Japan’s latest gravure idol: expo mascot Myaku-Myaku

At Tokyo Kinky, we keep a close eye on new gravure idols and other developments in the industry, not least because it’s a constant flux and flurry of activity: who is debuting, who is making a comeback, whose photo book sold well, etc.

But even we were a little taken aback by the latest “idol” to release a photo book: Myaku-Myaku, the weird and wacky mascot for the 2025 Osaka expo.

While the expo ended in October last year, love for the bizarre alien creature still lives on. Myaku-Myaku is possibly meant to represent water and cells, but even that doesn’t explain why the upright, bipedal character has four eyes and a mouth in the middle. Though the cheerfully colored creature seems friendly, it might also be the kind of monster that suddenly changes moods and gobbles you up!

Needless to say, Myaku-Myaku’s gender is unclear (and given the possibly water theme, perhaps its gender identity is fluid?).

Myaku-Myaku is to release its first photo book in April, a whole year after the expo opened, in a sign that producers are confident that the popularity of the mascot is strong enough to merit the financial risk of publishing such a book.

The amusingly named I myaku you. comes out on April 13 from Felissimo. I was shot over three days on location in Okinawa (not in Osaka or other parts of the Kansai region, suggesting an attempt to separate Myaku-Myaku from its original role — or an attempt by the creature to “invade” other parts of Japan).

In fact, the locations and backdrops are very much the kind that often appear in regular gravure books: sandy beaches, hotel beds, and so on. Case in point, see the similarly shot Kisumi Amau photo book.

But thankfully, Myaku-Myaku won’t be wearing any bikinis and certainly not showing us any nudity. It does beg the question, since we know that the mascot is actually just a guy (or girl) in a costume: How did the ensure they didn’t get sand on the (presumably expensive) costume?

Or perhaps we are being naive in assuming this isn’t erotic. Given the long history of monster/creature sex fetish, zoophilia, and kemonomimi in Japan, is Myaku-Myaku actually an object of desire for some? Is it just an extension of tentacle sex fantasies?

And while nominally a celebration of a popular mainstream mascot, are these erotic poses by someone in a plush costume actually meant to appeal to furry fandom subculture and its hankering for yiff and plushophilia?

Might the next step be a Cthulhu-style masturbator toy? Or a monster dick dildo? Or a furry creature sex doll?

The 224-page I myaku you. is priced ¥3,960.