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Kobe's Year-in-Review 'Santa' Unveiled With Expo-Themed Centerpiece

The long-running display recaps 2025 through satirical figures centered on the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

Overview

  • The annual installation opened on November 19 at Uroko no Ie in Kobe's Kitano district and will be on view through December 25.
  • The roughly 3-meter polystyrene Santa appears in red and blue that evoke the Expo mascot without naming it due to copyright concerns.
  • The main figure lifts a roof-like ring decorated with national flags in a celebratory pose.
  • Additional figures depict Shohei Ohtani holding a baby, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Shinjiro Koizumi carrying a rice bale.
  • The display also references rising rice prices and so-called Trump tariffs, and organizers describe this year's theme as the Osaka-Kansai Expo.