These Japanese comics (or the characters and drawing styles used in them) have become well-known worldwide. Manga developed from the cartoons of ukiyo-e, influenced too by foreign styles of drawing. The contemporary manga style is also used for anime (Japanese cartoon animation).

Traditionally, manga books are written from top to bottom and right to left, as this is the traditional way of reading Japanese. Some publishers keep this format, but others " flip" the pages horizontally, so that they read from left to right. That makes it easier for non-Japanese to read, but it means that some images, symbols etc. come out in mirror image.

Japanese people of all kinds and ages read manga. Themes include sports, romance, historical drama, comedy, soap operas, fantasy, mystery, sexuality and horror. Manga are generally classified according to the age and gender of the target audience: books and magazines sold to boys (shōnen manga) and girls (shōjo manga) have distinctive covers, and are racked on different shelves in most bookstores.

Japan also has manga cafés, or manga kissa: a combination of coffee bar, internet café and manga library (although some publishers are not keen on the free access to their publications that this provides). Some manga kissa even have shower facilities and private sofa rooms: customers who have missed their last train home can stay overnight.

The manga form is fully accepted as a genre of popular literature in Japan, and a multi-million pound global market.

To sample the world of manga, why not:

• visit the Ghibli Museum at Mitaka (a suburb of Tokyo). Devised by Hayao Miyazaki, creator of the film "Spirited Away", this museum displays the world of manga and anime.
• visit a manga kissa (Gera Gera is a well-known chain, with many branches in Tokyo)
• go to Yoyogi Park on Sunday, where life meets art: manga and fantasy inspire the most outlandish teenage fashions
• explore the Akihabara district of Tokyo, a vibrant marketplace for manga, electronics, DVDs and other entertainment.