After 184 days, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan finally concluded its six-month run on October 13. The event was a success, attracting a total of 25.58 million visitors. Its weirdly adorable mascot, the shape-shifting Myaku-Myaku with its many goggly eyes, proved so popular that sales of its merchandise contributed considerably to Osaka Expo’s revenue.
Whether you miss Myaku-Myaku or regret not having seen it in person at the Expo, you’ll be glad to know there’s now one more chance to see it ‘in the flesh’. A massive reclining Myaku-Myaku statue, measuring two metres tall and 3.3 metres long, has returned to its original spot in front of the stately Osaka City Hall on Nakanoshima Island in the city centre.
This statue first appeared on the same site in December 2023 as part of the lead-up to the Osaka Expo and remained there until the end of July this year, before being moved to the Expo site. Now it’s back, cheerfully greeting passers-by in front of City Hall, and will stay there until December 26.
Oh, in case you haven’t heard, official Osaka Expo merchandise, including items featuring Myaku-Myaku, will continue to be available until March next year. While stocks last, of course.
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