Life Shines Brightly—An Exclusive Report on “Japan Day at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai”

Less than one month remains until the closing of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai!
National Days, held almost daily at the Expo, celebrate the participation of official participants.
Official participants host ceremonies and cultural events, inviting distinguished guests from home and abroad as well as general visitors.
Now, July 3rd was Japan’s National Day (Japan Day). What kind of events did Japan hold? Kodawari Times went to cover it!

 

Official Ceremony Venue Shinehat

The weather on Japan Day was sunny! It was a very hot day with a high of 34.8°C. But Expo fans, undeterred by the heat, were fired up and excited! The venue was bustling with crowds of visitors that day too.

Now, the official Japan Day ceremony was held at the EXPO Hall “Shine Hat”.
Its exterior design evokes the “Tower of the Sun” from the 1970 Osaka Expo.

Let’s head inside!
We’ll enter together with the international media and proceed to the media seats prepared in the back right section as seen from the stage.
General attendees also begin entering, and the approximately 1,100 seats gradually fill up.

Now, a video introducing the Japan Pavilion and other exhibits plays on the screen, gradually building excitement throughout the venue. Amidst this, a calligraphy performance begins on stage!

This is a welcome attraction by the Tottori Johoku High School Calligraphy Club, two-time champions of the Calligraphy Performance Koshien!
Sixteen club members move their brushes rhythmically and boldly across large sheets of paper in perfect unison, synchronized to the song “Boku no Koto” by popular Japanese artist Mrs. GREEN APPLE.

“Life shines brightly, time and time again.” This theme was woven throughout the high school students’ positive, youthful sentiments.
While reporting demands sticking to the facts at hand, the sheer passion of these students living their youth was overwhelming—it brought tears to our eyes. Glancing around, we saw fellow media members similarly moved to tears.

But this was just the welcome attraction. Japan Day truly begins here!

 

Ceremony begins

The official ceremony commenced promptly at the scheduled time.
Mr. Masayoshi Matsumoto, Representative of the Japanese Government for the Exhibition Area of the 2025 Japan International Exposition, delivered the opening address, followed by the national anthem solo and the raising of the national flag. As the beautiful rendition of “Kimigayo” by soprano singer Ayano Nonomura filled the venue, the atmosphere instantly became solemn.

In addition, His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino and Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino, members of the Japanese Imperial Family, and Prime Minister Ishiba also attended the ceremony.

His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino, Honorary President of the 2025 Japan International Exposition, shared these words: “Japanese content connects people across borders. I hope these wonderful experiences will be passed on to the next generation.” He added, “I hope this will be a day when we can rediscover Japan’s charm together with people from around the world.” Visitors responded with thunderous applause.

 

Captivated by the quintessentially Japanese staging

Following the ceremony, we move on to the official events.
Leading the way was Tokyo Gakusho’s “The Pulse of Life.”
Japan’s ancient classical music, gagaku, collaborated with contemporary music and visuals! The beautiful, elegant performance and dynamic spatial design utilizing the ceiling and walls left everyone spellbound.

The story of how Japanese culture, born from unique Japanese values and diverse expressive techniques, eventually led to manga—now beloved worldwide—was truly wonderful.

Next was the stage production “The Radiance of Life, and Then to the World,” which fused visuals, music, and contemporary dance around the motif of manga, a cornerstone of Japanese pop culture.
Centered on the encounter between a giant puppet representing “The Embodiment of Manga” and a young girl named “Sakura,” the story unfolded, depicting the power and hope of Japanese culture.

Furthermore, actress Norika Fujiwara, who serves as the honorary director of the Japan Pavilion, also appeared in this performance!
Everyone was surprised by the staging—she didn’t appear on stage, but instead emerged from within the audience!

Reflecting on the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, we introduce “Shiawase hakoberu youni (English Meaning : May We Bring Happiness),” a song composed and written by a local elementary school teacher at the time. This song gently recounts how it lit a flame of hope in Kobe and other affected cities, and how the line “in the city of Kobe” in the lyrics changed to “in our hometown,” becoming a song hummed in disaster-stricken areas like Tohoku, Kumamoto, and Noto.

“We possess the strength to overcome hardship and the power to bring happiness. When each person thinks and wishes, we connect and unite, radiating a dazzling brilliance. Life shines again and again,” says Norika Fujiwara. Hearing her words, I felt anew the true beauty of Japan.

 

Enveloped by MISIA’s singing voice

And now the official events are finally entering the second half.
Taking the stage was Japan’s beloved artist MISIA! A special live performance themed “Toward a Future Where the Flowers of Life Bloom” has begun!

MISIA appeared in a bright red dress and performed “Kibo no uta” and “Ashitae.” The venue was filled with emotion as she sang with heartfelt passion. After finishing the final song, “Aino katachi,” she bowed and said, “Thank you very much,” receiving a standing ovation from the entire audience.

Getting to hear MISIA’s songs at the Expo was absolutely amazing! Her live performance was truly moving.

And with excitement still running high, the official events finally reached their grand finale.
Alongside the performers who energized the ceremonies and events, MYAKU-MYAKU also took the stage.

MYAKU-MYAKU’s popularity was huge here too!
Even after the performers left the stage, MYAKU-MYAKU stayed behind for a photo session. Responding to cheers from the audience, she waved left and right—it was super cute♡

 

The large crowd gathered for the Japan Day parade

After the official ceremonies and events, it’s time for the parade and photo session.
Leaving Shine Hat and heading to the Grand Roof Ring, it was packed with attendees waiting to catch a glimpse of the parade!

And no wonder—this parade features MYAKU-MYAKU, Kumamon, Hello Kitty, Mozuyan, and Hikonyan.

This parade proceeds from the National Day Hall to the Kansai Pavilion, with a photo session set up at the Japan Pavilion along the way.

Soon the parade arrived. The media called out, “Please turn this way next!” as the filming progressed. We were honored to capture this memorable moment.

 

Circular Manufacturing: The World’s Focus

Additionally, prior to the official ceremony at this year’s Japan Day, there was also a tour of the Japan Pavilion for overseas media.

This is Kodawari Times’ second time covering the Japan Pavilion, but one woman in our group with the Taiwanese media said, “I’ve been here five times already!” Amazing!

Now, for an introduction to the Japan Pavilion, please see this article (https://kodawari-times.net/sightseeing/expo2025-japan-pavilion/). Here, we’ll share scenes from the overseas media tour.

While being guided through the facility by an attendant, we proceed with our coverage.
Now, what about the reactions from the international media? Many voices praised Japan, saying things like, “Japan’s technological prowess in achieving regeneration and recycling is truly remarkable.”

They were also quite hooked on the exhibit where Doraemon, the beloved national character, navigates Japan’s circular manufacturing process!

Japan Day passed by like this.
My impression after participating is that the official ceremonies and events must have done an amazing job promoting the wonders of Japanese culture. I’m sure the international media who joined us will share the excitement they experienced at Japan Day with people overseas in various ways. I’m looking forward to it!

That concludes my report on Japan Day.
Many more National Days from various countries will be held until the Expo closes, so if any country catches your interest, please come join us! Let’s all come to the Expo and experience plenty of excitement!