Report on Expo Classroom in Kinki University! Seminar Event to Learn About Official Participants’ Pavilion
Category: blog
With less than 300 days to go until the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, things are getting even more exciting. Information about the pavilions at the Expo site is being announced one after another, and we are hearing more and more information from the participants of Official Participants’ Pavilions, which are particularly noteworthy.
In line with this, events are being held at various locations to learn about the contents and themes of Official Participants’ Pavilions. In this issue, we bring you a report on the “Expo Classroom in Kinki University” event, in which two countries, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, participated.
Expo Classroom in Kinki University to learn about Official Participants’ Pavilion
The first Expo classroom was held at Kinki University, one of the largest general universities in western Japan, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025, the same year that Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan will be held. It provided an opportunity to learn information about the Expo and the pavilions of each country in a seminar format, attracting students from Kinki University and general participants.
The keynote speech was delivered by Oussouby SACKO, Vice President of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, and the Official Participants’ Pavilion was introduced by Marc Kuipers, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Carolyn Davidson, Consul General of the United Kingdom.
They explained the challenges and initiatives of both countries and the themes of their pavilions using slideshows and videos. Characters from both countries, such as Miffy from the Netherlands and Paddington from the UK, appeared on the screen and made the audience feel at home.
Lecture by Mr. Marc Kuipers, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Expo Classroom “Official Participants’ Pavilion” Netherlands video
Speech by British Consul General Carolyn Davidson
Expo Classroom “Official Participants’ Pavilion” UK video
What was most impressive was that both countries strongly emphasized the purpose of the Expo, which was to consider solutions to human issues together with people from all over the world. They also insisted that they wanted their countries’ culture, history, and efforts to solve problems to be known at the pavilions, and that many Japanese and foreigners should visit the pavilions.
Unveiling of the multilingual simultaneous interpretation streaming system powered by AI technology!
The main speakers at this event were from overseas. In fact, a demonstration experiment of a multilingual simultaneous interpretation delivery system provided by TOPPAN Holdings was conducted!
This is a system in which AI automatically and simultaneously interprets the speakers’ speeches and displays subtitles on the venue screen and participants’ smartphones. Automatic translation is a cutting-edge and excellent technology!
English and Japanese subtitles are displayed at the top of the screen
When you read the two-dimensional code, subtitles of the translation are played on your smartphone
Since the Expo Classroom lectures were almost entirely in English, this translation tool was very useful.
The service will be used during the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and is sure to be a great success.
Talk session and photo with MYAKU-MYAKU
After the introduction of the Official Participants’ Pavilion, a talk session was held by Oussouby SACKO, Vice President of the Exposition Association, and Consul General of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
MYAKU-MYAKU, the official mascot of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, also made an appearance toward the end of the seminar! In addition to photo sessions with the speakers, there was also a booth where seminar participants could take commemorative photos with MYAKU-MYAKU. MYAKU-MYAKU in motion was very cute and friendly.
The “Expo Classroom in Kinki University,” where you can learn about the Expo and the participating countries, will continue to be held every two to three months. It is a rare opportunity to hear from a foreign consul general, and a rare chance to get a closer look at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan! We hope you will join us!
Events were also held with speakers from the three Official Participants’ Pavilion participating countries
In addition to the “Expo Classroom in Kinki University” reported here, other events are being held to learn about Official Participants’ Pavilion.
At the “Global Talk Event – Let’s Think about the SDGs” held in Osaka on April 13, one year before the opening of the Expo, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia presented the contents of their pavilions.
The first collaboration between “Frankie,” the dinosaur character of the UNDP’s “Don’t Choose Extinction” climate campaign, and “MYAKU-MYAKU,” the official character of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, was also a highlight of the event.
The event can be viewed on YouTube. Please click here to watch it.
Less than 300 days to Expo2025! Expect more events in the future♪
This time we mainly reported on the “Expo Classroom in Kinki University,” but there are many other events taking place, making it a lively event. In particular, the introduction of Official Participants’ Pavilion was a rare opportunity to hear speeches by the pavilion managers of each official participant. Expectations for future participating countries are also high.
Let’s join in the excitement of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan by participating in the pre-event events!
Kodawari Times will continue to provide information on the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, so please refer to us♪
[Click here to learn more about the 2025 Osaka, Kansai Expo]
