Once received with mixed reactions, Osaka Expo's Myaku-Myaku mascot charms visitors
OSAKA -- The official mascot of the World Exposition underway in Osaka, which initially sparked mixed reactions, has now become one of the main attractions a month and a half after the event kicked off.
Myaku-Myaku, described as "a mysterious creature born from the fusion of cells and water," is featured throughout the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai venue. Visitors crowd around the character's statue to take pictures with it, or line up to enter "Myaku-Myaku House," where a moving Myaku-Myaku welcomes its fans.
At the Expo venue in Osaka's Konohana Ward, one can also find manhole covers in a Myaku-Myaku design as well as playground equipment and monuments in the beloved character's colors -- red and blue. According to the Expo's website, Myaku-Myaku's "true identity remains unknown" and it "appears to be transforming into various forms in search of who it wants to be, and its current form mimics humans." Perhaps its mysteriousness and shape-shifting nature is part of its charm.
On the message board at Myaku-Myaku House was a comment that read, "I'm sorry I said you looked terrifying when I first saw you. I like you a lot now."
A 25-year-old Osaka woman who took pictures with the mascot told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I initially thought, 'Why did this get picked?' but I've become a fan after seeing it move." A visitor, 55, from Kobe's Nagata Ward said, "I was initially a bit skeptical, but it turned out to be kind of adorable, though I can't explain how."
It appears many of the visitors changed their opinion for the better about the mysterious mascot after actually seeing it.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition expects 28.2 million visitors over the six-month duration of the event. That averages about 150,000 people per day -- undoubtedly not an easy target. The website says Myaku-Myaku's favorite thing to do is "interacting with all kinds of living beings and things." If Myaku-Myaku can meet many people and steadily gain more fans, that visitor number goal may not be so far out of reach.
(Japanese original by Takehiko Onishi, Osaka Photo and Video Department)
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