This is how Japan bids farewell to a beloved 40-year-old manga series

From stairs to walkways and even escalator handrails, this Tokyo neighbourhood has created a beautiful send-off for the Guinness World Record-holding manga that made it famous.

Osamu Akimoto’s comedy manga series Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen Mae Hashutsujo (こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所/”This is the police station in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward”) released its final instalment in Japan on 17 September, after being continuously serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump for forty years. Affectionately known as “Kochikame,” the popular comic has been released in a total of 200 volumes since it first appeared back in September 1976, earning it a Guinness World Record title this year for “Most volumes published for a single manga series”.

The end of the long-running series means this month is a sad time for fans, but to ease the pain and send it off with a fitting farewell, characters and covers from the popular manga are now making an appearance at the station in the Tokyo locale where the story was set, Kameari, in Katsushika Ward.

▼ A large white banner has been placed at the top of the station entrance, thanking and congratulating the manga’s creator, Osamu Akimoto, for 40 years of hard work on the series.

Inside, there’s a gorgeous display that contains images of all 200 Kochikame comic book covers, spanning forty years of serialisation from September 1976 to September 2016.

The evolution in drawing style of police officer Kankichi Ryotsu, the bushy-browed star of the series, can be seen on the covers, from the very first volume through to more recent titles.

▼ Ryo-san, as he’s affectionately known, can also be seen on a number of ads inside the station.

▼ This one specifically encourages residents of Kameari to buy the final 200th volume.

Even the escalator handrails are adorned with black and white images of the character, who works as the Chief Patrol Officer at Kameari Kouen-Mae Police Box in the series.

▼ One of the most stunning displays appears on the stairs at the station.

▼ The beautiful replicas of Kochikame comic book spines are a perfect fit for their location.

The stairwell looks more like a bookshelf, filled with titles that many fans would usually see stacked up next to each other in their own home.

The display at the station will only be up until the end of the month, so if you’d like to take a look, hop on the Jōban Line, which can be accessed from a number of stations, including Shianagawa, Ueno, Tokyo and Shimbashi. It’s a fitting way to say farewell a beloved 40-year-old series!

SoraNews24 —Japan News—