Local governments to showcase products and reconstruction work at Osaka Expo
Many local governments will exhibit their specialty products and show off their reconstruction progress following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 at the Osaka Expo, set to start on Sunday.
Eye-catching items will include a 1-meter "Wajima-nuri" lacquerware globe from Ishikawa Prefecture, where a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck on Jan. 1, 2024. Made over five years, the globe escaped damage from the earthquake.
"We are eager to show the strength of Wajima-nuri, which has not been broken by the earthquake," Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase said.
At a booth to introduce the food culture of Ishikawa, visitors will be offered several kinds of local sake and traditional cuisine made from local ingredients.
Fukushima Prefecture will have a one-day booth in July that will have a video depicting the effects of the nuclear accident caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The height of the tsunami that hit the prefecture will also be shown on a column at the booth.
"We will describe Fukushima's current situation correctly to wipe out harmful rumors," a prefectural official said.
The prefecture also plans to hold a tasting event featuring homegrown peaches at the booth with the hope of attracting tourists from Osaka.
Tokushima Prefecture will have a permanent booth with wallpaper dyed in 47 colors using natural indigo dye. The prefecture is one of Japan's main producers of such dye. Videos of the "Awa Odori" traditional local dance and whirlpools in the Naruto Channel will also be displayed on a screen 7 meters wide and 3 meters high.
Visitors to the Tokushima booth will be able to get a coupon to ride on expressway buses and ferries to Tokushima for ¥500.
"The Expo is an entrance to Tokushima," a prefectural official said, expressing hope that visitors to the event will also come to the prefecture.
During an event to promote regional revitalization and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals hosted by the Cabinet Office, the town of Kamishihoro in Hokkaido will introduce its work on biomass power generation.
"We hope that carbon reduction efforts will spread across Japan," a town official said.
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