Countdown to 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo; New Paper Ticket Go on Sale, Reservation System Gets Expanded

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:31 JST, October 13, 2024

Paper tickets for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo went on sale at convenience stores and travel agencies on Sunday, which marked six months until the kick-off of the event.

About 7.14 million advance tickets — half the target — had been sold as of Wednesday. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition plans to up its promotional efforts.

The Expo will take place from April 13 to Oct. 13 next year on Yumeshima Island, a reclaimed island in Osaka City, with participants from 161 countries and regions. The theme of the event is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” Among the 47 countries constructing their own pavilions, 45 have already begun construction, despite earlier concerns about delays.

The Expo is being promoted as a “no-waiting” event. Visitors are required to purchase tickets and, in principle, reserve the date of their visit online, with reservations open six months in advance of the chosen date.

E-tickets have been available since the end of November last year.

The paper tickets that went on sale on Sunday require no prior reservation and are aimed at people less comfortable with online systems.