Osaka expo to open gates minutes earlier to deal with crowding
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- The opening time of the World Exposition in Osaka will be moved up by five to 10 minutes from the current 9 a.m. starting Sunday to ease overcrowding at the gates, a source close to the matter said.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said Friday it will also introduce same-day reservations for "park and ride" slots starting Saturday and lower some fees for the system, which requires visitors to park at designated areas and take shuttle buses to the venue, in a bid to boost its popularity.
The schedule change comes after some visitors were unable to reach the pavilions in time for their reservations, the source said, adding that the association will determine the exact opening time based on crowd levels.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, who has been calling for opening the gates earlier, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, "We should continue exploring more (options). This marks the first step."
Under the current park-and-ride system, visitors must reserve slots by the day before their arrival, with fees for parking cars at a nearest area ranging from 4,500 yen ($31) to 7,500 yen.
After the changes, visitors will be able to reserve slots on the day of their visit, with prices ranging from 6,500 yen to 7,500 yen. A new discount will also be introduced, with parking after 3 p.m. costing between 3,000 and 3,500 yen.
Although organizers have prepared parking areas with capacity for over 10,000 vehicles, weekday occupancy rates remain low.
Yoshimura had earlier proposed that the association halve the parking fee for vehicles carrying more than four expo visitors.
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