On October 10, 2025, South China's Guangdong province brought its vibrant animation and trendy toy culture to Tokyo with the "New Dimensions of Guangdong Animation and Trendy Toys Exhibition" at Belle Salle Akihabara, a hub for Japanese pop culture. The event, celebrating the 2025 China-Japan-ROK Year of Cultural Exchange, attracted over 10,000 visitors, including creative industry professionals, students, and fans from both countries.
New Dimensions of Guangdong Animation and Trendy Toys Exhibition
Guangdong has a long legacy in animation. Masters such as Te Wei, Zhan Tong, Dai Tielang, and Ma Kexuan helped make Chinese ink-wash animation famous worldwide and inspired Japanese legends like Hayao Miyazaki and Osamu Tezuka. In 1981, Te Wei's "Chinese Ink-Wash Animation Exhibition" in Kyoto, Japan, caused a sensation. Four decades later, Guangdong's creators returned to Japan, presenting modern animation and trendy toys that carry the spirit of traditional ink-wash art while celebrating the long-standing collaboration between China and Japan.
Audiences explore the exhibition.
Covering an area of 500 square meters, the exhibition featured nearly 50 animation works and around 100 trendy toys from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Shantou. Classics such as Havoc in Heaven, Astro Boy, and Castle in the Sky were displayed alongside contemporary works, including EYE by Yoneyama Mai.
The exhibition was divided into three sections: Origins, tracing traditional Chinese ink-wash animation; Connections, highlighting China-Japan collaboration; and Resonance, showcasing digital-era innovations in both countries.
Cosplayers at the exhibition
With nearly 100 products on display, the trendy toy section featured Fantawild's Boonie Bears, Winsing's GG Bond, Alpha Animation's Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, and AI-powered creations such as UBTECH's Wukong robot. Dongguan, known as China's"Capital of Trendy Toys,"showcased more than 50 pieces from leading local companies, highlighting its role as the country's largest toy export hub, home to 288 major enterprises with an annual output value of 26.2 billion RMB.
The interactive zones invited visitors to meet cosplayers portraying Nezha and Wukong from Black Myth. They also had the chance to join the "See You in Guangdong: China-Japan Youth Creative Workshop," where Chinese and Japanese youth,including students from Waseda University, Musashino Art University, and Tokyo University of the Arts,worked together to create pieces using Chinese-style building bricks, promoting cross-cultural exchange.
See You in Guangdong: China-Japan Youth Creative Workshop
Mei, a Musashino Art University student, said, "I came to the exhibition with a friend and was drawn to the delicate handmade building blocks at the workshop.I really hope there will be more events like this in the future—if there's a chance, I'll definitely take part again!"
During the exhibition, a special salon titled "Chinese and Japanese Animation and Art Toy Masters' Guangdong Discover" was held, providing a platform for leading artists from China and Japan to share experiences and discuss future collaboration. Distinguished guests included Matsutani Takayuki, President of Tezuka Productions; Machiko Satonaka, Chairperson of the Japan Cartoonists Association; Japaneseillustrator and animator Yoneyama Mai, and Chinese cartoonist Lin Dihuan,who shared their impressions of Guangdong and their hopes for deeper cultural collaboration between China and Japan.
The "Chinese and Japanese Animation and Art Toy Masters' Guangdong Discover" salon
Japanese illustrator and animator Yoneyama Mai said, "I don't often get the chance to join salon events in Japan, so I'm really happy and honored to be here today."Reflecting on her visit to Guangzhou, she added, "I was touched by the warmth of the people. I'd say Guangzhou is one of my favorite cities in China."
A highlight of the event was Guangdong animator Jin Cheng presenting a commemorative artwork to Takayuki Matsutani,depicting Sun Wukong and Astro Boy high-fiving. The gesture honored Tezuka Osamu's collaboration with Chinese animation masters and symbolized the long-standing friendship between the two countries' animation communities.Takayuki Matsutani, President of Tezuka Productions and a longtime friend of Jin Cheng, received the artwork from him while softly humming the theme song of Astro Boy. The audience spontaneously joined in, clapping along to the rhythm, bringing the event to a warm and memorable close.
Jin Cheng presents a commemorative artworkto Takayuki Matsutani
A representative from Southsaid, "Through animation and trendy toys, a cultural form beloved by young people, we hope to showcase the contemporary charm of Eastern aesthetics, tell the story of 'Made in Guangdong' innovation, and further enhance mutual understanding among the younger generations of both countries, so that friendship can be passed down through cultural exchange and dialogue."
Reporter | Li Muzi
Photo | South
Editor | Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
