My favourite colour is blue and since young, I have a strong preference over cartoon characters that are predominantly blue in colour like Donald Duck, Cookie Monster, Smurfs and not forgetting, DORAEMON! Of course, no trip to Japan would be complete for a Doraemon fan without stopping by the Fujiko.F.Fujio Museum, more affectionately known as Doraemon Museum, in Kawasaki! Fujiko F. Fujio (Fujimoto Hiroshi) was the creator and manga artist of Doraemon, and he had lived in Kawasaki for a long time.
From Shinjuku Station, we took the train via Odakyu Odawara Line to Noborito Station, where shuttle bus services are available at ¥210 (S$2.60) per person each way. The bus journey took about 10 minutes and we cruised past various houses that looked similar to the ones we had come across in Doraemon manga! It was an interesting experience.
Tickets are not sold at the museum and must be purchased in advance. Our helpful Airbnb host from Tokyo bought the tickets using the Loppi automatic ticket machine at one of the Lawson convenience stores and passed them to us on the day of our arrival. A specific entry date and time slot (10:00, 12:00, 14:00 or 16:00) must be selected when purchasing your ticket, so we gave our host a few options just in case tickets for a particular time slot were sold out. Alternatively, you can also purchase your tickets online but it will be relatively more expensive.
Photography is strictly prohibited at areas where Fujiko F. Fujio’s extensive collection of artwork is displayed. Upon admission, you can request for an English audio guide which will give you greater insight into Fujiko’s life and artwork. Finally! We could take photos at the Woodcutter’s Spring. Keep pressing the lever and Gian will pop out!
Manga Corner. The manga were all in Japanese.
Gachapon Machines.
Interactive Play Area which caught the attention of many kids.
Joined the queue to catch an exclusive Doraemon short film, not available anywhere else!
Movies run every 20 minutes.
Children’s indoor play area.
Time for diaper change and milk feed!
We took our very first Neoprint at Doraemon Museum and I think it makes a pretty nice souvenir too!
Small shop selling Doraemon snacks.
We headed to the outdoor area where plenty of photo-taking opportunities await us!
Remember this playground? It’s where Nobita likes to hide whenever he’s being bullied by Gian and Suneo.
This Dokodemo Door (Anywhere Door) is one of Doraemon’s most commonly used gadgets. Be transported to anywhere you want just by walking through this pink door!
We bought this vanilla-flavoured Dorayaki ice cream to share and it was sooo good!
Deliciously creamy vanilla sandwiched between two fluffy pancakes! What a great cold weather sweet treat!
We had our lunch at Doraemon Cafe! Prior to this, we had to get a queue number and it took about 45 minutes to an hour before our number was called. The wait wasn’t that agonising for us because we were occupied with taking photos at the outdoor area.
Iced Strawberry Flavoured Milk (¥510 ~ S$6.40) is also available as a hot drink. There are 9 types of latte art and you will be randomly given one, so treat it as a surprise!
You can take home this cardboard coaster as a souvenir.
Doraemon’s Rice Casserole with Soup (¥1230 ~ S$15.40) was quite tasty; Little misschewy enjoyed it too! It was creamy and cheesy, but I don’t think we found any ingredients in there!
From the Sweets Menu, we ordered the Dessert Plate (¥1200 ~ S$15) which resembles the layout of the outdoor area where we took photographs earlier!
Cafe staff offered to help every table take photos!
Before leaving the museum, we made a beeline for the Gift Shop and it was really crowded! Everyone wants a piece of Doraemon!
Be prepared to set aside approximately half a day (inclusive of travelling) for a visit to the Fujiko.F.Fujio Museum! We reckon it’s totally worth it if you want to relieve those precious childhood memories! 🙂
Fujiko.F.Fujio Museum
Location: 2-chome 8-1 Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-city, Kanagawa Prefecture, 214-0023
Transportation Access: Shuttle bus service run from Noborito Station (Odakyu line or JR Nanbu line)
Opening Hours:
10:00 – 18:00
Closed every Tuesday except during the Golden Week (April 29th to May 5th) and summer holidays (July 20th to September 3rd). Also closed during Year-end and New Year Holidays (December 30th to January 3rd).
Purchase admission tickets in advance by selecting preferred date and time slot.
Entrance time is divided into quarterly time-schedule: 10:00; 12:00; 14:00; 16:00
(Visitors must enter the museum no later than half an hour within the reservation time schedule.)
THE CHEWYS’ MARCH 2016 JAPAN 10D9N ITINERARY
(Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto – Kanazawa – Shirakawago)
Day 1: Singapore to Narita Airport > JR Narita Express to Tokyo > Check into Airbnb at Kita-Ikebukuro > Asakusa Temple & Shopping Street > Shopping and dinner at Sunshine City
Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland
Day 3: Tsukiji Fish Market > Ueno Park > Shopping at Ameya-Yokocho Market > Tea at Fujiya Peko-chan Milky Restaurant > Pokemon Centre at Sunshine City > Dinner at Ichiran
Day 4: Tokyo DisneySea
Day 5: Fujiko•F•Fujio Museum (Doraemon Museum) and Doraemon Cafe > Shopping and dinner at Harajuku
Day 6: Shinkasen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka > Check into Airbnb at Shin-Osaka > Osaka Castle > Dinner at Dotonburi (Namba station, Midosuji line)
Day 7: Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto > Kiyomizu-dera Temple > Kimono rental and outdoor photoshoot > Dinner at Kichi-Kichi Omurice > Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka
Day 8: Thunderbird Limited Express from Shin-Osaka to Kanazawa > Check into Hotel Nikko Kanazawa > Kenroku-en Garden > Kanazawa Castle > Lunch at Sushi Zanmai > Omicho Market > Higashi Chaya District > Tonkatsu dinner at Tomikinton (富金豚)
Day 9: Nouhi bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go > Sightseeing around Shirakawa-go > Nouhi bus from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa > Thunderbird Limited Express from Kanazawa to Shin-Osaka > Dinner at Dotonburi (Namba station, Midosuji line)
Day 10: Kansai Airport Limited Express “Haruka” from Shin-Osaka to Kansai Airport > HOME SWEET HOME
We will be covering more on our Japan trip, so do stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy for more updates! 🙂