Woohoo! I got asked to work at a pavilion of Expo 2025, the world expo taking place in Osaka from 13 April to 13 October 2025 🎉 Like during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, I’ll be dispatched by my company Japan Travel KK. I’m so glad that I live in Japan, acquired successful customer service experience (notably managing a worldwide community and guiding VIPs), and speak English, French and Japanese! Come say hello if you visit Expo 2025!
Questions & comments welcome in my Bluesky post.
Useful webpages:
- Official site of Expo 2025
- Ticket purchase guide
- Overview of Expo 2025 on Japan Travel portal.
- Kura Sushi Osaka-Kansai Expo restaurant (including vegan, vegetarian, Muslim-friendly… cuisines from 70 countries!)
Expo 2025 Opening Day, 13 April
Useful opening day at World Expo 2025 for Japan Travel KK as I gained insights & warnings for clients (1 multinational, 1 EU company, 1 Japanese company, Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau) and prospective visitors. A Press pass allowed me to experience sunny morning to rainy night, walk on the ring (Guinness World Record: largest wooden architectural structure), savour vegan dishes, and witness joyful wheelchair users, kids, foreign officials… convincing me Expo 2025 will benefit current & future generations. Attending? Check my #Expo2025 Bluesky feed mid-May (business guide) and late May (Belgium Pavilion staff for Wallonia week).
How? Media and Travel agency in Japan, our company was invited for an opening press event. My colleague Kota forwarded me the invitation (thanks!) because I manage 2 Expo-related projects for 6 languages, support 1, discuss 2 potentials, repeatedly met Expo organizers in 2024 (surprisingly focused on Asians and in-trip “tabinaka” foreigners), and get inquiries from travellers notably via LinkedIn & Bluesky.
I looked forward to this Expo in Osaka since my work at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, and happily saw diverse visitors walk into buildings and overlook the venue while circling on the top of the ring. The light-hearted Japanese dimension was fascinating: kimono-fabric covered pavilion by Iida Group & Osaka Metropolitan University, 17m Gundam robot, Kura Sushi restaurant with 135m conveyor belt… Soaking in English/French/Spanish/Japanese news daily, I intensely felt international backgrounds as I visited the packed “Not For Sale” Ukraine Pavilion, discussed with a Russian journalist, reached the France Pavilion beside a 90-minute queue under President Trump’s photo to enter the USA Pavilion, saw the Maple Leaf flag flutter, learnt the Belgium Pavilion features vaccines, admired the lightweight Swiss Pavilion, wondered before the China Pavilion…
I learnt:
- 👥 Huge morning crowds.
- 🌧 Impactful adverse weather. Long queues expose visitors to rain. Few outdoor tables/benches are covered. The ring fails to protect (wind carried rain up to ¾ of its width). Thankfully, I could sit inside the EU Pavilion.
- 🍴 Non-pavilion restaurants were overflowing. Spots to eat bento boxes lacked due to the rain (many Japanese grumbled). Long queues at convenience stores. No coffee shop?
- 🔋 No spot to charge phones?
- ⛔ Confusing & delaying staff-only paths.
- ✨ Building/object-enhancing illuminations.
- ☪ Halal food at 1+ restaurant.
- 🌿 Vegan food at 3+ food trucks and 2+ restaurants (curry, ramen). Pasona Group impresses with diverse foods including ice-cream.
- 🧇 BelExpo – Belgian Pavilion looks particularly nice from the ring on evenings. Its food truck is popular: waffles sold out, 1-hour queue for fries!
I recommend pre-bookings for pavilions/restaurants, 2 phone batteries, cheap full-cover raincoats (with bag in), and afternoon + evening visits.
Q&A
To see comments from MICE pros, see my post on LinkedIn.
I hope to visit the Expo during the summer and guessing little rain cover may also mean little shade 🤔
Indeed. The sea naturally cools the venue down a bit (Japanese news mentioned 2 degrees) compared to Osaka city centre and should bring refreshing wind but heat-countering plans are unclear. The only related attempt (mist sprays) I heard about didn’t convince the visitors (see link hereafter) so really make sure to book the pavilions in advance and favour evenings over mornings on site. Reference: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250426/p2a/00m/0na/007000c
Are the restrooms clean?
Yes. This is Japan 🙂
