2025 Expo Osaka : Prefectures around Kansai Hope to Lure Tourists with Local Charms; Kansai Pavilion Provides Chance to Promote Regional Areas
Visitors look at images of vibrant flowers blooming on sand dunes recreated in the Kansai Pavilion's Tottori Prefecture zone, mimicking the patterns of the Tottori Sand Dunes, in Osaka on May 6.
OSAKA — Local governments are taking advantage of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo's popularity by proactively promoting attractions and specialties in their localities to boost tourism to regional areas.
The Expo, which is expected to attract 28.2 million visitors, showcases the distinctive allure of the Kansai region, but concerns persist about how far beyond Osaka the event's economic advantages will extend and whether there will be a widespread positive impact.
The Kansai Pavilion has participants from several prefectures, including all seven prefectures in the Union of Kansai Governments, as well as Fukui and Mie prefectures.
The Tottori Prefecture zone in the Kansai Pavilion welcomes visitors with three statues of popular manga characters linked to the region: Kitaro, the titular character from 'GeGeGe no Kitaro' by author Shigeru Mizuki; Conan from 'Detective Conan' by Gosho Aoyama; and Hiroshi Nakahara, the protagonist of 'A Distant Neighborhood' by Jiro Taniguchi.
The highlight of the zone is a mirrored room that recreates the Tottori Sand Dunes. Inside, vibrant lines and specks of light dance across the sand-covered floor to create mesmerizing scenes of a sunset and starry skies, drawing gasps of admiration.
'This makes me want to see the real Tottori Sand Dunes,' said a 51-year-old yoga instructor from Kyoto.
That comment encapsulates the prefecture's goal. By making the zone the 'main venue' with the whole of Tottori Prefecture as a 'satellite venue,' the organizers' plan is for the virtual Expo experience to lead to physical visits to the prefecture.
The aim of the approach is to bring an additional 1 million visitors to Tottori Prefecture from April to October, specifically by encouraging international tourists to visit the prefecture during their stay in Japan and by establishing the prefecture as a destination for domestic travelers planning their next vacations.
The prefecture has also been proactive in generating buzz. It approached the Jordan Pavilion with a proposal to use the shared element of sand in a collaborative promotion dubbed the Sand Alliance, following that pavilion's desert recreation display in the opening days of the event.
The Fukui Prefecture zone, also in the Kansai Pavilion, is focusing on dinosaurs, capitalizing on its reputation as one of Japan's leading sites for fossil.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
'Rather than competing with other prefectures in the same fields, we decided to focus on using dinosaurs to generate interest in Fukui,' said Nobuhiro Kasashima, head of the prefectural brand business division.
Fukui Prefecture is collaborating with a major travel agency to offer package deals combining accommodations in the prefecture with railway tickets available at visitor centers for international tourists in JR Osaka and Kyoto stations.
Kasashima noted that local governments in the Chugoku, Shikoku and Hokuriku regions are actively participating in the Expo, citing the venue's tens of thousands of daily visitors to demonstrate that it is 'efficient and effective for promoting their local areas.'
According to Prof. Akira Shimoyama at Osaka University of Economics, the 1970 Osaka Expo attracted 64.21 million visitors from Japan and abroad. However, the railway and road networks were less developed at that time, so the idea of leveraging the Expo for regional tourism was barely considered.
The Asia Pacific Institute of Research estimates that the Osaka-Kansai Expo will generate an economic ripple effect worth about ¥2.74 trillion. Related events outside the Yumeshima venue could potentially add another ¥620 billion by enticing visitors to increase the lengths of their stays and through other means, the institute said.
The Kansai Pavilion is also holding a 'stamp rally' to actively encourage visits to the wider areas. This popular activity, which gets visitors to collect unique stamps from various stations set up on the Expo grounds, includes a stop at a station for the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, with the plan of having attendees travel to other prefectures.
Tottori Prefecture is collaborating with Detective Conan to create a 'mystery tour' that will take participants around the prefecture to solve clues. The project is being planned with West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) and other entities.
Kagawa Prefecture, which does not have a booth in the Kansai Pavilion, participated in events held at the Expo venue during the Golden Week holidays to promote the Setouchi Triennale, which is a contemporary art festival taking place on islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
'This is not just about increasing the number of tourists in the short term; it's about enhancing the long-term appeal of these regions,' said Shimoyama, commenting on the various initiatives centered around the expo. 'If the flow of people picks up and leads to the establishment of shops and factories, that will be the legacy of the Expo.'
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