Yesterday, my husband and I went to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Since the whole experience was fascinating and exciting that I wanted to share it with you before the memories start fading.

It turned out to be a lucky day. While riding on a train bound for Yumeshima ( the Expo venue), we saw a foreign pregnant woman getting on the train. Since I was sitting, I decided to offer my seat to her because she was carrying her baby son. She was grateful, and we started talking. She told me that she was from London, and this was her second time to visit Japan with her family. She explained about how much she and her husband love Japan, its culture, Japanese food and people. This definitely made me feel so happy. Then, her husband joined our conversation, and he shared they love traveling around the world. They went to the Dubai Expo as well, and they’re even considering visiting the next Expo in Saudi Arabia. . Since I'm still talkative even I speak English, she seemed to be very curious about me. She asked me if I'm Japanese (well, I definitely look Asian, but I'm not shy when I even speak English. So, people sometimes misunderstand I'm a non-Japanese.), how I learned conversational English and more. There were so many foreign passengers in the train, but none of them were talking with other Japanese, so the couple and I definitely stood out from others. Even so, I really enjoyed chatting with them. It's always a wonderful practice to listen to lots of different accented English because each person has a different accent. When we arrived at Yumeshima, we greeted and went our separate ways.

The picture below shows the Yumeshima station.

The venue was massive.

We saw high school students posing with the expo mascot Myaku-myaku.

While seeing the Japan Pavilion, we kept walking because we couldn't get in. We needed to book. This time, my husband and I wanted to experience the Expo, and if we liked, we would plan to buy our annual passes. So, we just kept walking and exploring.

We tried to find some pavilions that didn’t require reservations. The first one we entered was the Nordic Circle.

The picture below shows the inside of the Nordic Circle.

They've exhibited reindeer's fur, and I tried to touch it. It was much more smooth and softer than my dog's.

Next, we stopped by the Malta Pavilion.

I learned a bit history lesson from my husband. When he saw the armor showcase in the picture below, he got excited to talk about Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The armor was from the real the Order, and next to it was a Japanese armor, which was made in 1723. The Edo government gifted the Japanese armor and the helmet to England, which colonized Malta back then. The Japanese armor and the helmet now are visiting Japan for the first time in 163 years. What a fascinating story!

We saw very clear and vivid animation inside of the pavilion.

After seeing those two pavilions, we decided to have some Maltese dishes as our lunch. My husband tried the Maltese beer in the picture below.

We were expecting Italian-style dishes because Malta is close to Italy. It was similar but slightly different. The olive dish was especially tasty, so I'd love to make it at home.

The ice cream was called Malta gelato. It was also different from Italian gelato. While eating, we thought it would be fun to try foods from around the world every time we visit.

I guess Japanese robotic toilets are worldwide, but I thought the sign "Experience Japanese Toilet Culture" was funny because it was set up just for the Expo. I couldn’t help but take a picture.

Our third pavilion was the Czechia Pavilion.

This pavilion was very artistic. They showcased beautiful Bohemian glass.

Dewdrops looking Bohemian glass art.

There were some large tulip looking bohemian glass hanging from a ceiling.

The glass art in the picture below looked very unique.

The picture below was a view from the pavilion.

We came across one of the mascots. Every time I see one, I feel sympathy for the person inside. I think the joy is one of the toughest jobs, especially in a hot and humid season.

The picture below shows a pavilion called ANGOLA, but it was not still open.

We saw a familiar telephone box! Yes, it was placed in front of the UK Pavilion.

The UK Pavilion required a reservation too , so we couldn't get in.

The picture below shows a patrol robot. We saw this robot everywhere.

Next, we entered the Romania Pavilion.

Inside of the pavilion.

We didn't know about Romania well, and the screen showed us beautiful scenery, which made us think we'd love to travel the country.

We listened to their traditional folk music performed live. It was so cool!

They also held a cultural workshop for visitors.

After the Romania pavilion, we stopped by the COMMONS-D Pavilion, which featured exhibitions from various countries.

Pink salt rocks.

Mongolian traditional costumes.

Carnival outfits from one of the Caribbean islands.

After leaving the pavilion, we headed to the Sultanate of Oman Pavilion.

I enjoyed seeing staff wearing their traditional outfits.

The wall art inside was stunning. Since the country has lots of deserts, the exhibit emphasized the importance of water.

We tried Omani coffee for the first time.

I ordered a latte and my husband tried black coffee called kahwa. I had a ship of his, and it was completely different from regular coffee. We need a bit practice to get use to the flavor. It was definitely a unique experience.

After enjoying the coffee, we entered the Hungry Pavilion.

We saw some very unique and lovely wall art inside.

Then, a Hungarian lady performed a traditional song, and at the end she asked the audiences to sing together. It made us feel connected in that moment, and it was fun! We also learned Hungarian people really love singing.

The COMMONS-E Pavilion wasn't opened yet either, and we saw a few other pavilions that were still closed or empty.

While walking, we saw artificial mist, and kids were enjoying playing in it. It might be a little bit earlier in this season, but it must be fun in summer.

We finally saw the flying car pavilion! It’s supposed to be one of the highlights of the Expo, but unfortunately, it wasn’t ready yet. So, all we could see was only a display.

The picture below shows the flying car, but it looked like a helicopter and supposed to be electric. I really wanted to see it fly.

We still don't know when it starts working, but I'm sure we'll see it soon. According to the panel explanation, it'll take only 14 minutes from downtown Osaka to the Kansai International airport. How amazing it is!!!!

On the way out, we saw a hip-hop musician performing live.

We definitely had so much fun there!!! We already made up our mind to buy the pass and want to come back there as often as possible.

We visited the 2005 Aichi Expo when our daughter was 11 years old. That experience felt completely different. At that time, we were busy parenting and didn’t think much about how to enjoy it. Today, we discovered how to enjoy the Expo 2025 with lots of ways. We'd love to try international cuisines, learn about different cultures and communicate people from overseas in English ( my husband isn't interested in this part so much, but I'm very curious. I love using my English skills everywhere. Fortunately, there are so many opportunities to speak English!!! I can't wait!) We’re especially interested in how each country expresses itself in a limited space and time.

I'll keep posting about the Expo 2025. Stay turned!

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