The Yomiuri Shimbun
This photo taken by a 360-degree camera shows a large crowd at the former site of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Osaka on Saturday, where a ceremony was held to mark the relocation of the Myaku-Myaku monument, left, to a new location.
21:00 JST, November 30, 2025
OSAKA — About 1,000 people gathered at the former site of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo on Saturday for a ceremony marking the relocation of the landmark monument of the official mascot Myaku-Myaku.
About 167,000 people applied for the ceremony’s admission slots for 1,000 residents of Osaka Prefecture. Lucky Expo fans, including those dressed as Myaku-Myaku, bid farewell to the monument, with some saying, “Thank you.”
During the Expo period, the kneeling and bowing monument, next to a sign with “Welcome” written on it, greeted a multitude of visitors near the East Gate of the venue in Osaka, serving as a popular photo spot. It will be installed at the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Suita in the prefecture in March.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura and Kota Hikichi, who was in charge of decorating the Expo venue, were among those attending the ceremony.
Facing the sign saying: “Thank you. See you again,” some fans tearfully waved goodbye.
Among the attendees, Koichi Takada, a 27-year-old company employee from the city, said he visited the Expo more than 10 times. Having experienced interacting with people from around the world, he now tries to talk to foreign visitors whenever he sees them in need of help.
“Myaku-Myaku served as a bridge that brought everyone together,” said Takada.
AloJapan.com