The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about Myaku-Myaku, the beloved official mascot of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, including what has become of the Myaku-Myaku since the event ended last fall and where people can still meet the character.

Question: Summer break is here again, so what has happened to Myaku-Myaku, the popular mascot that was featured at last year's Osaka Expo?

Answer: If you mean the giant monuments of Myaku-Myaku that were displayed at the Expo site, you can still see them in various parts of Osaka Prefecture this summer.

There were three monuments at the Expo site. One was "Irasshai," meaning "welcome" in English, depicting the character with its hands resting on the ground while bowing at the East Gate, measuring about 3.8 meters tall and 3.4 meters wide. Another was "Wakuwaku" -- a Japanese onomatopoeia that means feeling excited -- which was installed at the West Gate with both arms spread wide, standing roughly 3.8 meters tall and 2.7 meters wide. The third, measuring around 2.5 meters tall and 4 meters wide, was located near the West Gate in the Wind Plaza, where the character was displayed in a reclining pose.

Q: The event is over, so why are the displays still being shown?

A: More than 25 million people visited the Osaka Expo during its six-month run starting last April, and Myaku-Myaku's popularity was one factor behind its success. The Osaka Prefectural Government is continuing a traveling exhibition of the monuments in an effort to bring more activity to local areas and promote sightseeing trips around the region. Many people stop to take pictures of Myaku-Myaku's lovable appearance, and crowds sometimes form around the monuments.

Q: Where can people see them now?

A: "Irasshai" has been on display since July in the Dotonbori entertainment district of Minami, one of western Japan's leading tourist destinations, in Osaka's Chuo Ward. Visitors can also buy Myaku-Myaku merchandise exclusive to Dotonbori and "takoyaki" octopus balls made in the shape of Myaku-Myaku nearby. The monument will remain there through the end of August. After that, it will be displayed starting Sept. 4 in front of Hanshin Electric Railway's Fuku Station in Osaka's Nishiyodogawa Ward.

"Wakuwaku" can be seen at Sennan Long Park in the city of Sennan in Osaka Prefecture through the end of August. From September onward, the monument is scheduled to move to Chihaya Park, a nature park in the prefectural village of Chihayaakasaka.

The reclining Myaku-Myaku monument will remain at the Asia and Pacific Trade Center, a complex facility in Osaka's Suminoe Ward for the time being. Even people who were unable to visit the Osaka Expo may be able to get a taste of the Expo experience. Why not consider taking a trip around Osaka Prefecture to see the Myaku-Myaku monuments?

(Japanese original by Mie Omokawa, Osaka City News Department)