Let’s compare what’s being said on the Internet to what’s really going on.
In the weeks leading up to the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, a lot has been said about the event being poorly planned, over budget, and even hazardous. Osaka Mayor Osaka Governor Hideyuki Yokoyama alluded to a concerted effort to bash the event for either financial or political gain. Meanwhile, Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto has been spending his online time confronting the chorus of complaints about the event, most notably from Mayor Fusaho Izumi of Akashi City in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, who called the Expo and its signature Grand Ring “the waste of the century.”
Reading all this from the comfort of my home made me wonder who to believe. Negative press aside, I wasn’t really motivated to go to the Expo myself, mainly because there wasn’t any especially big draw. The flying car seemed destined to be the centerpiece for a while but got scaled way down to a simple viewing and occasional test flight demonstration. Left without an aim there, I couldn’t really justify the 7,500 yen (US$52) admission.
▼ Sure, flying cars are essentially just helicopters or large drones, but I wanted to go up in one damnit…
As luck would have it, an opportunity came when I covered Japanese candy maker Glico’s exhibits and announcements there recently and I also had some time to go around and really take in what the Expo is and how well it lives up to the negative hype going around online. So, let’s look at some of the common complaints.
● No One is Going
Leading up to the opening, there was some speculation over whether the 2025 Expo could meet its goal of 28.2 million visitors, which would boil down to about 150,000 visitors per day. Since the organizers reported their one-millionth visitor on the 13th day after the expo opened, that would put them at a little under 80,000 per day, and even with that, there was some speculation that the numbers were being inflated.
It’s hard to estimate numbers from being there, but it was definitely a busy place. I arrived early in the morning and the train was packed. The crowd streaming out of the station was pretty similar to what Mr. Sato saw on the opening day as well.
▼ When Mr. Sato went on 13 April
▼ When I went on 30 April
Because of this, the lineups to a lot of the bigger pavilions were substantial, and without a reservation anyone’s chances of getting in are slim to none. On the other hand, the circular layout made it so people never bottlenecked anywhere and it was pretty easy to get around despite the large number of people. Most places had a rather spacious feeling.
One thing worth noting is that World Expo attendance historically increases as time goes on, with the final weeks being the busiest as FOMO kicks in. For example, the record-breaking attendance of the Shanghai Expo didn’t peak until mid-October, more than five months after it opened. So, even if Osaka is underperforming now, that could easily change in the future. Unfortunately, that might also change the not-so-crowded feeling I just mentioned.
● The Grand Ring is the Waste of the Century
I might as well address Mayor Izumi’s famous comment too. Initially, I wasn’t blown away by the whole ring idea. Despite it being a world-record-breaking architectural accomplishment (recognized by the Guinness organization as the world’s largest wooden architectural structure), traditionally built wooden structure, it is, at its core, just a big ring made out of wood.
Upon seeing it firsthand, my suspicions were correct. It is indeed a big ring made of wood. That’s really about it.
▼ Wood underneath…
▼ More wood on top…
There’s some grass on top too, and it offers a nice view of the ocean on one side along with a not-so-nice view of Osaka on the other side. I’m not trashing the Osaka skyline and think it’s actually quite nice. It’s just that from the ring’s angle and distance it doesn’t look all that hot.
The ring is about two kilometers (1.2 miles) around so it would take about 10 to 20 minutes to walk a full lap. Because of this, I think they really should have put more thought into the designs of the tops of the pavilions. From most angles, the inside of the ring just looks like a cluster of nondescript buildings.
▼ Most angles are not especially great. The Italy pavilion looks way better from the ground.
▼ But there are a few sweet spots where you can get a nice shot, thanks to the Turkmenistan, Austria, and Switzerland pavilions looking nice from above.
On the other hand, it does get really pretty when the sun sets. When I was there, a large crowd gathered on the ocean side to watch it.
▼ The sun setting from the far side of the ring
▼ If you zoom in, you can even see the dots of people gathering around it. The size of the ring could make for some really good forced perspective shots with a nice enough camera.
Another big benefit of the Grand Ring is that when I went underneath it, the temperature must have dropped around five to 10 degrees thanks to the shade and channeled ocean breeze. There are also a lot of benches and some free water dispensers. I’m not sure how well this will hold up when the full force of summer hits, but it definitely helps.
It also acts as a symbol for the event. Gov. Hashimoto described it as containing so many different countries, some of whom are currently at war with each other, all in the same confined space and working together peacefully. In that sense too, the Grand Ring can be seen as a good representation of the event itself.
So, I wouldn’t go nearly as far as saying the Grand Ring is the “waste of the century”, but as the centerpiece of the event, they could have put a little more into the experience of being on it.
● It’s Going to Explode!
Hmmm… There’s not much I can say about that since I didn’t blow up personally, nor have their been any explosions reported aside from that one that happened long before the expo opened. The landfill underneath the Expo emitting methane gas has been the cause for some visitor cancelations, but I have to think they are taking that matter as seriously as possible for the simple fact that a deadly explosion would be really bad for business.
▼ Water does periodically erupt from fountains inside the ring that are projection mapped on at night.
Then again, Governor Hashimoto does remind me a little of that mayor in Jaws who refused to close the beaches despite the threat of a giant shark. If they really want to put these worries to rest, full transparency about what they are doing to channel the methane gas away from the venue safely would be a really good idea.
● They’re Hanging Boulders over the Restrooms!
I must say that is a complete fabrication. The boulders are hanging over an information center and some vending machines. The restrooms are located safely next to it.
There were also some complaints that the restrooms lacked privacy, with configurations like child toilets with no stalls. I did notice a few facilities that seemed a little lax on privacy, and it did feel a little out of place at an event meant to showcase cutting edge culture and technology. But there were also many options for restrooms and I was never too far from one with more sufficient privacy if it bothered me.
● Stuff there is too expensive!
Yup, that one is absolutely correct. I’d wager that everything I saw from food to souvenirs was about three to five times their price outside the venue. Acrylic keychains sold for about 850 yen ($6) and one food court was advertising a small plate of octopus balls for 900 yen as if someone would walk past that and say, “Wow! What a deal!”
▼ For comparison, you could easily get octopus balls for around 300 yen in various places around Osaka.
The one positive I noticed was that bottled water and other drinks from vending machines we not horrifically overpriced. I saw bottled water for only 130 yen, which is higher than the average Osaka vending machine but not as bad as places like Universal Studios Japan. However, that could be because they’re competing with free water from the dispensers.
Overall, I don’t think the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo deserves a lot of the flack it’s getting for its attendance and construction. It does, however, deserve the flack for being overpriced. Sure, these premium prices are common for such events, but to truly represent Osaka, respect for the sacred bargain that the city is known for ought to be upheld too.
Regarding whether it’s worth buying a ticket for, that would also depend how interesting you’d find the things to see and do there, which I’ll also cover in an article coming very soon.
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