The weird yet undeniably adorable Myaku-Myaku emerged as the breakout celebrity of the now-concluded Osaka Expo. Held at the 9th-floor event hall of Kintetsu Department Store in Abeno Harukas, this free exhibition explores the mascot’s lasting legacy, charting its rise from creation and early popularity to its enduring status as the face of the world’s fair.
Presented through news photography taken before and during the Expo, the exhibition also serves as a visual record of Japan’s biggest event of 2025, told through its most recognisable star. The showcase unfolds in chronological chapters, tracing the key stages in Myaku-Myaku’s life.
Here, you’ll learn how the character was born from a public design competition. The winning entry was created by picture-book author Kohei Yamashita, who envisioned Myaku-Myaku as a mysterious creature designed to leave room for imagination.
The exhibition then follows its nationwide appearances at pre-Expo publicity events, before assuming its intended role at the Expo site itself: engaging with visitors and collaborating with pavilions, celebrities and other popular characters. By the end, Myaku-Myaku had become so synonymous with the Expo that fans formed long queues simply to take photographs with its statues, ultimately cementing its status as a true Osaka icon.
Note: the exhibition closes at 6pm on December 31, is closed on January 1, and reopens on January 2 from 9.30am to 7pm. On the final day, January 5, it closes at 5pm.
