The venue was bustling with lots of parents and kids, everywhere could be seen the popular character “Piyo-chan”.
In FY2023 and 2024, Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd., carried out a “Feasibility Survey on Expanding Japanese-Style Story-Telling Incorporating Digital Media (Digital Storytelling) in Vietnam” as an EDU-Port Japan Supported Project. Here we describe how this project has developed subsequently.
1．An event held in Ho Chi Minh with a guest author attracted about 350 visitors over 2 days
From 8 to 11:30 a.m. on August 8 and 9 (Saturday and Sunday), 2026, an event was held in Ho Chi Minh City to which was invited as a guest Satoshi Iriyama, author of the popular Gakken picture book series “Piyo-chan”. This event was organized jointly by Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd., Gakken Inc., and DTP Education Solutions, a major Vietnamese educational publisher, a consolidated subsidiary of Gakken Holdings (headquartered in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam).
“Piyo-chan”, which has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, has been translated into Vietnamese and 20 titles have already been published. This event was held with the aim of further delivering to Vietnamese children the appeal of the Japanese picture-book culture; and over the two days of the event some 350 parents and children came to the venues.
The event was held at the General Sciences Library of Ho Chi Minh City, and City Children’s Hospital. While the event was primarily intended for children aged 0–3 and their parents or guardians, it was also open to the general public. Through the “Piyo-chan” picture book series, which is also popular in Vietnam, the event contributed to promoting picture book culture in the country.
Author Satoshi Iriyama gives a demonstration of how to draw. Children watch “Piyo-chan” being drawn before their very eyes. (General Sciences Library of Ho Chi Minh City)
Following Mr. Iriyama’s instructions, the children also draw pictures of Piyo-chan
2．Initiatives to Promote the Appeal of the Picture Book Culture
Being selected in 2023 for an EDU-Port Japan Supported Project offered Gakken Holdings a great opportunity to extend our picture-book culture to Vietnam.
In Vietnam, many families send their children to cram school in preparation for starting school. However, access to such learning opportunities tends to be limited to children from higher-income households. It is believed that fostering a culture in which reading picture books aloud to children is part of everyday life will give more children, regardless of their family income, opportunities to learn and discover new things in their daily lives.
With this in mind,we have been promoting the spread of Japanese-style reading aloud of picture books, through storytelling activities at kindergartens and through seminars aimed at kindergarten teachers. In this instance, holding an event with the author of picture books actually published in translation present as a guest, enabled us to share directly with parents/guardians and children the fun of picture books from a new perspective.
3．An Event Where the World of the Picture Book Can Be Experienced with All Five Senses
This event was attended in person by the author Satoshi Iriyama. The aim was to help familiesget to know better the appeal of picture books, in particular the warmth of expression, the illustrations and the enjoyment of the stories, that has long been prized in Japanese picture books. At the venues, in addition to the main drawing demonstrations and autograph signings by Mr. Iriyama, there were a number of hands-on programs to be enjoyed with all five senses; a corner where children could draw whatever they liked, a music-experience program held with the cooperation of Yamaha Music Vietnam Co., Ltd., a building-block corner, etc.
Enjoying music with Piyo-chan and Mr. Iriyama
In the autograph sessions, Mr. Iriyama signed copies of his books. A rare chance to interact directly with the author.
4．’Seeing it with your own eyes’ leads to ‘I want to read it!’
The highlight of the event was when Mr. Iriyama sat down among the children and showed them how he drew Piyo-chan. The moment Piyo-chan appeared on what had been a blank sheet of paper, the children’s eyes lit up and they leaned in, captivated. Following that, time was set aside for the children themselves to draw Piyo-chan together with Mr. Iriyama, and everywhere in the venue could be seen children having fun moving their hands each in their own way.
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Captivated kids taking it all in -
Captivated kids taking it all in
It seemed to us that, unlike a digital experience where the characters stay confined to the screen, seeing with their own eyes the character come to life from the hands of the author – the kind of surprise and excitement that doesn’t come from a screen – sparked in the children the spontaneous desire to read a picture book.
At the venues, there could be seen everywhere parents/guardians and their children turning the pages together. The warmth and bonding that comes from time spent together looking at the same picture book helps enhance dialogue between parent and child, and has a positive effect on the child’s emotional and aesthetic development . In an age when digital content has become an integral part of everyday life, the event provided a valuable opportunity to rediscover the power of printed picture books to nurture children’s imaginations and the value of parents and children sharing the joy of reading together.
A little boy turns the pages of a book with his parent
5．A Comment by Picture Book Author Satoshi Iriyama
This may have been the first time for some of the children to learn about Piyo-chan, but I was happy to see everyone enjoying themselves drawing pictures and doing other stuff. It might have been the first time for some of the children to come across this kind of picture book with a story of a character in it, but I hope today’s event will mark the start of them wanting to read picture books.
6. Expanding the Circle of Picture Book Culture – The Outlook Going Forward
This event represents a new step forward in our efforts to build on the picture book culture we took on in the EDU-Port Japan Supported Project. Going forward, we will use this initiative as a stepping-stone as we aim to further expand the picture book culture in Vietnam. Looking beyond the Piyo-chan series,we aim to bring many more outstanding Japanese picture books to the Vietnamese market. Using picture books as a gateway, we also hope to explore broader opportunities in Vietnam for the translation and publication of children’s books and for Japanese IP (intellectual property), including characters and educational content. Through these initiatives, we will continue to contribute to enriching learning opportunities for children in both Japan and Vietnam, while further promoting cultural exchange between the two countries.
About the Piyo-chan series and its author, Satoshi Iriyama
“Piyo-chan” is a best-selling series whose gentle, tender illustrations and warm stories have for over twenty years been beloved as the first picture book a baby or toddler will come across. In Vietnam, 20 titles have already been translated and published by DTP, and these are widely available at major bookstore chains and online shopping sites. The author Satoshi Iriyama was born in Tokyo in 1958. One of Japan’s leading picture book authors, in addition to the “Piyo-chan” series, he also works on many other series, including “Dinosaur Kids” and “Panda Exercise”.
Satoshi Iriyama
