. Very impressive indeed!
I was pretending to be calm, but the truth is that I was screaming inside because they are so cool! If I were here alone just as a Kuroko’s Basketball fan and not for work, I would have been screaming like a maniac, taking millions of photos. I love them!
There are footprints of Kuroko, Kagami, and the 5 members of the Generation of Miracles on the floor! Stand on one of them and…
Each character’s video was shown on screen with their voice! If you are a fan of one of these voice actors, you’ll definitely love this interactive exhibition. Each video is different, so I wanted to stand on all designated places to see them all.
Beside the exhibition, there is a shooting game featuring Murasakibara. All you have to do is to score a goal while avoiding Murasakibara’s defense. It’s actually quite tricky. This game is free for everyone.
This is the ‘A Work of the Manager’ mini-game corner where you can get exclusive Kuroko no Basket items. The game costs 300 yen to play and you get one gift per play. The gifts are all exclusive to J-WORLD and you can’t find them anywhere else. Meanwhile, what am I supposed to do with this curry pot…?
Wow, it rotates! You can mix the manager’s curry with a ladle…
… and you get a colored ball.
You can get a gift according to the color of the ball. I got a tin badge for a pink ball. I chose Kise, my favourite! A~h! He’s so cooooool!
The gifts change each season and are always updated, so you can always get something new! All of the merch at J-WORLD is well designed so they ignite my collector’s passion!
There are life-sized character panels in the area*. You can take photos with them only in J-WORLD! They are especially-drawn original pictures in their street clothes. My heart was throbbing when I saw Kuroko watching me and smiling. Thank you, Anime God!
Packed with Shonen Jump titles, J-WORLD is fun and exciting. I felt like I was just an excited little child, as the world of Jump that I yearned for when I was little opened up right in front of me. We were like a bunch of kids screaming words: great! fun! exciting!
The J-WORLD reports will continue and next time I will visit your favorite anime areas, Naruto and Gintama! What sort of booths can make a twenty-something year old adult act like a child? Watch this space and see you soon!
(C)B／S・F・T
(C)FT／S・KBP
The summer anime season is over. We had a few refreshing titles that kept us company through the hot months, but fall is bringing so many new titles and a few sequels we’ve been waiting for a long time.
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