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Giant Kiwi mascots swaying to somber fiddle music stole the show at the official welcome of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Japan.
The surreal clip of the “Kiwi Brothers”, dressed as green and gold Kiwis with big white eyes, in a room full of men in suits, drew attention on social media.
“I feel like a photo bomber,” Ardern said, posing with the mascots.
Ardern arrived in Japan on Thursday for her first overseas trip in more than two years, the Associated Press reported, in a bid to strengthen business and tourism ties following the lifting of pandemic-related border closures.
The visit began with Ardern attending a kiwifruit event hosted by New Zealand’s Zespri Group, the world’s largest kiwifruit marketer.
One could say that the mascot dance has several meanings: aside from the fruit, New Zealanders are known as “Kiwis”.
Mascots are a cultural phenomenon in Japan—all kinds of businesses, government agencies, and other entities use them.
The striking discrepancy between the tone of the music and the Kiwis’ appearance has been the subject of online speculation. “I feel like the Kiwis ruined a funeral,” wrote one Twitter user.
This wasn’t Ardern’s first clash with the Mammoth Kiwis. In 2019 she had met and posed with them, holding hands.
“This picture brought such joy and delight to my office in New Zealand that the photo of my hand with the Kiwi brothers hangs in my office to this day,” she said, according to a report from Newshub, a New Zealand outlet.
At Thursday’s event in Tokyo, Ardern also dabbled in Japanese calligraphy, writing the word “kiwi.” She took a second stitch after an unsatisfactory first try. Meanwhile, her colleague Damien O’Connor, Secretary of State for Trade and Export Growth, decorated a cake with “as many kiwis as possible”.
In addition to the trade talks, Newshub reported, Arden’s group was scheduled to take part in a sake cask capping ceremony.