Japan’s longstanding relationship with the World Expo dates back to the country’s debut at the Paris Expo in 1867, when the previously isolated nation unveiled its culture and aesthetics to new audiences. About a century later in 1970, Osaka hosted the first expo in Asia, amid Japan’s economic boom. That event has been etched into the nation’s modern folklore, with memories of Japanese artist Taro Okamoto’s avant-garde sculpture “Tower of the Sun” complementing works by the country’s avant-garde metabolist architects, not to mention the Thai elephants that were paraded along the motorway after arriving at Kobe port.

More than 64 million visitors attended the 1970 event, seeking a taste of international culture and a glimpse of the future. “There was even a moon rock,” said one Osaka taxi driver on the cusp of the 2025 edition’s opening day. “How can you possibly beat that?” The collective memory of that event remains strong and while Expo 2025 Osaka unfolds in a far different world, his sentiments echoed those of many locals looking on with a mix of caution and curiosity.

Running until mid-October, the event is coordinated by the Bureau International des Expositions, an organisation established in 1928 and comprising 184 member countries. The ambition? To foster international collaboration and address universal challenges. This year’s event is taking place against a tense global political and social backdrop – and it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing in the lead-up to the event at the Yumeshima (“Dream Island”) venue either. Concerns around the fair’s economic viability, soaring budget – almost doubling to ¥235bn (€1.43bn) – and sustainability were accompanied by rather tepid pre-opening ticket sales, threatening the target of 28.2 million visitors. Early reports of long waiting times and problems navigating the vast site added to the challenges.

Yet when Monocle arrives at the 156-hectare site by Osaka Bay, there’s optimism in the air. The newly opened train station is brimming with life, with the Expo’s quirky mascot Myaku-Myaku appearing on digital displays. Meanwhile, eager travellers compare notes from their guidebooks, and staff from the Japan Pavilion make their way towards the venue in kimono-inspired uniforms, complete with tabi socks and sandals. Once through the gates, visitors are greeted by Sou Fujimoto’s Grand Ring and pavilions from 158 countries and regions, along with international organisations and a swath of leading Japanese companies.

Everything from public amenities to bespoke uniforms and conceptual installations has been given consideration – many drawing inspiration from the central theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”. It’s a call to action that has inspired much talk of unity and dialogue, while also giving rise to innovations that respond to global challenges. Here, we visit a clutch of the expo’s contributors to see how nations, organisations and individuals might work together to build a better world.

1.
Inner circle
The Grand Ring

Japanese architecture’s biggest names have shaped Expo 2025. Pritzker Prize-winners Toyo Ito, SANAA and Shigeru Ban, as well as Kengo Kuma, Nendo and Yuko Nagayama, have all worked on buildings for the event. The defining figure, though, is Sou Fujimoto. In addition to master-planning the site, the Hokkaido-born, Tokyo-based architect is responsible for The Grand Ring. At 2km in circumference and reaching 20 metres high, it is the world’s largest wooden architectural structure.

The Grand Ring encloses many of the country pavilions. In practical terms, it works harder than any other structure on the site. It brings a verticality to the windswept artificial island of Yumeshima and provides shelter from the blistering summer sun, while also functioning as a viewing deck, with the city in one direction and the sea in another. Built by three of Japan’s most powerful construction giants – Obayashi, Shimizu and Takenaka – its latticework design pays tribute to the ancient Kiyomizu Temple in nearby Kyoto, making it a showcase for Japan’s history of wooden architecture.

“This ring is a symbol of our times,” says Fujimoto. “At a moment when diversity around the world seems to be coming apart, it reflects our desire to hold it all together.” The ring’s fate has yet to be confirmed. Fujimoto says that he hopes that it will be preserved in its entirety. Many visitors would also like the ¥34.4bn (€207m) wonder to stay put. Sadly it won’t – and how much of it will be preserved and reused remains unclear. Even if it is entirely demolished, The Grand Ring will endure in the memory as the architectural emblem of Expo 2025.

2.
Wealth of nations
Country pavilions

In a field of national pavilions with each jostling for attention, the countries at Expo 2025 present a mixture of ambitious visions, collective solutions and expressions of soft power. Occupying prime position is the US Pavilion, designed by Louisiana-based Trahan Architects, but the Philippines holds its own next door with a lively mix of AI and traditional crafts. Nations are playing to their strengths: the Chinese pavilion unfurls like a bamboo scroll and the Italians have a Caravaggio, while the Japanese pavilion’s circular structure is made from recyclable pieces of timber. France, meanwhile, leans into its cultural might; its expansive, museum-quality space hosts Rodin sculptures alongside works from heritage fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.

These visions are counterbalanced by pavilions tackling broader challenges such as climate change. Visitors to the Netherlands Pavilion can learn how the country’s complex relationship with water (a third of the nation sits below sea level) is fuelling solutions relating to food security, renewable energy and future mobility.

Links to the natural world are also at the heart of Latvia and Lithuania’s Baltics Pavilion, where the installation “Nature’s Pharmacy” comprises some 300 plant specimens from the region’s meadows. It highlights their unique properties and health and wellbeing benefits, alongside crowd-sourced imagery celebrating an outdoors lifestyle.

Food culture is also on the menu, with the Australians preparing flat whites and lamingtons, and the Nordics serving traditional skagen (open-faced sandwiches) and semla buns. At the UK Pavilion, afternoon tea is on offer. The aim of all of this is to present friendly forms of nationalism, reminding visitors that many of the solutions to our most pressing issues might lie in our own – or our neighbours’ – backyards.

3.
Dress to impress
Uniforms and mascots

While it is architecture that is making the biggest national statements at the expo, fashion reinforces the message. The Japan Pavilion’s gender-neutral grey uniforms by 6 Yuya Nakata are inspired by kimonos and made from recycled materials. The Malaysians are looking stylish in national dress; for men that’s traditional baju melayu, comprising a five-button collarless shirt, loose trousers, a decorative sarong and a black songkok hat to top it off. Japanese designers are involved in multiple pavilions. Textile designer Akira Minagawa, who runs fashion brand Minä Perhonen, has given staff at the Dialogue Theatre (a signature pavilion commissioned by the expo organisers, celebrating the power of conversation) loose-fitting outfits and bandanas, with hair and beauty direction by Shiseido. For the Better Co-Being Pavilion (an open-air space with a cloud-like roof supported by metal uprights), Japanese outdoor brand Goldwin worked with designer Yuima Nakazato to create staff uniforms to withstand the sun, wind and rain. Such 7 qualities are particularly important in light of the rise of unpredictable weather patterns across the globe.

Japanese recruitment firm Pasona, which has a pavilion dedicated to nature, has gone all out with a striking uniform by nonagenarian designer Harumi Fujimoto. It blends futurism and tradition with Nishijin-sourced silk fabrics and yuzen dyeing methods, transforming the beauty of classic kimono and obi fabrics into modern uniforms.

Some countries have even been brave enough to introduce a traditional Japanese yur u kyara-style mascot. Look out for Belgium’s cheery BeluBelu (pictured, right) – a cell rendered in furry form – which you’ll see posing for selfies and winning friends. It’s a bold move in Japan, which has made the genre its own, but shows the power of delivering a complex message in a cuddly package.

4.
Infinite potential
Domestic and signature pavilions

Stationed outside the Grand Ring is a host of so-called domestic pavilions, which include private-sector players such as entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and electronics giant Panasonic, both from Osaka and presenting playful installations for young and old. The Japan pavilion, overseen by design studio Nendo and all about sustainability, even features micro-organisms that decompose rubbish and turn it into biogas.

One of the most interesting is the pavilion of the Pasona Group, which commissioned a fossil-inspired building to house exhibitions that champion physical, mental and social health. The company has also announced that it will relocate the Dutch Pavilion to Kansai’s Awaji Island, where it will be a contributor to the region’s revitalisation after the event, showing the potential for Expo 2025 to shape design and discourse for generations to come.

The visionary work of key figures from the arts, academia and more takes shape in the cluster of eight signature pavilions, produced by leading Japanese experts in fields such as art and science. This includes Japanese media artist and academic Yoichi Ochiai’s popular Null2. Standing at the intersection of architecture and interactive technology, it is a pulsating mirrored creation where visitors engage with screens that throw up digitalised duplicates of them while they move through the space.

At the Kengo Kuma-designed Earth Mart, screenwriter Kundo Koyama (of Iron Chef fame) explores the future of food with the help of producers, chefs and food-technology companies. The pavilion is designed as an imaginary supermarket and tackles environmental challenges and hunger, shining a light on the potential of Japanese food and technology. A selection of 25 ingredients and innovations, from katsuobushi (dried bonito) to koji mould, showcases what the country’s rich gastronomic traditions continue to offer.

Big takeaways
Small changes

World Expos have a long history of showcasing innovation, from the steam locomotive to the Singer sewing machine and the wireless “telephone of the future” at Osaka in 1970 – all of which have had an outsized impact on life across the globe. This year’s event embraces this heritage with a cross-section of next-generation technologies: autonomous robots, flying cars, electricity-generating garments and a “heart” made from induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells.

Everyday Japanese fixtures have also been given a makeover. Japan Post invites people to dream big, with an AI-powered service that delivers personalised letters of encouragement from the future; Fuji Electric has partnered with Coca-Cola on a hydrogen-powered vending machine; and 7-Eleven’s expo-only “Future Store” is deploying initiatives ranging from energy-harvesting tiles to plant-based products and biodiesel-powered delivery trucks. Even Hello Kitty, a star of the Japan Pavilion, makes an appearance, alongside science-fiction franchise Gundam and children’s toy Tamagotchi, reinforcing the enduring power of the country’s pop-cultural icons.

Beyond the symbolism and spectacle, the expo’s outlook on sustainability is prominent. Some pavilions visibly weave the issue into the narrative of their presentations: the Saudi Arabia Pavilion by Foster & Partners, for instance, embraces a net-zero operation target and has been designed for reassembly at future events. While the post-event fate of many other pavilions and facilities remains unclear, the official Reuse Matching Project invites applications for the “legacy preservation” of everything from buildings to furniture, fixtures and trees. And with its acquisition of the Dutch Pavilion, Pasona has demonstrated that the corporate world can also play an important role.

So, while Osaka’s Expo 2025 opened at a time of uncertainty, it has also been a demonstration of the potential for incremental and drastic change. Only time will tell whether these innovations will leave their mark. With the world’s eyes focused elsewhere, it can be easy to downplay such an event – but there’s something heartening in seeing countries come together from far and wide to share the stage alongside some unlikely neighbours.

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Q&A: Takako Yagi
Founded with the aim of providing solutions to society’s problems, Japanese recruitment company Pasona Group believes that personal wellbeing is today’s most significant challenge. TakakoYagi is its managing executive director, as well as the project lead for its pavilion, Pasona Natureverse. Here, she introduces its concept,“ThankYou, Life”.

Pasona Natureverse references Expo 1970. How did that earlier expo influence this pavilion?
Visitors enter through the “History of Life” zone, where they can reflect on life on Earth. The centrepiece is an installation called “Tree of Life Evolution”. The 10 layers in its trunk depict different stages of evolution, from single-celled organisms to the sun’s eventual expansion into a red giant. The branches extending out represent the future’s infinite possibilities. The design is a homage to the symbol of Expo 1970, the “Tower of the Sun”.

The pavilion uses anime characters Neo Astro Boy and Black Jack as guides. What’s the power of this distinctly Japanese genre?
Anime is an aspect of Japanese pop culture that really resonates. As a robot with a human spirit, Astro Boy represents harmony between humanity and technology. He has been reborn as the original character “Neo Astro Boy”, equipped with an “IPS stem-cell heart” by fictional surgeon Black Jack.

What do you hope visitors will take away?
The theme of both Expo 2025 and our pavilion expresses a desire for harmony between technology, humanity and nature. We hope visitors come away with a greater sense of gratitude and respect for life.

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Q&A: Ries Straver and Pim Schachtschabel
Amsterdam-based design studio Tellart led the experience design for the pavilions of the Netherlands and the Philippines. Partner and executive producer Ries Straver and design director Pim Schachtschabel share their insights.

Water is a central theme of the Dutch Pavilion. How did you bring it to life?
Ries Straver: The Netherlands has a unique relationship with water. Being below sea level, the Dutch used to have to fight to keep it out. But through active management, water was allowed in and made an ally. Now we’re looking at related innovations that might hold the key to solving the world’s biggest challenges today: climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and food security.

The pavilion doesn’t shy away from global challenges. What would you like visitors to take from their experience?
RS: We hope that visitors will leave the pavilion with a sense of hope and agency. Unconventional thinking and joining forces as an international community can help us to find solutions.

For the Philippine Pavilion, how did you combine tradition and technology, handcrafts and interactive AI?
Pim Schachtschabel: One of our design philosophies is “form follows story”. How can technology, handcrafts and AI all be part of the same tale? In the Philippine Pavilion, handwoven textiles hang beside interactive AI installations. These juxtapositions celebrate the continuity of Filipino culture – how it adapts, evolves and stays rooted. It’s a conversation between past and future, nature and technology, human and digital.