Anime-loving cartoonist from Sweden shares joys of Tokyo life

A metropolis like an enormous amusement park

Asa grew to become fascinated by Japanese popular culture when she was an adolescent after watching the Japanese anime, “Sailor Moon.” She learn each single Japanese manga she may discover that was translated into Swedish and her model of vogue again then was influenced by Japanese anime.

She visited Japan for the primary time 20 years in the past on the age of 19. Her first impression of Tokyo was that it was “like an amusement park,” with glittering neon indicators in all places. The streets had been full of folks, and it was giant sufficient to suit a number of European cities. Coming from a rustic of forests, she was shocked on the sheer measurement of Tokyo.

She additionally discovered that Tokyo is not only a metropolis of skyscrapers however that it additionally has many conventional spots like shrines. “The attraction of Tokyo is the distinction between previous and new tradition,” says Asa. The folks she met had been additionally surprisingly form to foreigners. By the time she made her third go to to the nation, she thought “I like Japan and am going to maneuver there it doesn’t matter what,” and her coronary heart was set.

Incorporating the difficulties of life in Japan

Asa discovered a co-living area in Asagaya, Suginami City, a bit to the west of central Tokyo, and started her life in Japan. Her dream of changing into a manga artist got here true when she confirmed her work to a publishing firm at their sales space in a doujinshi (self-published manga and novels) conference.

Although a few of her roommates had been foreigners, many had been locals, and dialog was primarily in Japanese. She recollects these days fondly: “At first, I knew little or no Japanese, so I simply pretended to know and laughed. But once I began talking damaged Japanese, my roommates beloved it and stated, ‘Kawaii (cute)!’ My Japanese grew to become so common that it was referred to as “Asa-nese,” and so they began to mimic me.”

| © Åsa Ekström / Courtesy of KADOKAWA Corporation

As her Japanese regularly improved, Asagaya grew to become her dwelling in Tokyo. There had been lush inexperienced areas close by like Wadabori Park, which stretches alongside the Zenpukuji River. She usually jogged on the pathway alongside the riverbank, which provides an impressive springtime view of the numerous cherry timber blossoming.

If you’re taking the Chuo Line prepare from Asagaya, you’ll quickly arrive at Nakano, the place yow will discover the Nakano Broadway purchasing complicated. It is dwelling to shops promoting anime-related figures and different collectibles and is known as a “holy land” by popular culture followers. Asa additionally likes the non-anime-related shops on the underground flooring such because the ice cream store that serves about 10 flavors of sentimental serve stacked on a cone and a recycled kimono retailer.

“At night time, I prefer to go to a restaurant with exterior seating to take pleasure in beer, sake, and meals. When alcohol is concerned, the language barrier disappears and even vacationers can get to know the locals,” says Åsa. Along the Chuo Line, yow will discover unpretentious institutions with exterior seating in yokocho (alleyways with bars and eateries) beneath elevated railway tracks and round stations. Ebisu Station on the Yamanote Line is dwelling to many cutting-edge IT firms, nevertheless it additionally has the Ebisu Yokocho close to the station, underscoring one in every of Tokyo’s paradoxes.

| © Åsa Ekström / Courtesy of KADOKAWA Corporation

Asa usually visits the locations the place her favourite manga are set. Of the 2 iconic radio towers in Tokyo, Tokyo Skytree is newer and taller, however her favourite is Tokyo Tower, which is depicted within the manga X by CLAMP. As an anime fan, Asa finds pleasure in even the smallest particulars of on a regular basis life in Tokyo. Walk into any comfort retailer and you will discover onigiri (rice balls), a uniquely Japanese quick meals that reveals up in anime. The first time she noticed onigiri, it actually dropped at thoughts a scene in Sailor Moon the place the characters ate them, so the onigiri was fairly a discovery for her.

Living in another country might be troublesome at occasions. When she couldn’t learn the Japanese on the onigiri wrapping, she had no thought what was inside till she ate it, and she or he couldn’t work out the trick to opening the rice ball with out tearing its seaweed wrap. However, when she later made these experiences into manga, Asa’s love of Japan and pleasure in the direction of a unique tradition, despite her difficulties, had been endearing.

Deeply moved by ‘Nana’ authentic drawing exhibition

As a manga artist, one of many principal sights of Tokyo for Asa is that there are such a lot of exhibitions to attend. “Many exhibitions begin in Tokyo, and a few of them then journey to different elements of the nation,” she says. Her go-to place is the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills, the place many manga and anime exhibitions are held, however there are such a lot of museums and galleries in Tokyo that she is at all times discovering exhibitions she desires to go to.

Asa likes exhibitions of authentic drawings and was deeply moved by one held in 2022. “I went to this (Yazawa Ai) exhibition of authentic drawings of my favourite manga, “Nana.” I used to be so moved that I believed, ‘Maybe I got here to Tokyo simply to see this’ and felt my coronary heart shout, ‘Tokyo is one of the best!'”

“In Sweden, we wouldn’t have the chance to see authentic drawings from Japanese manga in any respect. It is thrilling for me as a fan, and there’s a lot of research materials as a manga artist. There are particulars that you simply can not see in print such because the depth of the traces, and generally you’ll be able to see issues which were erased.”

| © Åsa Ekström / Courtesy of KADOKAWA Corporation

Asa has two youngsters along with her Japanese associate and is elevating them whereas touring backwards and forwards between Japan and Sweden. She realized from her experiences that Japan’s thought of affection and marriage could be very totally different from her personal nation’s, and this additionally grew to become a theme of her manga. Now, she is doing analysis to match child-rearing between the 2 international locations. For instance, childbirth in Japan is strongly linked to marriage, however in Sweden, there are a lot of youngsters born out of wedlock.

Her manga compares particulars of each day life between totally different cultures, is simple for anybody to learn, and, sooner or later when you are studying and laughing, you subconsciously study a unique tradition. Hopefully, we are going to quickly be capable to learn her manga on childcare.

Translation by Toshio Endo