Anime Tokyo Station is jointly run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and an industry organization, the Association of Japanese Animations.
The center occupies part of a building near Ikebukuro Station.
The facility houses about 50,000 items, including animation cels and screenplays of popular titles. One area will be dedicated to regularly hosting special exhibitions.
Currently on display at the venue are large three-dimensional figures of characters from the popular ninja-themed anime "Naruto".
A fan from France visiting the facility on its opening day said, "Japanese anime is great, and it makes people love the country."
Tokyo Metropolitan Government official Sato Takuya says, "I hope many people come from in and out of Japan and discover for themselves the attraction of anime culture."
Anime Tokyo Station is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is closed on Mondays.
Ikebukuro aims to attract anime fans
Tokyo's Akihabara district has long been well-known as the "city of anime." But in recent years, Ikebukuro in Toshima Ward has been grabbing a bigger share of the pie. Shops and facilities related to anime and manga have opened one after another, and local officials and businesses aim to develop the district as a "new anime town."
In 2018, the ward created the position of section chief to be in charge of the utilization of manga and anime.
Three years ago, the ward restored Tokiwa-so, an apartment building where Tezuka Osamu and other leading Japanese manga artists spent their young days, and revived it as a base for promoting manga culture.
Ikebukuro hosts at least 50 shops specializing in manga and anime related goods, including one that now calls itself the world's largest anime shop.
Kumagai Takayuki is the head of Toshima Ward's manga and anime utilization division. He said that many events related to anime and manga are scheduled for the future. "I want to revitalize the area by taking advantage of it being a new anime town," he said.