A delightful respite from Jomon pottery would be a visit to Machiko Hasegawa's bright and appealing repertoire of comics. She is the author of Sazaesan, one of Japan's most popular cartoons. All the characters in her work are named after marine products and she is well known for depicting postwar social conditions through the viewpoint of common people. Machiko Hasegawa has opened a museum to show not only her own work, but also her personal collection of Western pieces—one Chagall included! An audiovisual room provides entertainment for children, the backbone of her audience.
Located in the Setagaya-ku area, this art museum is a large establishment that puts up exhibitions throughout the year. Equipped with a shop, an auditorium, a lecture room and a library, it has just the right facilities required to appreciate art. An on-site restaurant serves visitors lunch and snacks. The museum also has three annexes that function in collaboration with the main building—Mukai Junkichi, Kiyokawa Taiji and Miyamot Saburo. It is therefore no wonder that thousands of visitors flock to this art haven each year.
Artwork from one of Japan's best-known illustrators of children's books forms the bulk of the museum's collection. Primarily a memorial to Chihiro Iwasaki (1918-1974) the museum was founded in 1977 on the site of her studio (which has been restored). The collection includes examples of her personal books and correspondence. Displays are changed six times a year. The permanent collection consists of some 8,000 original works, including early sketches. Recently, the museum has sponsored exhibits featuring picture books from overseas artists as well as other Japanese illustrators.