8 Thematic Pavilions Unveiled Ahead of Osaka-Kansai Expo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:27 JST, April 4, 2025

OSAKA — Eight thematic pavilions, which will serve as the core of the upcoming 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, were unveiled during a joint preview at the expo site on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Konohana Ward, Osaka, on Thursday.

The producers of the thematic projects explained their exhibits at the pavilions to about 500 people, including members of the press, ahead of the start of the Expo on April 13.

The thematic pavilions were designed to encourage people to think about the theme of the Expo — “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” The pavilions were created by eight producers: University of Osaka Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro; media artist Yoichi Ochiai; filmmaker Naomi Kawase; animation director Shoji Kawamori; broadcast writer Kundo Koyama; musician Sachiko Nakajima; biologist Shinichi Fukuoka; and Keio University Prof. Hiroaki Miyata. Visitors can see exhibits such as elaborate androids that look just like humans and a light show designed to express the evolution of life.