[Field Report] I covered the construction tour of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai!
Category: blog
The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan is less than 200 days away!
Various media, including newspapers and TV stations, came to the Expo construction tour held on June 30, and Kodawari Times editors were there as well, so here is a report from the site.
It had been about four months since we had been to Grand Roof Ring, the venue of the Expo. How much progress has been made since then? How will the participants react?
▼ Check out our previous site report here.
The tour takes place at Grand Roof Ring, which is nearing completion
The last time I visited Grand Roof Ring was in winter. That time it was cold and I wore a coat, but this time it is a little hotter; it is very humid in Japan in June, so you must have a fan and towel ready. If you are coming to the Expo this time of year, please keep this in mind.
Now, this time, when we got to the top of the Grand Roof Ring, we started by finding a place to take pictures.
There was time to interview participants, and reporters prepared interview notes and recorders. Photographers were checking the angles at which they were shooting. Doesn’t this scene feel like the other side of the news on TV, newspapers, and the Internet?
Well, when I looked up at the sky, it was covered with a cloud cover. Rain was forecast, but it seems to be holding up somehow. The fact that no raindrops fell must have been due to the good daily conduct of the participants!
Looking around the Grand Roof Ring, it is clear to see that construction has progressed quite a bit since four months ago. We look forward to being able to walk here when it goes into production…
*On August 21, after the tour, the wooden building portion was completed and the Grand Roof Ring, which is approximately 2 km in circumference, was connected into one.
“I look forward to next year’s opening,” said one participant. Participants voiced their expectations
The day’s tours consisted of two tours, one for the general public organized by the Japan Association for the 2025 International Exposition, and the other for junior high and high school students organized by Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. First, the members of the public tour came to the ring.
The construction site will be one of the largest wooden buildings in the world when completed, and the excited participants commented, “Wow, it’s very special to see the construction in progress,” “Wow, the construction is more advanced than what I saw on TV! It’s more expensive than I thought it would be!” When the staff of the exposition association started to explain the venue, everyone listened with great interest.
A commemorative photo was also taken in front of the MYAKU-MYAKU board.
Eiko Jimi, Minister in charge of the Expo (on the left side of the MYAKU-MYAKU board), who rushed to the tour, welcomed the participants and even took a commemorative photo with them. The atmosphere was friendly from start to finish, and everyone had a smiling face!
After that, the media started interviewing the participants.
A family from Tokyo, Japan, commented in response to a reporter’s question, “The Grand Roof Ring was bigger than I expected and it was spectacular!” I want to visit the private pavilion when the exhibition opens.
This is a couple who said, “My boyfriend, who LOVES the Expo, brought me here. The lights look cool at night, too! We will come again next year together ♡”.
It looks like everyone is looking forward to next year’s Expo!
MYAKU-MYAKU is also on the tour for middle and high school students!
Next, tours for junior high and high school students began. This time, Osaka Governor Yoshimura climbed to the top of the Grand Roof Ring with the participants and personally explained about the Expo to them!
MYAKU-MYAKU also made an appearance, and everyone took a commemorative photo at the end!
After the tour, Jimi, Minister in charge of the Expo, said, “Many people were able to experience the ring. It is important for people to see the building technology up close,” he commented. Governor Yoshimura said, “Seeing is believing. I want to make the Expo a place where we can work together as one to solve social issues.
We also spoke with a first-year junior high school student who participated in the event, who said, “I will brag to my friends at school that I was able to visit here today. And when the Expo opens, I want to visit the Italian pavilion with its wonderful art.
There are many people looking forward to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai!
I was delighted to recognize this again, and was inexplicably happy to be able to visit the venue!
If you want to know more about the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, check out this article!
