Friendship clad in a suit of shining pins

SHANGHAI - Even more than the weight of some 475 pins that Tatsuo Kamon has collected is the weight of recollected friendship.

The 51-year-old Japanese composer, who works as the cheerleader for the Japan Industry Pavilion, plans to collect 500 pins by the end of Expo 2010 Shanghai to commemorate his best friend, Takakura Toshikazu, who died of lung cancer in 2006.

Tatsuo Kamon from Japan, clad in a suit decorated with Expo pins he has collected, poses for tourists during a show at the Japan Industry Pavilion on Aug 25. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

Kamon collected 64 pins from the Osaka Expo in 1970, and 230 pins from the Aichi Expo in 2005.

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"I had competitions with Toshikazu in 1970 and 2005 to see who could collect the most pins by the end of the Expo," said Kamon. "I promised Toshikazu to collect pins for him in Shanghai Expo before he passed away."

Kamon has been into the Expo Garden 13 times and collects new pins every time. The one he likes the most is from the Turkey Pavilion.

"I think the design is quite unique."

Kamon said when he gets new pins he always thinks about Toshikazu.

"I will think about whether he will like the style or not," said Kamon. "He prefers the pins with national flags but I like the ones with the Expo logo."

During his appearance in front of an audience at the Expo Garden on Tuesday, the music composer showed off a suit decorated with all the pins he has collected during the Expo.

"The suit must weigh over five kilograms," said Kamon.

Kamon said he gets the pins through face-to-face exchanges and by purchasing them from souvenir stores in the Expo Garden.

Kamon said he has spent over 7,000 yuan ($1,028) purchasing the pins.

"It is a good way to communicate with people and to establish friendships with people from different countries," said Kamon.

"I do not recommend visitors purchase too many pins from souvenir stores because the most fun thing is the negotiation process."

However, Kamon denied he had the largest collection of Expo-themed pins.

"One of my friends has collected some 700 pins," said Kamon.