The Osaka World Expo is on until October 13, 2025. Discover the world and the future in a day.
The World Exposition or Banpaku in Japanese is held every five years in a different country around the world. It began in 1851 in London, with the purpose to share the latest in culture, economy and technology between nations. This year it is taking place in Osaka, Japan. This is the second time that Osaka has hosted the world event, the last time was in 1970. This year the theme is “Designing Future society for our Lives”. This theme allows for a broad range of interpretations by the 150 participating nations providing something for everyone.
The world’s largest wooden architectural structure was built for this Expo. A wooden ring around the grounds that is 2,025 meters in circumference, 30 meters in width and ranges from 12 to 20meters high. You can walk on the upper deck, providing a great view of the grounds below. This structure took over a year to construct.
The rest of the grounds are filled with pavilions from around the world. The incorporation of nature, culture and technology is intertwined into each pavilion and is an experience for the senses. There are also common areas that house multiple smaller nations, offering information about the country and various experiences for visitors.
There are free water fill stations, as well as vending machines for refreshments. Bring a small hand towel to dry your hands after washing at the toilets, no hand dryers or paper towels are provided, as is common in Japan. There are many food venues found within the grounds or you can bring in your own snacks and food. Wear comfortable walking shoes it is a huge facility and there is so much to see, especially if you have various reservations and need to move from one end to another. Consider the evening light shows when applying for reservations for some of the venues. Try to get a place on the upper ring to watch the final light show. Be sure to say hi to Myaku-Myaku the official mascot of 2025 Osaka Expo.
The Osaka Expo will run from April 13 to October 13, 2025. You can get a full day, evening ticket or if you are staying longer summer or season passes are available. Once you have your ticket and the day you will attend you can apply for entrance times into specific popular venues by a lottery. Many offer walk-in traffic, these can have long wait times. https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/
Myaku-Myaku the mascot of Osaka Expo2025
Created by Kohei Yamashita a children’s book illustrator. Myaku means ‘pulse’ and by repeating the word it refers to the continuation of life. The blue body represents water and its shape is fluid. The ring of red ‘cells’ some with eyes surrounds the water. Images and the physical mascot can be found everywhere in the grounds.
