Japan's 2025 Osaka Expo draws 5 million visitors in first six weeks
A Mars meteorite and a beating artificial heart grown from stem cells are among the displays at the expo, in which more than 160 countries, regions and organizations are participating.
The event opened on April 13 and runs until mid-October, with most of the pavilions encircled by the latticed "Grand Ring," the world's largest wooden architectural structure.
On Monday, the 5 millionth visitor entered the vast waterfront site, organizers said in a statement.
"The number of visitors to the Expo ... increased from 4 million to 5 million in seven days," they said, adding that more visitors were coming "with each passing day."
So far 12.4 million tickets have been sold to the event. Organizers have set a total target of 23 million.
Also known as a World's Fair, the expo phenomenon, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London's 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition.
It is now held every five years in different locations around the globe.
Osaka last hosted the expo in 1970, when Japan was booming and its technology the envy of the world. It attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010.
Opinion polls before Expo 2025 opened showed low levels of public enthusiasm, with analysts saying inflation and high accommodation costs due to a record influx of foreign tourists to Japan could put people off buying tickets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
BOJ watchers bring forward next rate hike call after trade deals
Bank of Japan watchers brought forward their forecast for when they expect the next interest rate hike, after clarity over trade increased with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing deals, including one with Japan. Some 42% of 45 economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipate the move in October, jumping from 32% in the previous survey. Analyst views were last canvassed before the announcement of Japan's trade pact with the U.S. on July 22, and last week's BOJ policy decision. Those predicting it in January slightly dropped to a third, while those expecting December doubled to 11%. No one foresees action at the next meeting in September as their base case, but in a risk scenario, about a quarter said the hike could come as soon as next month. Some 60% said the next hike could come as early as October. The results show that many BOJ watchers are convinced the next increase in borrowing costs is coming closer, even after Gov. Kazuo Ueda signaled caution on Thursday. Analysts pointed to the fact that the BOJ upgraded its inflation forecasts more than expected and raised its risk balance view as evidence the bank is making progress toward a rate move. "This meeting laid the groundwork for the next hike,' Kento Minami, senior economist at Daiwa Securities, wrote in his survey response. "Considering upside price risks from food and potentially a weak yen, the condition is suited for another move this year once resilience in corporate activity is confirmed.' The BOJ boosted its price projection sharply to 2.7% for this fiscal year from 2.2% in its quarterly outlook report released Thursday. The bank now sees the risk for prices as generally balanced after seeing only downside risks three months ago. Still, the hawkish signals in the report were toned down during Ueda's post-meeting news conference. The governor repeatedly highlighted the fact that though a little less than before, uncertainty remains high, and indicated little urgency toward a hike by saying there's a low risk of falling behind the curve in responding to inflation. Naka Matsuzawa, chief strategist at Nomura Securities, concluded that Ueda's news conference and the BOJ's statements were hawkish overall, partly because it's natural for a central banker to deny the likelihood of falling behind the curve as it's taboo to be in that position. Some 49% of surveyed economists said that Ueda's remarks at his news conference were neutral, while 44% said it was dovish. Only 5% said it was hawkish. The comments led the yen to break a key psychological level of ¥150 per dollar, reaching its weakest point since March on Friday. After yen weakness has played a major role in pushing the BOJ toward a policy shift in the past, analysts say it could happen again this time. Some 44% said the possibility is rising for the yen to become a key factor to nudge the bank toward another hike, while 35% didn't see such an increase. About a fifth said it's hard to tell. "If there's considerable yen depreciation, there's a risk scenario where the BOJ may opt for an earlier rate hike while highlighting upside movements in underlying inflation,' said Takeshi Yamaguchi, chief Japan economist at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities. In addition to still unclear economic pressure from tariffs and a weak yen, many analysts cited political uncertainty as a potential hurdle for the central bank as it navigates monetary policy. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is facing calls to resign after he faced a historic defeat in the Upper House election on July 20, losing a majority in both houses of parliament for his ruling coalition. Some 71% of the surveyed economists said that there is a risk that Ueda's board won't be able to raise rates this year if Ishiba is replaced by a monetary easing advocate, while 19% said that won't be the case. With Ueda's repeated message that he wants to parse data broadly and carefully before considering the next hike, some BOJ watchers doubt whether the BOJ will have enough data on hand to say another rate change is warranted this year. "It takes time to confirm the impact of tariffs in data, even if the effects end up being smaller than expected,' said Shigeto Nagai, former head of BOJ's international department and currently the head of Oxford Economics in Japan. "It's impossible to raise rates again this year.'
NHK
4 hours ago
- NHK
Aomori Nebuta float festival kicks off in northeastern Japan
The annual Aomori Nebuta Festival has kicked off in northeastern Japan. The iconic summer event features a procession of huge illuminated floats called "nebuta" that depict historic warriors. The procession began in Aomori City at around 7 p.m. on Saturday. Sixteen floats about five meters tall were paraded along a 3-kilometer route to the sounds of drums and flutes. Dancers called "haneto" leapt and shouted. Cheering visitors thronged the streets taking videos and photos as the floats approached. They also chanted along with the "haneto" dancers. A man who came from Ibaraki Prefecture said he had watched the festival on video before, but seeing it firsthand was totally different. He added that he wants to come again next year. A young woman from Tokyo said she liked the way "haneto" dancers, from small children to adults, jumped rhythmically. The festival runs through Thursday. Fireworks will light up the final evening, when the floats will be displayed on the ocean.
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
With a new distillery, Suntory makes a spirited move on gin market
Ever since gin distillery tours went vogue with the rise of gin and cocktail culture at the turn of the 21st century, the game of sniffing and identifying elements in little containers — in this case, gin botanicals — has become de rigueur for visitors. At Suntory Spirits' newly constructed Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery, located within the existing Suntory Osaka Plant, this olfactory exercise is no exception. But the smells don't just come from the usual potpourri of juniper berries and citrus peels — there are also cherry blossom leaves, sencha (steamed green tea), gyokuro (high-quality, shade-grown green tea) and sanshō pepper, all of which help create the taste profile of Roku, Suntory's craft gin. First launched in Japan in 2017, Roku is now sold in approximately 60 countries and remains one of Suntory's most popular products with almost 90% of its sales coming from outside of Japan. It's almost impossible to walk into any top bar in London, Singapore and Hong Kong today and not spot the bottle, with its white label and eponymous kanji character for 'six,' sitting behind the counter. Since its launch in 2017, Roku gin has become a popular spirit in many of the world's top bars. | SUNTORY 'In the six years since it was launched, Roku has become the second most popular premium gin in the world, hitting sales of nearly 400,000 cases,' says Tetsuji Yano, senior general manager of Suntory Osaka Plant. 'In the long term, we aim for (Roku) to become the number one premium gin in the world.' The Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery will focus largely on gin — and for good reason: According to a press statement from Suntory, Japan's gin market was estimated to be worth ¥25 billion as of 2024. The new distillery is part of Suntory's aim to capture the growing demand for gin, develop its Roku range and help drive Japan's total gin market to ¥45 billion by 2030. Suntory has spared no expense. Out of the ¥6.5 billion invested in increasing the production capacity at the Osaka plant, ¥1 billion was poured into the visitor experience at the Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery. The Japan Times was invited to a press preview of the new distillery, which began operations in June but will open to the public in spring 2026. The distillery's four distillation pot stills, which help increase the plant's total production capacity by 2.6 times, are the new toys. A viewing deck, perched four stories high, allows visitors to overlook the stills that include a vacuum distillation pot for extracting the delicate aromas of cherry blossom leaves and a rectification pot for extracting fruit peels and purifying alcohol via repeated distillation. Each of the new distillery's pot stills is designed to accommodate the different extraction requirements of each botanical used for Roku gin. | SUNTORY However, gin geeks looking to go on a guided tour closer to those massive contraptions humming below may be disappointed: Suntory currently has no plans to introduce such an option. For now, it is the seminar and tasting room — a theater-like space consisting of two horseshoe-shaped tables that evoke a United Nations meeting — that will leave an impression. Seemingly taking a page out of teamLab's playbook, the venue features 360-degree-wide, thematic light projections, such as yuzu orchards or cherry blossoms to highlight the botanicals used in Roku. Here, you can sip your gin while immersed in a luminous, virtual world of nature. The tasting room will also showcase Roku's limited-edition seasonal releases, a line-up Suntory plans to grow. In May, it launched Noryo Tea Edition, a gin made with sencha and gyokuro tea leaves as key botanicals. Sold exclusively in Japan, Noryo took about two years to develop: The gin offers gentle umami notes and a soothing, herbaceous finish. As a gin and soda mix, it makes a refreshing libation for summer. Drink in the scenery: The seminar and tasting room features immersive light projections with visuals that showcase Roku gin's botanicals, such as cherry blossoms. | SUNTORY Suntory, however, is unable to disclose information about new Roku variants that will be launched for the distillery's opening to the public next year. It also did not elaborate on whether it plans to make any new whisky products — another growing segment — at the distillery: A spokesperson said they are blending and bottling some of their current whiskies at the plant, such as Kakubin. At present, from a visitor's perspective, the Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery feels like a work in progress. Beyond sniffing games and the obligatory video presentation and guided tasting session, Suntory can afford to add a little more interactiveness and personalization to the visitor experience. The good news is Suntory still has till next spring to explore new ideas. Perhaps it can take a leaf out of some creative visitor programs in London's gin distilleries, such as Portobello Road Distillery, where, under guidance from an instructor, you get to create your own blend of gin and have it bottled and labeled right there and then as a souvenir. Throwing in a food and gin pairing session wouldn't hurt, too.
