26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Many Osaka Expo mascot toys donated to Baltic Pavilion after theft
OSAKA -- The Baltic Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai has become a new photo hot spot, with visitors giving the site official expo mascot plush toys and other items after the theft of one from the pavilion in mid-May.
About 90 Myaku-Myaku figures are now lined up at a counter at the pavilion, where Latvia and Lithuania are jointly exhibiting. Since the expo's opening, one Myaku-Myaku plush toy had been displayed at the pavilion's counter alongside the pavilion's mushroom-themed mascot, "Barabi-chan," but it suddenly disappeared on May 13.
Security cameras revealed that one of two individuals, believed to be women, placed the toy into a bag. Pavilion guide Ieva Miciuliene, 31, recalled, saying, "I thought Japan was a safe place, so I was shocked."
After talks on the issue, Lithuanian Ambassador to Japan Aurelijus Zykas announced the incident on X (formerly Twitter) on May 16, making national news and sparking widespread interest.
Unexpectedly, from May 17 onward, Myaku-Myaku plush toys began arriving at the pavilion, reaching a total of 87 as of May 23. "Children handed us origami Myaku-Myaku, and one person traveled all the way from Okayama just to deliver a Myaku-Myaku plush toy. I was touched by the kindness of the Japanese people," Miciuliene said with a smile.
Now, a large number of Myaku-Myaku plush toys, including ones dressed in the pavilion guide uniform and a handmade crocheted version, surround the Barabi-chan figure, delighting visitors.
The situation surrounding the pavilion has changed significantly since the incident, and Miciuliene is amazed at how it has become a "special pavilion." She added, "It has now become a new photo spot. I am filled with gratitude for the heartfelt support from the Japanese people."
