The must-see event of the year takes place in Osaka, Japan's trendiest city. The World Expo opens its doors on April 13, and you have until October 13 to get there. Take a guided tour.
by Béatrice Demol
Japan is on a roll. And Belgians aren't the last to head there. For a long time just a wish on their to-do-list, the land of the rising sun is now a destination like any other for our compatriots. Especially among young people. A 2024 UCL study on the appeal of Asia among 15- to 30-year-olds noted a sharp rise in interest in Japan, with an increase in leisure trips, language stays and university exchanges.
JAPAN IS COOL
Incentives are to be found in the trend Cool Japan The «new world", as we call it, is the new world of video games, manga, restaurants (of which there are many in our country), pop culture and TV series. As well as an attraction to a certain aesthetic".« and the values of respect »According to one study, the number of language stays in Japan has risen by 50% in 5 years!
The fall in the Japanese currency has not gone unnoticed by tour operators.
OSAKA, THE TREND OF 2025
In this favorable conjecture, Expo 2025 OSAKA is already assured of great success. Held every five years in a different country, this formidable international showcase of our world in real time is each time associated with a city that is an ideal destination for a complete and, often, unforgettable city trip. This means the time to head to Osaka, Japan's most modern and lively metropolis - just voted the trendiest destination of 2025 by TripAdvisor.
160 COUNTRIES ON THE ISLAND OF DREAMS
For six months, 160 countries will compete in ingenuity and creativity to meet this year's challenge from the Bureau International des Expositions: «Designing the society of the future, imagining our life of tomorrow».». An ambitious program, concentrated on the artificial island of Yumeshima, which aptly means ‘Island of Dreams«, linked to Osaka by a bridge and tunnel and accessible by metro, bus or cab. The Japanese are no strangers to good organization, and have naturally increased and tested their transport capacity in order to offer visitors a »completely Zen« experience, also in terms of time and travel.
The location, in Osaka Bay on the Seto Inland Sea, adds a particularly attractive touch to the event. Osaka, with its relaxed harbour atmosphere, is the nerve center of western Japan, considered the country's cultural and gastronomic cradle. The locals are said to be particularly friendly and eager to meet visitors.
«A LIVING LABORATORY FOR PEOPLE»
In addition to the national pavilions divided into themed areas covering 390 hectares surrounded by water and green spaces, Expo 2025 OSAKA is also home to private pavilions and international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union. These installations spread their knowledge and their proposals for the future all along a large ring 12 to 20m high and 2km in circumference. This circular structure, the largest ever erected in wood, can be traversed from the bottom, sheltered from rain and wind, to the top, from where walkers will enjoy a global view of the entire exhibition, the sea, the city of Osaka and the three spaces that link the themes: Inspiring Lives, Connecting Lives and Saving Lives.
Each country has given its composition a name: Eau for Belgium, Hymne à l'amour for France, Dialogue bleu for Portugal, Battement de cœur for Luxembourg, Créer ensemble for the United States and Régénération for Canada.
Only the Japan and Sponsor pavilions will be outside the promenade. Eight Signature pavilions will feature artistic and scientific designs around the themes of living things: Cycle of Lives, Planetary Grocery, Future of Life, Journey to the Heart of the Living Earth, Better Living Together... We've got it: we're invited to a true celebration of life. EXPO 2025 OSAKA which has developed around the idea of a «living laboratory of peoples».
SIX MONTHS OF EVENTS
A series of cultural and scientific events will be organized around this concept throughout the six months. Concerts, plays, illuminations, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, films, parades, demonstrations of cutting-edge technological achievements from the most prestigious laboratories. Numerous virtual events will be shared around the world.
Shuttles will be available to connect the various sectors, pavilions, catering areas and shopping malls. And robots will act as guides, helping people get around the island.
FULL OF EYES
Six months, during which the whole world exhibits the technological, industrial and artistic advances of our time in a single location, represents an exceptional spotlight. The packaging will be as impressive as the contents proposed by the participants. All have met sustainability guidelines and, aesthetically and architecturally, produced impressive constructions. The majority of the pavilions are made from recycled and/or recyclable materials. Green roofs, organic materials, design in tune with nature and the living, renewable energies, robotics and AI have guided the imaginations of the world's leading architects. Some buildings will be completely demountable, like the gigantic circular steel and polycarbonate mother ship at the main entrance, or the all-wood Japanese pavilion. The Luxembourg pavilion, meanwhile, was designed using a 3D printer.
Envisaged as a model of sustainability, Yumeshuma Island is intended to be sustainable, and the exhibition site should become an economic and technological hub after the event. However, another report also mentions a tourist site with a casino. Reality will undoubtedly revolve around both projects.
THE BELGIAN PAVILION: WATER
The Belgian pavilion, 2,000m2 on three floors surrounded by water mirrors, stands in the Sauver des Vies theme district and is designed as a green promenade along the water, all the way to the top where visitors will be greeted by misters before discovering the view of La Forêt de la Tranquillité, a roofless, wall-less space composed solely of 1,500 trees, symbolizing sharing and connection.
Belgium's focus is on interactivity, with exhibits, scenographies and activities linked to AI, mobility, design and vital needs - food, clothing and shelter. With a focus on health and the country's mastery of biotechnology and pharma - the Belgian mascot BeluBelu actually represents a cell. This is logical, given that the Expo's official polymorph mascot is called Myaku-Myaku and also depicts a multiplication of cells, while its onomatopoeia reproduces the sound of a pulse. Life, both human and artificial, will be at the heart of this great celebration of innovation.
Domaine du Chant d'Eole bubbles will be served, and we promise to display this belgitude freedom, good living, folklore and friendly people,« says the Bel Expo website. The pavilion will be surrounded by clouds of water, ten large white balls visible from the Ring, the elevated promenade that encircles the Expo... an obvious nod to the Atomium.
VIBRANT OSAKA
Two or three days at EXPO is a very comfortable experience. As the island is directly linked to downtown Osaka, it's the perfect place to extend your stay, also in two or three days. All the more so as, close to spiritual Kyoto with its well-established reputation and stifling tourist traffic, vibrant Osaka is less well known and less pinpointed in the classic tours. The port city, famous for its shopping and nightlife, is just as charming along the canal that borders its favorite district, Dotonbori.
The must-sees range from Osaka Castle, a stronghold of samurai culture which, until early May, sumptuously displays its 600 cherry blossom trees, to Universal Studios Japan, where Hollywood is celebrated in manga style. In between, there are a few emblematic activities that seem to meet with unanimous approval:
- Relax in Sumiyoshi Taisha Park, an ancient Shinto shrine.
- Tour the city by bike or boat on the Tombori or Yodo rivers.
- Climb to the roof of the mirrored double Umeda Sky Building for a 360° view of the city, and to the roof of the Abeno Hariukas Building, Japan's tallest, for its gardens and observatory 300m high.
- Get lost in the Nakanoshima bookshop, Japan's second-largest library.
- Water Fudo Myoo, the moss-covered deity who brings happiness, in the secretive Hôzen-Ji temple hidden behind the bustling Namba district.
- Climb the Tsutenkaku tower in the popular Shinkesai district.
- And why not visit the EXPO 1970 memorial in the Senri hills - one of the most talked-about and most festive world's fairs of the 20th century?ème century.
THE CUISINE OF THE EMPIRE
Perhaps more than anywhere else, a food tour is in order. Or a cooking class in the heart of Kuromon Ichiba, the historic year-round food market. Successively dubbed «The Cuisine of the Empire» and then «The Cuisine of Japan», the city outshines Tokyo, according to leading food critics, both in the street and around tables that aren't necessarily starred. The Japanese love to eat. And Osakians like to «ruin themselves with food» - that's the concept of the kuidaore, the obsession with good food turned into a marketing slogan, but a very real one.
Finally, as the gateway to Kansai, the cultural and historical heart of Japan, Osaka is also the ideal starting point for exploring the region, particularly Nara and Kobe. Kyoto is only 25’ away by train, and Tokyo 2h20. With one of the world's most developed and efficient public transport networks, we'd be happy to extend our city trip into a country trip.
28 MILLION VISITORS
EXPO 2025 OSAKA is expecting 28 million visitors, so scheduling your visit early is a must. There are fewer people at the beginning and end of the event - except in the last two weeks. Exhibition and transport passes are cheaper when booked online in advance. Accommodation is also cheaper - we recommend close to a metro station. We also suggest that you select your priorities on site: which pavilions are your favorites, which shows you'd like to see, which local or international culinary experiences you'd like to indulge in. Plan your itinerary to save time. Also, the weather can guide your program if you have a choice of period - summer is hot and humid, June is rainy and typhoons cross the country in September without really posing a real threat. But an opportunity like this doesn't usually have to worry about the weather.
Several Belgian T.O.s have already included EXPO 2025 OSAKA in their classic Japan discovery program. Voyages Léonard, BT Tours, 7Plus, Travel Sensations, Imagine Travel, ...They can also tailor-make an Osaka - Expo 2025 special for you.
