Voices from Students

Do you have any feedback about Manga School Nakano what you can shear ? Please send it via the contact form (left). Thank you!

In person lesson

The class covers many aspects of drawing in a manga style, which also involved using fountain pens and cutting transfer stickers for shading (I know thats not the right name).

The teacher was very good and demonstration the different methods of drawing, speaking english, asking questions about what i wanted to learn and plus I very impressed with the speed she could draw characters which I recognised

The place was very easy to find if you have never been to Japan/ tokyo or Nakano before, just download the directions with photos of the buildings and your be fine.

great intro course and I wish i had time to do a follow up

Visited June 2017

Review from Voyagin.com

My son enjoys his session with Nao-san very much. He learned a lot about manga drawing and realized it is not easy!!! He says the teacher is very kind although there are times he couldn't understand her. Glad we made the choice to include this activity as part of the itinerary in our Tokyo trip.

Visited June 2017

Review from Facebook.com

We arranged this class for our 13 year old daughter who is a budding comic artist and a huge manga fan. She just loved every minute of it and felt that she was able to learn quite a bit. Yazawa-san was super nice, friendly and very dedicated and patient. She went well over the 2 hour time working with our daughter until the drawing was finished to her satisfaction. As a side note, the studio is close to the Nakano station (and the anime/manga Nakano Broadway shopping complex) and was very easy to find with the directions provided with the booking. Thank you so much again Yazawa-san for this fantastic experience!!!

Visited April 2017

-Review from TripAdvisor

The lesson exceeded beyond my expectations.

I was a complete beginner, and somehow in 2 hours Nao had me drawing manga and even completing my first picture. She was very patient, working with my pace, and able to answer all my questions. Her knowledge and passion shows for manga art and she enjoys sharing. Next time in Tokyo i will definitely book another lesson.

Visited November 2016

-Review from TripAdvisor

I signed up my 13-year-old daughter for this lesson during a recent trip to Tokyo, and it was the highlight of her trip. Among other things, she learned from a professional manga artist the manga creative process and how to use the various tools and materials involved. Her instructor was patient and kind. I highly recommend the experience. One suggestion, if you will want to purchase tools and materials, build in some time to do so after the lesson. The instructor was able to tell us where to go in Tokyo and what to buy, but we didn't have time in our schedule to make it happen. We were able to find all the things we needed at the International Manga Museum in Kyoto, though.

-Review from Viator

We wanted to study Manga in Japan and went to Nakana Manga School for a private lesson in December, where we were taught by Nao Yazawa, a Japanese Manga artist. Nao gives her classes in English (which is very unusual), and her school is just a short walk from Nakano JR station. Nao was very friendly and patient, even with absolute beginners like us. Our lesson covered basic concepts of Manga, then Nao helped us make our own characters and showed us ways to improve our drawings. It was a great experience. Manga is far from easy, but Nao was very enthusiastic and encouraging. We learnt a lot in our private class. I wish we could come back and work more from her. All in all, It was a fun experience. I highly recommend it to Manga fans who want to get to know more about this art form.

-Review from TripAdvisor


"Loved my experience there, very customized and in-depth approach to manga making, lots of fun. Thank you, Nao sensei!"

  -59 years old,  Canada

''I'm glad that I'm able to know more about writing manga! Each session is a new exciting experience!'' 

-20 years old, Mauritius 

"I wasn't a huge manga-fan before I had my first lesson, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But after that time I was completely fascinated by both the process and the amount of talent the manga artist possess. I've been having lessons once a month and I'm always looking forward to it, the more I learn and practice the more interested I get. This lessons have really opened my eyes to manga as an art form and the work behind it, so much fun!" 

-23 years old, Sweden

"I'm studying manga in France, first as spare-time, now to teach it. It finally appears to me that what I was doing was not really Japanese manga, but a kind of imitation. So it was necessary for me to go to Japan and learn Manga from a Japanese mangaka and teacher. But, the thing is I don't speak fluently Japanese and it was difficult to find someone in Japan who could have taught me until I came to Nakano manga school and met Nao-sensei and her English manga lessons ! Thanks to the school and to her, I can improve my manga techniques ... and my English speaking !!!" 

- 27 years old, France

Online lesson

"I learned so much from my course with MSN and it is incredible that I was able to do it all from home! Thanks to MSN's online courses I was able to join in, even though I couldn't travel to Japan!" 

-33 years old, Norway

"I feel very lucky that I can learn professional manga skills from the U.S.."　

-14 years old,USA