From the Giant Myaku-Myaku to Wrapped Trains—Everywhere You Look are Signs of the Osaka, Kansai Expo!

Maido! Osaka Bob here.
And I’m a huge fan of the Osaka, Kansai Expo!
Osaka is always a lively city, but it feels a little different this year.
Why is that, you ask?
Well, there are a lot of signs, advertisements, and other information about the Osaka/Kansai Expo popping up around town.

For now, I’d like to share some of the Osaka/Kansai Expo things that I’ve found in Osaka—the host city for the upcoming World Expo.

Giant Myaku-Myaku at Osaka City Hall!

First, let’s take a look at Osaka City Hall.
When you get off the Osaka Metro or Keihan Railway at Yodoyabashi Station, you can see Osaka City Hall just across the Tosabori river.

The building is just what you would expect from an Osaka City Government Building, a classic style. As you approach the front entrance, you’ll notice Myaku-Myaku waiting to greet you in a very relaxed pose!

What do you think? Isn’t it unusual to see this kind of statue in front of a building like this.
What on earth is this pose? It almost looks like a Reclining Buddha statue that you would see in a temple in Thailand? Or is Myaku-Myaku just relaxing?

Setting aside the statue’s posture for the moment, let’s look at the scale. The monument itself is 3.3 meters wide, 2 meters tall, and 1.5 meters in depth!
This is right on brand for the official mascot character of the Expo—bold and impressive. And the more I see this character around, the more it seems to grow on me.

4 Expo poster designs

The next thing I want to show you is something I found inside a train station.

I found these big posters for the Expo featuring Myaku-Myaku.
(There’s a lot of digital signage for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai too, but those are so hard to photograph because the image keeps switching💦)

The sign I found was the one that said, “It’s coming, the Expo!” And actually, there are four different designs for the posters and signage used to promote the Osaka/Kansai Expo.

Which design do you like the best?
I thought this one catchphrase was especially interesting. It reads, “It’s time to put the World Expo in your calendar.’’ I know it’s still a little early to schedule in an event that far in the future. But it is a good idea to start planning your visit early. You’ll definitely want to start looking things up, especially if you are visiting Osaka from far away.
The posters really show off Myaku-Myaku’s signature colors. The blue and red really stand out.

Speaking of standing out, the “Osaka Station Building EXPO2025 Wrapping” advertisement on the outside of Osaka Station City’s South Gate Building at JR Osaka Station really grabs your attention.

You can see the advertisement clearly from the above-ground walkway that connects Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Daimaru Umeda Store, and Hanshin
Department Store in Umeda!

Expo themed wrapped trains

Expo decorated trains are on the tracks in Osaka!
If you’re waiting for a train in the city, you might be surprised to see which train shows up.

This photo shows one of Osaka Metro’s Midosuji Line trains. It’s designed specially to advertise the Expo!
And in case you were wondering, here is one of the designs you would normally see on the Midosuji Line.

When they are wrapped, the trains look completely different. The first time I saw an Expo train, I was worried, for a moment, that perhaps I was on the wrong platform. But now I’ve gotten used to seeing these trains more and more.

And it’s not only the Osaka Metro trains. Other railways are also running wrapped cars!

This is a wrapped JR train. I saw the subway trains a while ago, but it’s also nice to see a wrapped train out in the open, under the blue sky!

This is the Keihan train that connects Osaka and Kyoto. I was impressed when I noticed this train, all decorated in the Expo colors. But then I started to think that all the wrapped trains look the same, don’t they?

But when I asked a real railway enthusiast, she said, “Bob, what are you talking about? They’re completely different.”

I’ve gone a little bit off topic. But I want to say that I do agree with railway enthusiasts that the Expo colors leave a strong impression.

On the other hand, I also found this more modestly wrapped vehicle.
Since Hankyu Railway opened in 1910, its trains have always been maroon in color. Their colors are like part of their identity, which has remained true all these years. However, the Hankyu wrapped trains are decorated with Myaku-Myaku eyes scattered along the cars, which are so incredibly cute!

Even buses and planes are wearing Expo colors!

Osaka/Kansai Expo themed vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. There are Expo themed buses and airplanes too!

Osaka really is painted in Expo colors!
And, if you thought that was all…

There are even manhole covers!
While you are in Osaka, you might come across Myaku-Myaku on the street.

Come to think of it, people from overseas seem to be impressed by Japanese manhole covers.
Manhole covers in Japan have different designs in each municipality, and Osaka City’s most famous design features Osaka Castle and cherry blossoms. On a side note, the reason for the designs is to make the manhole covers less slippery. Iron manholes can get slippery on rainy days, but the textures are designed to reduce this effect. How nice!

Cherry blossoms and Osaka Castle. Don’t you think this design is beautiful?
Be careful not to look down at the manholes too intently and bump into people while you’re walking.

Official stores for Myaku-Myaku merchandise!

Now there are official stores, where you can find all your favorite 2025 Osaka/Kansai Expo items.

Currently there are four of these stores in Osaka that are open, beginning with the Abeno Harukas store, which opened in September of 2023.

• Abeno Harukas store
• Daimaru Umeda store
• JR Shin-Osaka Station Eki Marché store
• MARUZEN & JUNKUDO Umeda

The stores sell a variety of items, including Myaku-Myaku stuffed animals and key chains, as well as apparel with EXPO2025 designs, tote bags, and umbrellas.

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