Chinese young people are transforming a niche Japanese accessory into a booming fashion subculture. Known in China as “tongbao” or the “painful bag,” the ita bag — a tote or backpack heavily decorated with plushies, badges and small cards — has surged in popularity online, with the #tongbao hashtag on lifestyle platform RedNote attracting 2.3 billion views.
What Happened
On RedNote, a popular lifestyle-sharing platform in China, posts tagged #tongbao have amassed 2.3 billion views, reflecting a rapid spread of interest in ita bags among young users. The style, which originated in Japan around the 2010s, involves covering a bag with collectibles that signal devotion to anime characters or real-life idols. Chinese adopters are adapting the idea with imaginative designs and combinations, using the accessory to display fandom and personal creativity.
Background
The ita bag concept emerged in Japan in the early 2010s as an eye-catching way for fans to carry and display merchandise. Traditionally, ita bags are decorated with items such as plush toys, enamel or fabric badges, and printed cards featuring favorite characters or celebrities. The literal translation used in China, “tongbao” or “painful bag,” captures both the visual intensity of the crowded, over-decorated item and the emotional intensity of fandom.
Social media and lifestyle-sharing platforms have amplified the practice beyond Japan’s borders, enabling enthusiasts to share designs, sourcing tips and DIY techniques. In China, users are putting their own spin on the trend, combining pop-culture elements from both animated works and live performers to create highly personalized accessories that function as wearable fan shrines.
Why It Matters
The ita bag trend illustrates how fandom, fashion and social media intersect to create new forms of youth expression. For young people, these bags do more than hold belongings: they make statements about identity, taste and loyalty to cultural objects. The visual and tactile nature of ita bags makes them especially suited to platforms that reward striking imagery and shareable content, helping the trend spread quickly across networks.
There are broader cultural and commercial implications. As fans display collections publicly, demand for small-scale merchandise — pins, plushies and printed cards — can increase, supporting related creative economies and independent sellers. The trend also underscores the continuing flow of cultural influence across East Asia: a Japanese-origin fad adapted by Chinese youth and amplified through domestic social platforms.
For readers in Panama and Latin America, the ita bag story is a reminder of how global youth cultures now travel instantly via social media. While the specific aesthetic originates in East Asia and centers on anime and regional idols, similar dynamics — fans transforming collectible merchandise into fashion statements — are visible worldwide. Retailers, designers and cultural commentators in other regions may see parallels in local fandom-driven micro-trends and could draw lessons about how social platforms can turn niche practices into mainstream styles.
Ultimately, the rise of ita bags in China highlights how material culture and online communities combine to produce new, highly visible forms of self-expression. Whether embraced as a hobby, a creative outlet or a commercial opportunity, the movement demonstrates how young people continue to reshape fashion with playful, fan-driven innovations.