UPDATE 24 AUG 25: The Osaka Kansai World Expo had started on 13th April and it's ticket sales exceeded the breaking even point with 18.09 million on 11th Aug tickets despite sluggish ticket sales before the opening and during the first few weeks. Source from the Japan Times and NHK. Also, beforehand, on 14th July, an air show was held as the Exposition hit its 10 millionth visitor mark.
UPDATE 19 JUL 25: The Nepal Pavilion was the last pavilion to finally opened after severe delays due to unpaid fees to the construction company.
Recently, the 2025 Osaka Expo opened on 13 April in a man-made island called Yumeshima, located in Osaka Bay. By the way, to those who are not aware, the World Expo is a large scale international exhibition held every 5 years that showcases the achievements, innovations, and cultures of the host country, as well as its participating nations. This year, the World Expo is held in Osaka, for the second time, from April 13 to October 13, after having previously hosted Expo 1970 55 years back.
As for the theme of Expo 2025, it is "Designing Future Society for Our Lives", with three subthemes "Saving Lives," "Empowering Lives," and "Connecting Lives". As for the site in Yumeshima, it is a 155-hectare area comprising of 188 pavilions, in which domestic pavilions are located outside the Grand Ring while the international pavilions of participating countries are located inside. For the mascot representing, it is Myaku-Myaku, which was designed by picture book illustrator Kouhei Yamashita.
The Grand Ring is a large wooden ring designed by architect Sou Fujimoto, and is constructed with a fusion of modern construction methods and traditional timber joints typically used for Japanese shrines and temples. It covers an area of 61,035 square metres with an exterior height of 20 metres and width of 30 metres. The Skywalk that visitors can walk on are approximately 12 metres high where they can view the pavilions from above to get a glance of the layout, as well as enjoying even views as far as the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge more than 30 kilometers to the west on clear days. As of April 24, 2025, it earned the record of being the largest wooden structure by Guniness World Records.
As for the construction progress, as of 16 May 2025, only the Nepalese pavilion had yet to be opened as construction stalled since January due to unpaid costs.
Ticket purchase
As for purchasing tickets, they can be bought via 3 methods -- Online, Physically on the day, and via convenience stores (Japanese language only). The types of tickets available are shown in the table below.
Many pavilions are accessible just by queuing up, and you can also make same-day registrations for certain attractions. The more popular pavilions and events requires additional reservations, which is handled through a lottery system or is first-come, first-served.
However, reservations are still highly recommended, especially for the more popular pavilions like the US pavilion, Japan pavilion, China pavilion, Gundam pavilion.
Access
To access the expo site, the main mode of transport is the newly opened extension of the Osaka Metro Chuo Line subway to Yumeshima Station.
As for an alternative method, there are shuttle buses from Sakurajima Station, which is the terminal station for the JR Yumesaki Line, which is the branch line of the JR Osaka Loop Line from Nishikujo Station. Despite a transfer being usually required at Nishikujo, there are hourly "Expo Liner" trains which connects Sakurajima with Osaka and Shin-Osaka Stations. On top of that, direct shuttle buses are also available from several other locations in and around Osaka, including Osaka Station, Shin-Osaka Station, Namba and Tennoji/Abenobashi.
For intercity travel, one can also take long-distance highway buses from different points across the country, such as Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Shikoku and elsewhere within Central and Western Honshu.
Bonus for train otakus like me, several railway companies had decorated some of their trains with the Expo 2025 theme as part of the livery. Click on this link to find out.
References
Global Communication Department, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. (2024, August 21). The symbolic “grand ring” of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan venue is now connected as one. Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Official Website. https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/news/news-20240821-01/
Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. (2025, March 18). Grand ring. Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Official Website. https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/expo-map-index/main-facilities/grandring/
japan-guide.com. (n.d.). Expo 2025 osaka visitor guide. japan-guide.com. https://www.japan-guide.com/event/expo-2025/
The Jiji Press, Ltd. (2025, May 14). 1 month on, Angola, nepal pavilions not open at Osaka Expo. nippon.com. https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2025051300679/1-month-on-angola-nepal-pavilions-not-open-at-osaka-expo.html
Ken’ichi, U. (2025, April 17). Grand ring: The Wooden Wonder of Expo 2025. nippon.com. https://www.nippon.com/en/guide-to-japan/expo2025002/
Nozomi, T. (2025, February 1). One of the world’s largest wooden structures: The ‘Grand Roof (ring)’ at expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan | February 2025 | highlighting Japan. VOL.200 FEBRUARY 2025 HISTORIC JAPANESE PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE OF THE MODERN ERA. https://www.gov-online.go.jp/hlj/en/february_2025/february_2025-05.html
Osaka kansai Expo 2025 ticket types and purchase methods guide. Osaka Kansai Expo Ticket Purchase Guide. (n.d.). https://en.osaka-info.jp/expo2025-ticket-guide/
The Straits Times. (2025, January 2). Osaka Expo’s “Grand Ring” a symbol of unity, says architect Sou Fujimoto. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/home-design/osaka-expos-grand-ring-a-symbol-of-unity-says-architect-sou-fujimoto
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