Strategies, Secrets for Visiting All 84 Pavilions at Osaka-Kansai Expo from 2 Seasoned Expo Regulars

By Kazuhiro Maekawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

6:00 JST, August 27, 2025

Four months have passed since the start of the Osaka-Kansai Expo in April, and some visitors have been to all 84 pavilions. With long waiting times and reservations for some pavilions only possible through lottery, the question is, “How?”

We interviewed two people who have managed to visit all the pavilions at the Expo and asked them how they did it, which ones left the biggest impression on them and what challenges they encountered.

Visited over 100 times

On July 19, following a delay, the Nepal Pavilion finally opened. With it, all 84 pavilions are officially up and running.

Koichi Takano, 69, from Yao, Osaka Prefecture, visited the Nepal Pavilion on the day it opened to complete his tour of all the pavilions. His stamp book is filled with unique stamps from each pavilion. He said he has visited the venue more than 100 times since it opened on April 13.

When the Osaka Expo took place in 1970, he was a junior high school student, and when the Aichi Expo was held in 2005, he was working. Therefore, he could only visit each event twice. Now retired, he decided to purchase a Season Pass to the current Expo, giving him unlimited admission and an opportunity to get the most out of the event. In April and May, he focused his visits on popular pavilions, as their visitor numbers had not yet swelled.

When crowds increased and it became difficult to secure reservations, he started lining up at the East Gate as early as 6:30 a.m., two and a half hours before opening, to secure same-day reservations for the pavilions and events he was targeting that day.

Takano’s top recommendation is the USA Pavilion. At the 1970 Osaka Expo, he missed out on seeing a moon rock at the pavilion, but this time he was able to check that goal off. “I finally got my revenge,” he said. A video display of a rocket launch was also particularly memorable and impressive, he said.

Having visited all the pavilions, Takano is now looking forward to watching each country’s official event on their National Day, which alternates each day. “I can see traditional dances and live performances from countries I’m not so familiar with, such as countries in Africa,” he said.

On the other hand, he is not thrilled about the lack of tents for sunshade in front of the East Gate, a situation that results in visitors waiting under the sun for lengthy spans of time before the gates open.

“It’s unbearably hot, and I saw some people get taken away in an ambulance while waiting in line,” he said. “I hope the organizers will put more effort into preventing heatstroke.”

‘New encounters at every visit’

Some people frequent the event from outside Osaka Prefecture, like Yuko Isobe, 48, an elderly care worker from Minami Ward, Nagoya.

Isobe visits the venue whenever she has a day off. Sometimes she even goes there straight from work after finishing the night shift at 9:30 a.m.

She purchased two season passes to secure a total of six reservation lottery entries, increasing her chances of winning. Her favorite pavilion is the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, exhibited by Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. She said she likes the pavilion because it gives her the chance to experience future technologies, such as the “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (human washing machine of the future), which automatically washes a user’s body.

She said she has gotten to know other Expo regulars while waiting in lines to get into pavilions, and they trade information on their favorite exhibits. Sometimes they hit it off and end up exploring the venue together.

On the other hand, she has also seen people cutting in line. “I want the organizers to put more effort into encouraging people to follow the rules and mind their manners,” she said.

Notwithstanding the line cutters, Isobe plans to continue visiting the Expo until it finishes in October. “Each time I’m here, I have new encounters and discoveries,” she said. “I want to talk more with other visitors and staff. It’s fun.”