One of the largest wooden structures ever built is taking shape in Osaka, but hopes of Expo 2025 uniting the world are beset by cost blowouts and a lack of public enthusiasm.
The majestic circular centerpiece will be crowned by a 20-meter-high sloping canopy, dubbed the “Big Roof,” designed by top architect Sou Fujimoto.
With a circumference of an astonishing 2 kilometers, 161 countries and regions will showcase their trade opportunities and cultural attractions in pavilions within the giant lattice ring.
A crane lifted a beam into place this week, and organizers say construction is largely on schedule and it could welcome visitors in a year.
Sachiko Yoshimura, global communications director for Expo 2025, insisted that global players would be “united” by the event despite conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere.
Russia will not participate in Expo 2025, which will be held from April 13 to October 13.
“Of course, there are many crises around the world, but we want everyone to really come together and think about the future and sustainable development,” Yoshimura said.
It has also received a lukewarm response in Japan, where publicity has ramped up, with Expo 2025’s red-and-blue mascot “Myaku-Myaku” – described on the official website as “a mysterious creature born from the unity of cells and water.” — exists forever.
recent kyodo news The survey found that 82% of Japanese companies, sponsors and other stakeholders said “cultivating domestic momentum” would be a challenge.
Budgets keep swelling
Due to inflation and Japan’s chronic worker shortage, the construction budget increased 27% from the 2020 estimate to $1.5 billion.
Some said the cost was also difficult to justify with 6,300 people still living in evacuation centers and hotels following the New Year’s Day earthquake that devastated parts of central Japan.
Fujimoto’s “Grand Roof” alone has a price tag of 35 billion yen and was criticized by opposition leader Kenta Izumi as “the most expensive parasol in the world.”
The “Big Roof” and other structures are temporary, with no clear plans other than organizers saying they will be reused or recycled.
After the Expo, the site on the artificial island in Osaka Bay will be cleared, with plans to build a resort there, including Japan’s first casino.
Jun Takashina, deputy secretary-general of Japan’s Osaka 2025 Association, acknowledged the “difficulties” faced by foreign participants in terms of budget and supervision, but said organizers would help ensure the exhibition is ready in time.
One of the most anticipated attractions is the flying electric car, which takes off vertically and showcases the event’s technical and environmental aspirations.
But Yoshimura said the vehicles – which will be heavily regulated – will be an “experiment.”
More than 1.2 million tickets have been sold and organizers hope to attract 28.2 million visitors, 3.5 million of them from abroad.
That would be 4 million more people than at the previous Dubai Expo, but dwarfed by the 64 million people at the 1970 Osaka Expo, a record that was not surpassed by Shanghai in 2010.
A future like science fiction
The first World’s Fair to celebrate cultural and industrial progress was held in London in 1851, and the Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair.
Shinya Hashizume, an Osaka academic and expert on architectural history and urban planning, said he was surprised when he was 10 years old when he saw “a future that looked like science fiction” at the 1970 Expo.
The first film in IMAX format was screened at the event, and visitors could admire rocks brought back from the moon.
“These six months have been extraordinary for Osaka. Simply put, the whole town is partying,” he said.
The advent of mass tourism and a hyperconnected society may have diminished the appeal, but some Osaka residents still think it’s a good idea.
Kosuke Ito, a 36-year-old doctor, said it would “strengthen the economy”.
However, 26-year-old Yuka Nakamura said she might be put off by the fact that adult admission fees range from $25 to $50 a day.
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