[Osaka University of Arts] The “Smiles to the World with Sweets Project,” exhibited by the Department of Design at Osaka University of Arts at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, will be making a limited-time comeback at the “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo: Flying Yumeshima”! Osaka University of Arts Press Release: October 6, 2025 The “Smiles to the World with Sweets Project,” exhibited by the Osaka University of Arts’ Design Department at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, will be making a limited-time comeback at the “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo: Flying Yumeshima”! ■Dates and Location: October 7th (Tue) – 13th (Mon), 2025 “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo ~Flying Yumeshima~” Osaka University of Arts (Tsukamoto Gakuin Educational Corporation, located in Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, president: Kunihiko Tsukamoto)’s Design Department exhibited the “Smiles to the World with Sweets Project” (located in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, representative: Kazutoshi Kanki) as an industry-academia collaboration project at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in July. The project will be re-exhibited in a virtual space from Tuesday, October 7th to Monday, October 13th, 2025. This exhibition will be held at the Osaka-Kansai Expo “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo ~Flying Yumeshima~,” and aims to promote the appeal of Japanese sweets to the world through a virtual space.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-8526b4e5fff441c7bbc320a56fe9f6e4-1200×800.jpg Exterior view of the “Sweets to the World Smile Project,” an event held in person at Gallery EAST at the Osaka-Kansai Expo to promote the appeal of sweets.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-1446785862c0683433c2b498890bfddd-1200×800.jpg A look at the “Future Zone” real-life exhibit, featuring students’ innovative creations that evoke sweets of the future.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-8c02da5cc2527e37c346fb4f5f3af225-1200×800.jpg A live display of “Personalized Konjac Sweets of the Future” featuring an adorable beckoning cat robot.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-7357d6efca5fecfea5f2a1140b78ff22-1200×800.jpg A realistic display of “Soap Bubble Biscuits,” designed to encourage parent-child communication through playing with soap bubbles. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-16959f73e083f48c81a7219f0fe08127-1200×800.jpg A look at the “Dream Coming” real-life exhibit, which uses a sheep motif to express the idea that “chewing stimulates the brain and allows you to dream as you wish.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-7eeaf9000da57280b2187dcaa37eb290-1200×800.jpg A look at the “Time Travel Candy” real-life exhibit, where an hourglass-shaped machine creates candy that brings back memories. The actual event attracted over 20,000 visitors, resulting in overwhelming feedback, with many expressing their desire for it to be held again. Now, in response to popular demand, we’ve decided to re-exhibit it for a limited time in a virtual space at the Osaka-Kansai Expo “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo: Flying Yumeshima” from Tuesday, October 7th to Monday, October 13th, 2025. Since this will be a virtual event, you can participate for free from anywhere in the world by downloading “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo: Flying Yumeshima” and connecting to the internet. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the charm and potential of Japanese sweets. ■ Regarding the “Smiles Around the World with Sweets Project” exhibit at the Osaka-Kansai Expo “EXPO 2025 Virtual Expo ~Flying Yumeshima~” Just like the real-life event, the virtual exhibition will feature collaborations from approximately 50 Japanese confectionery manufacturers, creating a special space that will convey everything from the history of Japanese confectionery to future prospects through two zones: “Present” and “Future.” The “Present Zone” will display artwork that maximizes the potential of
confectionery, while the “Future Zone,” featuring exhibits from the Osaka University of Arts’ Department of Design, will explore the sweets of the future. ■Comment from Kazutoshi Kamiyoshi,
Representative of the “Smiles Around the World with Sweets Project” Our participation in this Virtual Expo is a dream come true: to bring smiles to people’s faces with sweets, anytime, anywhere. We hope many people will enjoy looking at, playing with, and truly enjoying our sweets, even if only through a screen. We are also currently considering ways to make our content available even after the Expo ends. We hope you will look forward to it.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/44215/200/44215-200-03ce7f4f1d9f949cac231c18197e4548-208×182.jpg ■Comment from Professor Masahiko Kimura, Department of Design, Osaka University of Arts In addition to third-year students who took the “Design Project” class in 2024, volunteer first-year students participated in this initiative as part of the cross-departmental “Hyper Project.” I believe that being involved in a nationally significant event like the Expo through an industry-academia collaborative project was a valuable experience for all the students. However, the theme of “Sweets of the Future” was quite challenging, and some students struggled to come up with ideas from scratch, which stalled their work. Ideally, we would have liked to have included output using a 3D printer, but this time we were only in charge of planning. Ultimately, eight companies adopted our plans, and I think all of them turned out well. This time, I felt that the first-year students had more interesting ideas. While design knowledge and skills improve as students progress through the academic years, it can also become more difficult to come up with original, unique ideas. It’s not a good idea to constantly rely on image searches for inspiration. While many people these days rely solely on their smartphones, it’s important to visit various places and experience things for yourself, seeing and hearing things with your own eyes and ears, in addition to reading newspapers, watching TV, watching movies, and reading books. Since you can always hone your skills later, I encourage students to actively experience as many things as possible while they’re still students. Industry-academia collaboration projects offer valuable opportunities to learn while working closely with companies and local communities and connecting closely with the real world. You can grow through practical learning that differs from regular class
assignments, and the plans you submit to companies and other organizations will become your own achievements, enrich your portfolio, and become an advantage in job hunting. Our university is developing a variety of industry-academia collaborative projects, so I hope you will take full advantage of these opportunities to develop your own unique design abilities. ■Comment from Mizuki Ueno, second-year student in the Department of Design (Graphic Design Course), Osaka University of Arts I was in charge of Ginbis’s “Shabondama Biscuits.” I was a first-year student when I joined the project, and it was my first time working on an industry-academia collaboration. I was very worried when I heard the company’s request to “create something completely different and out of the ordinary.” The idea came from associating soap bubbles with dandelion fluff, and thinking it would be fun if biscuit ingredients could become “seeds” and take on various shapes. It took a while to put it into shape, but once I summarized the concepts of the breath blowing soap bubbles and the budding and growing into the phrase “breathing sprouts,” and that clicked for me, I was able to move forward smoothly. I was happy when I found out my work was selected, but I was even more moved when I saw it on display at the Expo site. So many people enjoyed looking at my work and taking photos, and I felt deeply moved knowing that I had contributed even a little to the Expo. I imagined the future when this Expo will become a part of history, and my hopes for the future grew. I decided to pursue a career in design in my third year of high school. The system of learning the basics of design broadly in my first year and then choosing a course in my second year was a blessing for me, as I decided on my career path late and hadn’t even acquired the basics of art. I’ve often struggled with various worries up until now, but this work was born from the way of thinking I acquired through those struggles. Being able to accept my experiences of worry was a big event for me. I want to use this as a stepping stone to continue working hard. ■Comment from Hina Uchida, 4th year student in the Department of Design (Graphic Design Course), Osaka University of Arts For this project, I was given the ambitious theme of “sweets of the future,” and I wanted to create a piece that would make me think, “It would be exciting if something like this existed in the future.” I was in charge of Mannan Life’s konjac sweets. Based on the themes of “personalized sweets that bring smiles to your daily life” and “revolutionary sweets that fit into your lifestyle,” I came up with a maneki-neko robot that will bring smiles to people’s faces as they go about their daily lives. I was particular about creating a design that everyone would find cute and approachable. While sweets of the future tend to evoke images of high technology, I thought that a warm and simple design would be enjoyable for everyone. I wasn’t able to see the Expo site, but I heard it was bustling with visitors and there was a lot of media coverage. I was also thrilled to see my work featured in newspapers and news sites. It was the first time that so many people had seen my work, and I believe that being involved in the Expo will be a source of pride and encouragement for me for years to come. I would like to use this experience in my graduation project, which I am currently working on. The Department of Design has a diverse curriculum, allowing me to learn a wide range of design, greatly expanding my horizons. My fellow students are all passionate about the things they love, and I enjoy being inspired by the people around me every day. I hope to use what I’ve learned here to work in a manufacturing-related field in the future. ■Exhibition Overview Title: “Smiles Around the World with Sweets Project” Dates:October 7th (Tuesday) – 13th (Monday), 2025 *Available hours are subject to the app schedule. Location: Gallery EAST, Osaka-Kansai Expo “Virtual Expo: Flying Yumeshima”
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/future-index/virtual/virtual-site/ List of cooperating companies: ＜Planning and Management＞ Yoshijuya Co., Ltd. Bourbon Co., Ltd., Meiji Co., Ltd., Yamazaki Biscuits Co., Ltd., Yuraku Confectionery Co., Ltd., Nakano Bussan Co., Ltd., Chi-Lin Confectionery Co., Ltd., Maruhiko Confectionery Co., Ltd., Yaokin Co., Ltd., Calbee, Inc., Sugimotoya Confectionery Co., Ltd., Tarami Co., Ltd., Mikawaya Confectionery Co., Ltd., Senjakuame Honpo Co., Ltd., Lotte Co., Ltd., EIWA Co., Ltd., Nisshindo Confectionery Co., Ltd., Bandai Co., Ltd., Sanko Confectionery Co., Ltd., Morinaga & Co., Ltd., Atorion Confectionery Co., Ltd., Raman Co., Ltd., Sanritsu
Confectionery Co., Ltd., Koganeto Co., Ltd., Yamawaki Confectionery Co., Ltd., Hokuriku Confectionery Co., Ltd., Tenkei Confectionery Co., Ltd. (26 companies in total) Mannan Life Co., Ltd., Bourbon Co., Ltd., UHA Mikakuto Co., Ltd., Koikeya Co., Ltd., Kasugai Confectionery Co., Ltd., Ginbis Co., Ltd., Ginza Bakery Co., Ltd., Nakano Bussan Co., Ltd., Maruesu Co., Ltd., Iwatsuka Confectionery Co., Ltd., Denroku Co., Ltd. (11 companies in total) Yaokin Co., Ltd., Calbee, Inc., Kakudai Confectionery Co., Ltd., Bonchi Co., Ltd., Uegaki Rice Crackers Co., Ltd., Morinaga & Co., Ltd., Ribbon Co., Ltd., Orion Co., Ltd., Senjakuame Honpo Co., Ltd., Sanko Confectionery Co., Ltd., Lotte Co., Ltd., Chi-Lin Confectionery Co., Ltd., Tirol Chocolate Co., Ltd., Masuya Co., Ltd., Denroku Co., Ltd., Oyatsu Company Co., Ltd., Yocchan Foods Industry Co., Ltd., Koikeya Co., Ltd., Hokuriku Confectionery Co., Ltd., Osaka Maeda Confectionery Co., Ltd., Kasugai Confectionery Co., Ltd., Atorion Confectionery Co., Ltd., Yoshijuya Co., Ltd. (23 companies in total) List of cooperating educational institutions: Osaka University of Arts, Soochow University, Oka Gakuen Total Design Academy For more information about this release Press release attachments