Tokyo Anime Drawing Class & Museum Tour Private

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.67 (27 reviews) 78% rated it 5 stars

1/4

Duration3h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · JA

Mobile ticketAccepted

Learn anime drawing from a working studio instructor in Tokyo

You visit the Suginami Animation Museum to learn how anime is produced, tour a working anime school and studio in Nakano with a guide, and then draw in the anime style yourself with an instructor who teaches to your level. The experience is private to your group, lasts three hours, and includes all materials and transportation between stops.

Step-by-step itinerary

Anime museum and drawing class

Meet tour guide and group
Visit Suginami Animation Museum
Travel to anime school in Nakano
Tour anime school and studio
Join hands-on anime drawing workshop

The Experience

You're probably wondering if three hours is enough time to actually learn something about anime production, not just skim the surface. Turns out it is, if the day is structured right. This private experience starts at the Suginami Animation Museum, where you walk through how Japanese animation actually gets made — the history, the process, the layers of work that go into a single episode. It's not a museum where you stand behind velvet ropes; you're learning the mechanics of something you've probably watched.

After the museum, your English-speaking guide takes your group to an anime school and studio in Nakano, which is where the real work happens. You'll see the creative environment, meet people who actually work in production, and get a sense of the different roles — character design, storyboarding, all of it. The studio visit isn't a performance; it's a real look at how anime gets made, though what you see depends on what's happening that day. Then comes the hands-on part: a drawing workshop with an experienced instructor who teaches you the anime drawing style. No experience needed. They provide the materials, and the instructor adjusts the lesson based on who's in the room, so whether you've drawn before or you're picking up a pencil for the first time, you're not out of place.

The whole thing runs three hours, and the schedule depends on the day — Tuesday afternoons are 12 to 3 PM, Wednesday through Friday mornings are 10 AM to 1 PM. Because this is a private tour for your group only, you're not waiting around for strangers or adjusting to someone else's pace. Transportation between the museum and the studio is included, so you're not figuring out Tokyo's train system in the middle of your experience. Kids as young as eight can join, though anyone under 18 needs an adult with them.

What’s included

Private experience arranged exclusively for your booked group.
visit to the Suginami Animation Museum with guide.
transportation between the museum and anime school.
tour of the Anime School and Studio in Nakano with introduction to production roles.
hands-on anime drawing workshop with an experienced instructor.
all standard drawing materials.
English-speaking guide throughout the 3-hour experience.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Japan Awaits

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to understand how anime actually gets made without spending a day researching studios on your own — the private format means your group moves at one pace, and the instructor adjusts the drawing lesson to whoever shows up.