4 Recommended Official Participants’ Pavilions at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

It’s already been three months since the opening of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai! With less than three months to go, some people are already worried about Expo withdrawal. That’s how many attractive pavilions and events there are.
This time, Kodawari Times will introduce the Official Participants’ Pavilion! We will report on our impressions after actually visiting the pavilion, so if you are wondering which pavilion to visit, please refer to this article.

 

What is the Official Participants’ Pavilion?

The Official Participants’ Pavilion features 158 countries and regions and seven international organizations. Under the theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” each country showcases its history, culture, and latest technologies. In addition to the unique exhibits from each country, visitors can enjoy gourmet food and shopping, making them feel as if they are traveling abroad.

The Official Participants’ Pavilion is located inside the Grand Roof Ring, the symbol of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and is divided into three areas. The characteristics and main pavilions of each area are as follows.

Empowering Lives zone

It is located just past the Grand Roof Ring, proceeding from the East Gate (green area on the map). There are many unique pavilions reflecting the culture and history of each country, and you can enjoy simply looking at the architecture and taking photos. The name of the zone comes from the sub-theme of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, “Empowering Lives.”

[Main Pavilions]
The United States, France, China, Austria, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, etc.

Connecting Lives zone

This area is located on the north side of the Forest of Tranquility, which is in the center of the Grand Roof Ring (light blue area on the map). The Official Participants’ Pavilions are lined up along the Grand Roof Ring, offering a spectacular view from above. Many of the pavilions have restaurants where you can enjoy cuisine from various countries.
The name of this zone comes from the sub-theme of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: “Connecting Lives.”

[Main Pavilions]
Germany, Thailand, Spain, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, etc.

Saving Lives zone

Proceed from the West Gate and pass through the Grand Roof Ring. On the right-hand side, inside the Grand Roof Ring, is the Forest of Tranquility area on the west side (marked in orange on the map). This area mainly features European countries such as Italy and the United Kingdom.
The name of the zone comes from the sub-theme of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, “Saving Lives.”

[Main Pavilions]
Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands, Singapore, Oman, etc.

 

Italy, A Gathering of Authentic art

First, the Italy Pavilion in the Saving Lives Zone is a hugely popular pavilion with long lines every day. Designed by architect Mario Cucinella, the building is a modern reinterpretation of the “ideal city of the Renaissance.”

Does this exterior look familiar? Yes, it was inspired by ancient Roman temples. Just by looking at the exterior design, you can feel the history and culture of Italy.

After entering the pavilion and watching the theater from the seating area, the screen you were watching will change to the entrance to the exhibition area. Please experience the excitement of this moment for yourself at the venue.

The highlight of the Italian Pavilion is the display of numerous national treasures based on the theme of “Art Regenerates Life.” What’s more, these are not replicas, but the actual originals, which is truly amazing!
The lineup includes the 2nd-century marble sculpture “Farnese Atlas,” Caravaggio’s “The Entombment of Christ,” Leonardo da Vinci’s handwritten “Codex Atlanticus,” and Michelangelo’s sculpture “The Resurrection of Christ.”

▲Farnese Atlas

▲Caravaggio, “Entombment of Christ” (left) Michelangelo, “The Resurrection of Christ” (right)

▲Leonardo da Vinci’s “Codex Atlanticus”

These four items are often highlighted, but there are many other things to see, such as the restored skeleton of a wooden airplane and the torch used for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
I was deeply impressed by this valuable space, which made me feel as if I were visiting a museum in Italy.

In addition, you can enjoy authentic Italian cuisine at the adjoining restaurant and takeout café. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy delicious meals such as pizza and pasta!

 

Germany, Healed by mascots

Next is the Germany Pavilion in the Connecting Lives zone. The concept is “circular economy,” and elements of circulation are incorporated into everything from architecture and building materials to exhibition design.

At the entrance to the pavilion, visitors receive a mascot character named “Circular,” which is cute with its round shape.

The circular device is very useful. When you hold it over each exhibit, it provides audio guidance in your chosen language (English, Japanese, or German). The voice is charming and easy to listen to.

At this touch panel exhibition, we learned about various circular economy initiatives being implemented in Germany, such as Mercedes-Benz’s new cars that use recycled materials for their seats and flooring, and plant-based cheese that does not use milk.

What surprised me was that the material used for this wall was mycelium of mushrooms, and it had a faint mushroom scent. After the Expo closes, this new material will return to the soil, making it a very eco-friendly product.

In addition, there are corners where children and adults alike can enjoy learning about circulation while playing games, and creating their own circular designs to display on the screen.

▲Create “My Circular”

▲“My Circular” appears on the screen

Finally, roll the circular back down the slide. Bye-bye! Thank you, circular.

 

Indonesia, Indonesia, Experience the rainforest

Like Germany, Indonesia is located in the Connecting Lives zone. Known as the world’s largest archipelago, the architecture is based on the motif of “ships,” which symbolize Indonesian culture.

This pavilion is mainly composed of three areas: Nature, Culture, and Future.

The highlight is the first nature area. It features a realistic reproduction of Indonesia’s tropical rainforest, complete with forests, flowers, and waterfalls, allowing visitors to experience the scent of the soil and the humidity with all five senses.

The theater that followed was a mysterious space that drew you in with its stunning visual beauty.

The cultural area featured an exhibition of traditional weapons called “kris,” and the future area showcased a diorama of Indonesia’s future cities.
The mini theater, which introduced the traditional shadow puppet theater “Wayang Kulit,” was also of high quality and well worth seeing.

There are many areas that recreate Indonesian history and nature, and seeing the exhibits made me feel as if I had actually visited Indonesia.

 

China, A fusion of tradition and the future

Finally, there is the China Pavilion in the Empowering Lives Zone. This eye-catching building is modeled after ancient Chinese bamboo slips and features Chinese characters that convey Chinese culture. At approximately 3,500 square meters, it is one of the largest Official Participants’ Pavilions.

Bookmarks with panda designs are distributed at the entrance. There is a QR code printed on the back, which can be scanned with a smartphone to access audio guides (in Chinese, Japanese, and English).

The museum displays Chinese history, people’s lifestyles, and future cities, and all of the content is digital and can be enjoyed by seeing and touching it.
For example, you can see replicas of bronze sacred trees, masks, and bronze animal-headed crowned figures excavated from the Sanxingdui ruins, but the display method is interesting.

In this way, the glass cases are touch panels, allowing visitors to view the exhibits in 3D from any angle. This is amazing! It’s a wonderful exhibition that successfully combines Chinese history with the latest digital technology.

In addition, there is a large touch panel where you can learn about the plants and animals of national parks, and a theater where you can see the daily life of modern Chinese people, allowing you to explore the exhibition thoroughly.

Finally, there is also an exhibition of “moon sand” collected from the far side of the moon, showcasing the achievements of China’s space development.

After seeing the entire pavilion, which combines traditional Chinese culture with the future in a large-scale setting, I felt a sense of fulfillment.
The souvenir shop has lots of panda goods, so panda lovers should check it out.

 

Find your favorite Official Participants’ Pavilion

We have introduced four Official Participants’ Pavilions recommended by Kodawari Times, but there are many other attractive pavilions to visit. When we asked people who visited Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai about their impressions, we found that everyone had different favorite pavilions.
This article is a summary of the pavilions recommended by the editors of Kodawari Times, so please consider it as a reference only. There is bound to be a pavilion that suits each individual’s sensibilities, so please visit the Official Participants’ Pavilion and find your favorite!