A Santa Claus figure modeled on the official mascot of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka has gone on display at a major tourist spot in Kobe, western Japan.
Every Christmas season, a building called Uroko House in a former foreign residential area of the port city displays on its roof likenesses of people who made the news during the year.
This year’s Santa Claus is modeled on the Expo’s official mascot, Myaku-Myaku, wearing a red outfit and a blue ornament around its face.
Other decorations include the Grand Ring, the symbol of the World Expo, and figures modeled on Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s first female prime minister, as well as three Japanese players from the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, including pitcher Yamamoto Yoshinobu.
A woman in her 20s visiting from Chiba Prefecture said the first thing that caught her eye was Takaichi’s face. She said that it was good to see the Grand Ring here as she missed the World Expo.
Sakihara Tomoka, who works at the operator of Uroko House, said that people will instantly recognize who each figure represents because they all have distinctive features. She said she hopes visitors will enjoy the displays and look back on the year.
The installation will be on display until Christmas.
AloJapan.com