design surf seminar 2026
Overview
A free seminar for designers that Too, a creative equipment distributor, has held every autumn since 2016. The eleventh edition takes "crossing boundaries" as its 2026 theme, with in-house designers from Toyota, Calbee and Canon speaking for themselves. Rather than centering on tools, it builds the programme around practitioners who expanded their scope beyond their original job function.
Program
- Theme: crossing boundaries. 7 sessions by in-house designers in two parallel tracks (Session A and B)
- Speakers from Toyota, Calbee, Tanseisha, Canon, Takara Tomy, Magazine House and PARTY
- 3 Too mini seminars on Adobe Firefly, generative AI for 3D, and Miro AI (all fully booked)
- Design exhibits related to the sessions and a showcase of products distributed by Too
- Happy hour networking after the seminars (17:30-19:00, fully booked)
Speakers
- Yoshito Watanabe (Toyota Motor; 2026)
- Takae Nagasawa (Calbee; 2026)
- Keishiro Uemae (Canon; 2026)
- Kairi Manabe (PARTY; 2026)
Foundation
- Founded
- 2016
- Founder
- Too Corporation
Started by Too in 2016 and held each autumn in Tokyo as a free design seminar. It has continued as a venue for in-house designers to share practical experience, with reports published for every session.
Transition
- 2016 First edition held
- 2024 Ninth edition held in Toranomon
- 2025 Tenth edition held at Izumi Garden Gallery
- 2026 Eleventh edition held at Bellesalle Shibakoen on the theme of crossing boundaries
CEATEC
Japan's largest IT and electronics exhibition. Organized by JEITA, held annually in October at Makuhari Messe. The 2026 theme is 'Transformation.' Over 800 exhibitors and approximately 100,000 visitors. Free admission with registration.
Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026
A B2B mobility co-creation event hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Held in the interim year of the main Japan Mobility Show (biennial at Tokyo Big Sight, drawing about one million visitors), co-located with CEATEC at the same venue and dates. Focused on business matching among automakers, startups, universities, and cross-industry companies, with the online matching tool Meet-up Box available before and after the show.
GREE Tech Conference 2026
A technology conference hosted by GREE Holdings under the theme "How We Build", framed around the process of development rather than the finished product. Three parallel tracks cover AI, data analysis, game development, infrastructure, and security, with a keynote by the company's Masaki Fujimoto. Free to attend in a hybrid format, including seats that come with an office tour.