Expo 2025 Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Expo 2025 (大阪・関西万博 Osaka-Kansai Banpaku) is the site of the World's Fair for 2025 in Osaka, Japan. It will run for 6 months from April 13, 2025 until October 13, 2025.

Osaka-Kansai 2025 is Japan's third Universal Exposition after Expo '70, also held in Osaka, and Expo 2005 near Nagoya. The official theme is "Designing Future Society for Our Lives". 28 million visitors are projected to attend the exposition, which is spread across 155 hectares on the artificial island of Yumeshima (夢洲, "Dream Island") in the Bay Area district of Osaka.

After the Expo is over, Yumeshima will see a different type of dream or nightmare come to life, as Japan's first casino is set to open here in 2030.

• Event website

0°0′0″N 0°0′0″E

Map of Expo 2025

Main article: Osaka#Get in

Visitors to the Expo will generally arrive via Japan's second largest city Osaka, which is a well-connected major travel hub served by Kansai International Airport (KIX ^IATA) and the JR Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo. See Osaka#Get in for the details.

Once in Osaka, the Expo site is best accessed via 34.652356135.389951 Yumeshima Station (夢洲駅) on the Metro Chuo Line from central Osaka.

There are also direct shuttle buses from Kansai and Itami airports as well as major train stations including Shin-Osaka (Shinkansen connections), Osaka and Namba. See the official transport site for schedules.

Walking is the primary way to get around. Skateboards, scooters, roller skates, etc. are banned from being brought into the Expo. There is a bus that circles the Expo and stops near various points that requires a reservation in order to use.

During the Expo, adult one-day ticket options include ¥7500 for an unlimited full day ticket, ¥6000 weekday tickets valid from 11:00, and ¥3700 for "night tickets" valid from 17:00 on the ticket, but you can enter from 16:00. Discounted senior, student and group tickets are also available.

Access both to the Expo and the pavilions requires signing up for a free "ExpoID". Once you have registered, you can purchase tickets at the official site, make a reservation for an entry time, and apply for reservations/lottery tickets to enter individual pavilions.

The sheer size of the Expo means that it is impossible to cover everything in one day, and access to some of the more popular events and pavilions is capacity controlled with several rather convoluted systems. Allow at least two days if you wish to visit all pavilions of interest. It is wise to choose in advance which of the high-profile sites you want to visit and get them reserved early, then fill in the gaps with the more low-key attractions. Lines tend to shorten as the Expo approaches closing time, although if you cut it too close you run the risk of not getting in at all.

• Full list.

The 34.648889135.381 Grand Ring is a 2 km timber structure and walkway that rises to a height of 20 metres. One of the world's largest wooden structures, it offers views of the entire exhibition area. The ring can be accessed by a handful of escalators scattered around its perimeter or by stairs which can also be used in case of emergency. At the center of the exhibition area within the Grand Ring, over 100 countries have their own pavilions along with the Signature Pavilions. There are five "commons" buildings, which house multiple countries who don't have their own pavilions. They are scattered throughout the Grand Ring and its sections. The following zones are located within the Grand Ring. They include the pavilion number for easy map-checking as the official maps use the numbers.

• Ireland (P01) - The building is designed to represent the Irish triskele. Inside they perform folk music.
• Malaysia (P02)
• Commons A (P03)
• Jordan (P04)
• Peru (P05) - Video about the history and culture followed by cultural object displays.
• Advanced Air Mobility (p07) - A video about air mobility. Reservation required.
• Mozambique (P08) - Video followed by displays of cultural objects.
• Philippines (P09) -
• United States(P11) - A star mascot and catchy theme song guide you through scenes from around the country before leading into exhibits about American space innovations. The theme song is in English for the English tours and in Japanese for Japanese tours. Chinese tours are also available twice per day. Has a restaurant.
• France (P12) - An exhibit that alternates Louis Vuitton art installations and authentic Rodin hand sculptures. The odd combination of vapid consumerism and deep cultural heritage somehow manages to feel coherent and impressive. Has a restaurant.
• Robot and Mobility (P14) - Showcases drones, cars, etc. with occasional demonstrations.
• Vietnam (P15) - Small, with clothing, a recreated temple, and other objects and information. At certain times they perform traditional museum with the instruments on display.
• Qatar (P17) - Designed to represent the nation's dhows, the inner exhibits also feature the country's relationship with the sea.
• United Arab Emirates (P18) - Features giant pillars made of date palm trees, information is scattered about the spacious room with 3 rotating videos featured in the back. Has a restaurant.
• Canada(P19) - Walk through ice bergs and other exhibits with a handheld VR tablet that will show various scenes of Canada when you point them at the physical objects.
• Portugal (P20) - Themed around the ocean and the need to take better care of it.
• Colombia (P21) - Features a circle of objects from the country that you can touch. Has a restaurant.
• Switzerland (P22) - You can say your wish for the "future society" into a microphone and create a real bubble that takes your wish upwards
• Austria (P23) - Video of musical history and musical touchscreens.
• Brazil (P26) - Art installation in the main building featuring inflatables, exhibits about the country and paints available for you to paint tribal patterns on your face or hands.
• Kuwait (P27) - Contains a video of a futuristic vision of the country and actual sand brought from the dessert that you can touch and compare to sand you've felt in Japan or elsewhere.
• China (P28)
• International Pavilion (P29)
• United Nations (P30)
• Red Cross and Red Crescent (P31)
• Bahrain (P34)
• Turkmenistan (P35)
• Nordic (Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway) (P36) - A glorified lounge; lots of space, not much to see. Has a restaurant.
• Malta (P37)
• Czech Republic (P38) - Built with materials from the Czech Republic, such as spruce and Bohemian glass. Artwork lines the walls and art using the glass is also featured.

• Better Co-Being (X01) - An open-air exhibit of various art installations intended to bring people closer together, the daytime experience feels more in touch with nature while the nighttime experience feels more otherworldy. Reservation required.
• Future of Life (X02) - Gives history of projecting life onto objects ending in robots and AI from where it introduces ideas of a future in which robots and humans live among each other, posing questions about what is life and what does it mean to be human. Reservation required.
• Jellyfish Pavilion (X03) - A fun pavilion to relax in; it's especially pretty at night when it's lit up.
• 34.64795135.383222 OCHIAI Yoichi's Signature Pavilion "Forging Lives" null² (X04). Reservation required. (updated May 2025)
• Dynamic Equilibrium of Life (X05) - The "dynamic equilibrium" is defined as "a system that is in constant change yet is balanced as a whole". This concept is artfully illustrated through a narrated (Japanese and English) light show. Reservation required.
• Live Earth Journey: Totality of Life (X06) - A virtual reality experience. Reservation required.
• Earth Mart (X07) - Attempts to show how we can eat sutainably through projections and a variety of interactive exhibits. Reservation required.
• Dialogue of Theater (X08)

• Commons C(S01)
• Chile (S02) - Mostly empty room with weavings on the ceiling.
• Tunisia (S03) - Makes good use of the small pavilion with projections and the opportunity to have your name written in Arabic, inscribe your name on a plate, or get handmade pottery from the man outside. Has a restaurant.
• Cambodia (S04) - Recreates parts of a stone temple with a replica of Angkor Wat in the center.
• Algeria (S05) - A video with an AI child.
• Baltic (Latvia and Lithuania) (S06) - Medicinal herbs from these countries and art featuring their mascot. Estonia did not participate.
• European Union (S07)
• Belgium (S08) Free Biscoff cookie when entering. Focuses on Belgium's importance in medical innovation and technology.
• Italy and the Holy See (S09) - Historic objects and art on display, it's the most popular pavilion at the Expo. Reservations available but not required. Without a reservation, expect 2+ hour wait on weekdays and 3+ hour wait on weekends. Has a restaurant.
• Singapore (S11) - Focused around dreams, it's an interactive exhibit that allows you to write down your dream and then move into the projection dome where your dream will appear to help build the city.
• Bulgaria (S12)
• Netherlands (S13) - Carrying a glowing orb as your guide, you'll learn about the history of the Netherlands' relationship with its waterways, from hardships to modern innovations intended to harness its power. Reservations required after 11:00.
• Commons D (S14)
• Oman (S15) - Projection mappings and a video.
• Hungary (S16) - Local flora and a concert by a folk singer. Has a restaurant.
• Commons E (S17)
• Poland (S20)
• Romania (S21)
• United Kingdom (S22) - Themed around dreams as "building blocks", follows a block mascot and daughter talking to her father in the UK. Features an interactive game. Has a restaurant.
• Angola (S23) (not open as of May 2025)

• Nepal (C01) (not open as of May 2025)
• Luxembourg (C02)
• Germany (C03)
• Korea (C04)
• Commons F (C05)
• Azerbaijan (C07) - Arguably one of the most beautiful from the outside with its white arches and wooden ethnic dancers that spin over water between each arch, inside there is a rather long video followed by a hall of cultural objects from the country. Has a restaurant.
• Monaco (C10) - Consists of 3 separate buildings, the first featuring a video of Monaco's culture, sensory touching, and a tacky VR experience. The others are located along an outside path with small gardens and interactive play spaces. They feature a maritime protection building with an attractive central pillar and projections and another small building with touch panels to learn more about the country. Has a wine bar.
• Turkey (C11) - The main intrigue is the illuminated sun and moon, the sun representing Japan and the moon representing Turkey. The outside Turkish ice cream and Turkish food vendor are more popular than the pavilion itself.
• Thailand (C12) - After a video introduction, the exhibits focus on food. Reservations for Thai massages can be made. Has a restaurant.
• Spain (C13)
• Saudi Arabia (C14) - Arabian architecture, multiple buildings with different exhibits and a central area where performances and demonstrations are held. Project-mapping is done of the buildings at night. Has a cafe.
• Australia (C15) - Recreates a forest with video representations of local animals appearing in the trees.
• Indonesia (C16) - A Sumatran forest with unique animals scattered about, a thoughtful video, and authentic blades from various ethnic groups
• India (C17) - The pavilion was built to resemble a lotus flower, a symbol of Enlightenment. Inside there are videos about Indian innovations along with Indian cultural objects.
• Uzbekistan (C18)
• Serbia (C19)
• Bangladesh (C20) - Various objects around the room with a video in the back.
• Senegal (C21) - Words on the wall about the country and a shop.
• Egypt (C22)
• Commons B (C23)

An attractive forest with paths for visitors to explore in the center of the inner ring. It consists of trees that were scheduled for thinning from Expo 70 Commemoration Park in Suita along with trees transplanted from other parks around Osaka Prefecture, including Osaka Castle Park. For passport stamp collectors, the Forest of Tranquility is one of the only venues that does not have a stamp. This is on purpose; frantic stamp collecting is neither relaxing nor tranquil.

The following are venues located outside the grand ring representing Japan with the Japan Pavilion, Kansai Pavilion, and 12 Japanese megacorps pavilions, along with other non-country pavilions, such as the Women's Pavilion. These are typically highlights of the exposition, with Bandai's GUNDAM Pavilion guaranteed to draw crowds. They are well worth visiting but nearly all require reservations, so temper your expectations. You'll need multiple days with lots of lottery luck if you plan to enter more than just a few.

• Kansai (E01) Features the tradition prefectures that make up Kansai: Shiga, Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo, along with Tottori, Fukui, and Tokushima. Each prefecture has its own exhibition space branching off from the center.
• Osaka Healthcare (E02)
• NTT (E03)
• Mitsubishi (E05)
• Panasonic Group - The Land of Nomo (E06) -
• Sumitomo (E07)
• Electric Power - Eggs of Possibilities (E08)
• Women's Pavilion in Collaboration with Cartier (E09)
• Japan (E10)
• EXPO Hall "Shining Hat" (E11)
• EXPO National Day Hall "Ray Garden" (E12)
• Gallery EAST (E13)

• Tech World (Taiwan) (W02)
• Gas Pavilion Obake Wonderland (W03) - "Ghost Wonderland". With a VR headset, you become a ghost and can interact with your surroundings as you navigate the world. Lessons about human waste manifest in the CO2 monster that must be destroyed. Popular with children. Reservation required.
• Iida Group (W04)
• ORA Gaishoku (W05)
• Blue Ocean Dome (W06)
• Gundam NEXT Future (W07) - Uses videos to make you feel like you're inside a Gundam looking out during a battle.
• Pasona Natureverse (W09)
• Yoshiimoto waraii myraii (W10) - Described as a waste of space by adults, children enjoy rolling down the slopes on the outside.
• EXPO Exhibition Center "WASSE" (W11)

• Gallery West (L01)
• Future Life Experience (L02)
• Team Expo (L03)
• Mobility Experience (L04) - The launching and landing place of the advanced mobility aircraft.
• Future City (L05)
• Expo Arena "Matsuri" (L06)
• Junior SDG Camp (L07)
• Expo Sauna "Taiyo's Tsubomi" (L08)

Numerous events big and small are held during the Expo.

The most easily accessible is the One World, One Planet show, a synchronized show of sound, lighting and projection mapping across the entire venue, held daily after sunset.

The Expo's official mascot is Myaku-Myaku (ミャクミャク), a bizarre cross between a multi-eyed amoeba and a donut. Gift shops are featured throughout the site, including by the gates, which feature the mascot as many different products. There are also many corporate collaborations featuring the mascot, such as Sanrio characters in a costume of the mascot.

Many country pavilions have small gift shops retailing local products, and you can pick up corporate merchandise at most of the company pavilions.

Many pavilions will have places to eat featuring their own nation's foods. There are also scattered food trucks, tents, and food courts.

There is no lodging available on site, but Osaka is not far away. Reserve as early as possible.