The unusual red and blue mascot for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka has been named Myaku-Myaku, reflecting hopes that technology and knowledge will be passed down to future generations continuously, or myakumyaku in Japanese.
On Monday, which marked 1,000 days until the start of the event, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said it had chosen the name from more than 33,000 candidates solicited from the public, on the basis that it will “bring the character to life.”
The creature has a blue body with dripping hands, representing water and the ability to shift shapes, according to the mascot’s designers. The five-eyed ring on its head comprises red cells, embodying the “brilliance of life,” they said. The design was unveiled in March.