An Expo Opens Its Doors

Expo Osaka 2025 opened its doors last month! When Dubai Expo was taking place in 2021-2022, Justin suggested that we, our family I mean, visit every World Expo whenever it happens (it happens every 5 years). That would mean going on a family trip every 5 years, to a place where the Expo happens! We thought it’s a really cool idea! Especially, since we like travelling. It’ll take us to destinations we’d never planned on going. And so, we set our eyes on Osaka, Japan, for 2025.

Come 2025, circumstances and priorities have changed. Justin now studies in Singapore on a scholarship, and his school holidays do not match Jayden’s. His summer holidays happen in June, and he has to get back to Singapore before the start of July, while Jayden’s school holidays start only in July. (The Expo, by the way, runs only for 6 months, and in the case of Osaka, it takes place between mid-April and mid-October). Besides, Justin’s interests have also changed. Now, he’s fully immersed into motor racing… so he’d rather spend his free time racing (Malaysia happens to have Asia’s largest karting track!) Also, we’ve decided to visit Malaysia more often… the old folks are getting older, you know… Therefore, we’d be giving Osaka a miss… It’s OK, we can always visit Japan another time. And restart our Expo visits when the kids are older! Sis, Kim was there though, in Osaka, just yesterday!

Here're some (more) photos of Dubai Expo 2020 for memory’s sake!


Welcome to the Japan Pavilion, Expo2020, Dubai, 2022 – This was the only large pavilion that we did not manage to enter. Thanks to the diabolically difficult booking system! It’s the only country pavilion, where you’d have to book a place in advance in the app, to enter. No queues. In the first few months, when the crowd was still less, we thought Japan was closed for the day (we never bothered checking to find out how to get in). While you could just walk up to any other pavilion and enter, or queue a little and enter, there’s strangely no crowds or queue for the Japan Pavilion! Only in the later months, when we’ve visited ALL the other large pavilions, that it piqued our interest for get in, and by that time, it’s too late. All the slots were filled to the brim! Definitely, not a good system! For goodness sake, it ain’t a friggin passport office, or something like that… You’re basically limiting your pavilion to only a very limited number of visitors! For me, that's a big minus point for an Expo pavilion!


This is Terra, the Sustainability Pavilion, Expo2020 Dubai, where all things sustainability are shown (it has 2 main sections 'Under the Ocean' and 'Under the Forest'. Dubai’s Expo had 3 main themes – Sustainability, Opportunity and Mobility, and in line with this, it has a main pavilion for each of these themes, in addition to other features


And this is Mission Possible, the Opportunity Pavilion. It doubles up as the United Nations Pavilion, and featured, among other things, an address by António Guterres, the UN’s Secretary-General, to save our world… Sadly, I don’t think the current leaders of the world are paying much heed to the UN…


Alif, the Mobility Pavilion, Dubai Expo2020, where history meets the future


Among the 3 main thematic pavilions, I liked the Alif the most. It had some cool features, such as humongous figurines (I mean giants, who could gobble you up if they were real), an elevating hall (the entire hall was an elevator) … and more


The main theme of Alif… where history meets the future...

And here’re a few big pavilions that I’ve not shown before in my earlier Expo 2020 posts.


The Saudi Arabian Pavilion, one of the more memorable pavilions in Expo2020


A little bit of home! Performers at the Malaysian Pavilion. Malaysia is one of the few countries that has consistently put up large (self-built) pavilions in World Expos. They did it in Expo 2015 Milan, and in Expo 2020, and they are there as well in Osaka 2025. As you can see, the performers are all with face shields, a hallmark of the COVID-19 days… (this was 2021 after all)


Our neighbour’s pavilion – Singapore, using the rainforest as their theme (no surprises there). (6 ASEAN countries out of 10, had big pavilions. ASEAN seems to be a big supporter of Expos)


This is from our second home, India. This is a display in the Indian Pavilion showcasing their advance space technology. The pavilion’s building itself isn’t so remarkable, just a cubical block, like any other office building…


And this is their rival, Pakistan. Quite some impressive architecture, huh?


The Spanish and New Zealand Pavilions in Sustainability District


Since there’s so much hype on the election of the new pope recently, here’s the Italian Pavilion (I’ve posted the Vatican Pavilion in my earlier post)


Here’s one from South America, the new pope’s adopted country, the Peru Pavilion…


And finally, the only big pavilion from the entire sub-Saharan Africa, is the Angola Pavilion (all the other sub-Saharan African countries only had small pavilions)

And that’s it for this post.