Abu Metha addressing Toyota Anime Matsuri festival in Kohima on June 5.
Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 5
Okusa Toyota, Kohima hosted Toyota Anime Matsuri festival at its showroom along New Secretariat road, Kohima on June 5. The event featured curated screenings of popular anime titles, including Attack on Titan (AOT) and 100 Meters, combined with interactive elements such as merchandise and a lucky draw.
This initiative reflects Toyota’s continued efforts along with dealership partner Okusa Toyota to create innovative, experience-led engagements that resonate with younger audiences in Nagaland. The event aim to create a youth-centric experiential platform in Kohima, to introduce new-age engagement formats through anime and entertainment, to strengthen community connect through interactive and immersive experiences and to position Toyota and Okusa Toyota as forward-looking and culturally relevant brands
The key highlights of the event included; screening of Attack on Titan (AOT) and 100m, participation from key stakeholders including, government representative, Toyota Kirloskar Motor leadership, Okusa Toyota dealership management, Partner organizations (Toyota Connect, Dentsu, Mela Mela Japan), Merchandise booth with exclusive anime-related products and Anime Times subscription offering with special incentives.
Metha seeks continuous support from Toyota
Gracing the event as the special guest, Abu Metha, Advisor to Chief Minister of Nagaland and Chairman, Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) placed on the record his sincere appreciation of the Government of Nagaland to the Toyota family, saying “ Toyota in Nagaland is not just about selling cars, but they have become part of the larger Naga family.”
He stated that Toyota had participated in various programs and contributing towards the progress and the growth of Nagaland as a whole.
He lauded their participation in the Hornbill Festival (Hornbill Music Festival) and support in promoting sport, art, music, including capacity building and study tours & exposure programs.
“We look forward to your continuous support and participation in the years ahead too,” he said.
Maintaining that Japanese people are known for precision and perfection, he said “Whatever they do, they achieve perfection. We have so much to learn from them,” he said.
Further, Metha requested Japanese people to continue to engage “with our young people and have cross connections, cross collaborations, partnerships, so that we learn from each other and grow together as a family.”
‘Anime has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon’
Metha stated that Anime has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon, showcasing the power of creativity, imagination, innovation, and storytelling.
Beyond entertainment, it often celebrates values such as perseverance, discipline, resilience, courage, and strength of character.
He also expressed gratitude to the Toyota family for their thoughtful initiative and for curating a memorable experience that encourages creativity, learning and artistic expression among the youth.
Anime is also about being creative, being original, telling your stories, he said.
“It's not only about pushing Japanese culture into our society, I don't see it that way,” he said and thanked Toyota for bringing an opportunity and a window for the youth in Nagaland to experience and open their eyes.
Stating that Nagaland too is blessed with a rich tapestry of stories, folklore, legends, and lived experiences, Metha hoped that “our young artists, filmmakers, animators, and content creators draw inspiration from platforms such as these to create original content and share our unique narratives with audiences across the world.”
“Let us learn and absorb so that we have positive takeaways from this experience. And let's also learn from other communities, other countries, so that we bring their best practices into our community and make Nagaland of tomorrow better than the Nagaland of today,” he said.
