Yanase Takashi Memorial Hall Anpanman Museum and Poem & Märchen Gallery

The Anpanman Museum is a celebration of the superhero Anpanman, a much loved character from children's picture books and TV animation. The museum was built in Kochi Prefecture because Takashi Yanase, the character’s creator, was raised here. For those unfamiliar, the long-running series follows the adventures of Anpanman, a superhero with an anpan (a fluffy bread filled with red bean paste) for a head, who protects the world from a nemesis called Baikinman.
The museum is hugely popular among fans, both adults and children alike, and features a large number of Anpanman paintings and original picture books the author created specifically for the museum. The world of Anpanman is brought to life here with recreations of places from the cartoon, such as the the Bread Factory (home to another character called Uncle Jam) and Baikin Castle, the lair of the infamous Baikinman.
The Poem and Märchen Gallery is on the same grounds and is dedicated to Yanase’s artwork from Shitomeruhen (Poem and Märchen) magazine, a publication he ran from 1973 until 2003, which was mainly filled with art, stories and poems contributed by readers and budding artists. The magazine covers and illustrations created by Yanase have a delightful whimsical quality which transcend language.
Both are part of the Takashi Yanase Memorial Museum facilities, which also include a pleasant park with statues of Anpanman characters, annexes that host special exhibitions and a child-friendly hotel inspired by Yanase’s worlds.