2025 Expo Osaka: 100 People Unable to Board Shuttle Bus at West Gate on Day of Record Number of Visitors Marked; Some Wait Until Past Midnight for a Taxi
Those who were not able to get on the bus left by taxi instead, but it was around 12:10 a.m., two hours after the venue closed for the night, before the last guests were able to leave.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the operator of the Expo, is considering measures to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.
That day saw a record 184,990 visitors to the Expo venue, partly because there was to be a fireworks display featuring famous Akita Prefecture's Omagari fireworks that evening. The fireworks show started around 7:50 p.m. and lasted for about five minutes, so many visitors returned home after 8 p.m.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Locker-to-hotel luggage delivery service expanding in Japan
As the nation's tourism boom continues, a delivery service that transports traveler's luggage from train station lockers to hotels is expanding in Japan. The service allows users to leave their luggage in lockers and have their items delivered the same day to the hotels where they are staying. Last year, West Japan Railway and Osaka Metro launched the service in Osaka Prefecture, which has been attracting many visitors due to the World Expo. East Japan Railway and Tokyo Metro are increasing the number of stations in Tokyo where the service is available. Tourists bringing large suitcases onto trains and buses have sometimes caused problems. The expansion of the locker-to-hotel delivery service is expected to ease congestion on public transportation. To use the delivery service, the luggage must be placed in a specific locker. Fees vary depending on the size of the luggage and location, ranging from around ¥1,500 to ¥3,500. In March last year, JR West launched the service with lockers in Shin-Osaka Station and Universal-City Station, the closest station to Universal Studios Japan. In Osaka, the service is currently available at seven stations. The monthly average number of users in March-May this year was up roughly threefold compared with the period between April last year to February this year. A JR West official said that the service is thriving due in part to inbound demand. Spacer, a Tokyo-based company that manufactures and operates lockers for the service, said that the firm launched the business in Osaka by collaborating with railway companies and others in anticipation of train congestion after the kickoff of the Osaka Expo. "The service has gradually spread," said Daisuke Tokunaga, president of Spacer. Osaka Metro has also teamed up with Spacer to provide the service since December last year. Tokyo Metro, which launched the service at Oshiage Station in May, plans to boost the number stations where the service is available to around 20 in the capital. JR East Smart Logistics Co. entered the business in September last year. It has lockers for the service at 15 stations in Tokyo, including Tokyo and Shinjuku stations. The firm also set up the lockers at four stations belonging to Keihan Electric Railway in Kansai in April and at Kyoto Station in June in collaboration with Central Japan Railway. "We are still in the phase of gaining recognition (for the service,) but usage is increasing gradually," said an official of JR East Smart Logistics.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Expo Osaka: 100 People Unable to Board Shuttle Bus at West Gate on Day of Record Number of Visitors Marked; Some Wait Until Past Midnight for a Taxi
OSAKA — The operator of the Osaka-Kansai Expo said Friday that on the evening of June 28, when a record number of visitors came to the event, about 100 people were unable to board the shuttle bus from the venue's West Gate to JR Sakurajima Station. Those who were not able to get on the bus left by taxi instead, but it was around 12:10 a.m., two hours after the venue closed for the night, before the last guests were able to leave. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the operator of the Expo, is considering measures to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future. That day saw a record 184,990 visitors to the Expo venue, partly because there was to be a fireworks display featuring famous Akita Prefecture's Omagari fireworks that evening. The fireworks show started around 7:50 p.m. and lasted for about five minutes, so many visitors returned home after 8 p.m.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
ASDF's Blue Impulse to perform for Osaka Expo on July 12 and 13
The Blue Impulse aerobatic team of the Air Self-Defense Force will perform over the venue of the Osaka Expo on July 12 and 13, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The commemorative flight was initially scheduled for April 13, when the six-month event kicked off, but was canceled soon after the planes took off that day due to bad weather. On both July 12 and 13, Blue Impulse aircraft are slated to depart from Kansai International Airport at around 2:40 p.m. As originally planned, the planes will fly over major tourist attractions including Tsutenkaku tower and Osaka Castle, both in the city, and the "Tower of the Sun" monument in nearby Suita. The tower was the symbol of the 1970 World Expo. The aircraft will then fly over the venue of the ongoing expo on Yumeshima Island for about 15 minutes from around 3 p.m. "Many people have asked us to reschedule the Blue Impulse flights," Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at a news conference Tuesday. "We will conduct the performance to further enhance the excitement of the memorable expo."
