To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Meiji Milk Chocolate, a limited-time Meiji Milk Chocolate 100th Anniversary Exhibition will open at Tokyo International Forum on December 23.
The event will feature collaborations with creators behind 40 popular manga, including Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Boys Over Flowers. Forty manga artists whose work helped define Japanese culture across the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras have created special celebratory illustrations, while 21 artists will present original anniversary pieces and messages.
Meiji Milk Chocolate celebrated its centennial after first hitting shelves on September 13, 1926. The exhibition will spotlight the product's century-long history and enduring appeal through a retrospective timeline, packaging designs from across the decades, and advertisements starring major entertainers from each era.
One of the exhibition's biggest highlights is a collection of collaborative works by more than 60 figures from Japanese pop culture, spanning manga artists, visual artists, novelists, and other creative fields.
Each creator offers a personal take on Meiji Milk Chocolate from their own distinctive perspective. Through this wide-ranging lineup, the organizers hope visitors will reconnect with their own memories and experience the rich history the chocolate has built over the past century.
The Manga Zone will bring together 40 renowned manga artists representing Japanese culture across the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras, each contributing an original illustration and message celebrating Meiji Milk Chocolate's 100th anniversary.
This one-of-a-kind project pairs the century-old chocolate brand with a roster of manga classics, creating exclusive collaborations that can only be seen at the exhibition.
■ Participating Manga Artists and Works
1. Chieko Hosokawa & Fumin, Crest of the Royal Family
2. Minako Narita, Alien Street
3. Yoichi Takahashi, Captain Tsubasa
4. Mitsuru Adachi, Touch
5. Tsukasa Hojo, City Hunter
6. Eriko Ono, Kocchi Muite! Miiko
7. Keisuke Itagaki, Baki
8. Yoko Kamio, Boys Over Flowers
9. Wataru Yoshizumi, Marmalade Boy
10. Kaori Yuki, Angel Sanctuary
11. Takuya Mitsuda, Major
12. Masayuki Kusumi, The Solitary Gourmet
13. Nanpei Yamada, The Tea Prince
14. Reiko Shimizu, The Top Secret
15. Ai Yazawa, NANA
16. Tomoko Ninomiya, Nodame Cantabile
17. Hiromu Shinozuka, Mirmo!
18. Yoshiki Nakamura, Skip Beat!
19. Yuki Obata, We Were There
20. Asa Higuchi, Big Windup!
21. An Nakahara, Kirarin Revolution
22. Ryo Ikuemi, Kiyoku Yawaku
23. Yuji Terajima, Ace of Diamond
24. Karuho Shiina, Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You
25. Yana Toboso, Black Butler
26. Yuki Suetsugu, Chihayafuru
27. Wataru Watanabe, Yowamushi Pedal
28. Rino Mizuho, The Magic of Chocolate
29. Kotomi Aoki, The Liar and His Lover
30. Mizuho Kusanagi, Yona of the Dawn
31. Nao Maita, Age 12
32. Shinichi Ishizuka, BLUE GIANT
33. Yugo Kobayashi, Ao Ashi
34. Tsubasa Yamaguchi, Blue Period
35. Shuichi Shigeno, MF Ghost
36. Norio Sakurai, The Dangers in My Heart
37. suu Morishita, A Sign of Affection
38. Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
39. Yuki Shiwasu, Tamon's B-Side
40. Yuuki Fujimoto, Suzuki-kun's Mindful Life
(Individual illustrations and creator messages are available on the official website.)
The Artist Zone will showcase original works and celebratory messages created by 21 artists from a wide range of disciplines for Meiji Milk Chocolate's centennial. The lineup goes well beyond paintings, with sculptures and pieces made using unconventional materials, each highlighting a different technique and creative identity.
Drawing on their own perspectives, the artists explore everything from the shape and flavor of a chocolate bar to the joy of eating chocolate and the simple pleasure of sharing time with others. Visitors are invited to connect these works with their own memories while rediscovering the appeal of Meiji Milk Chocolate.
■ Participating Artists
- Takeru Amano
- Yukino Ohmura
- Shinji Kanda
- Wakumi Kanno
- Daichi Kukita
- Yasuhide Kunimoto
- Hisashi Tenmyouya
- Erika Naka
- Shota Nakatsugawa
- Yuka Numata
- Yutaka Hashimoto
- Ayame Higuchi
- Toshiyuki Maeda
- Tetsuya Mishima
- AKI TSUKAMOTO
- Geoffrey Bouillot
- Lotta
- SOMETA
- YEKA HASKI
- Yuki Matsueda
- Fyu
The Meiji Milk Chocolate 100th Anniversary Exhibition opens December 23 for a limited run at Tokyo International Forum. The show will feature newly created collaborations from 40 manga artists, including Touch creator Mitsuru Adachi, City Hunter creator Tsukasa Hojo, NANA creator Ai Yazawa, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End creators Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe.
■ Meiji Milk Chocolate 100th Anniversary Exhibition Event Information
- Dates: December 23–30, 2026
- Venue: Tokyo International Forum, Hall E (2)
- Admission:
- Advance ticket: ¥500
- Same-day ticket: ¥700
- Free admission for preschool-age children
- Admission bonus: One Meiji Milk Chocolate bar with each ticket
- Tickets go on sale: October 29, 2026
