Latest news with #2600JapanInternationalExposition
The Mainichi
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Man uses 85-year-old expo ticket to visit Expo Osaka
OSAKA -- A man had a very old ticket from an event 85 years ago. He used it to visit the new Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, on May 5. The ticket was for an earlier expo planned for Tokyo in 1940. But that expo did not happen because of war. The 1940 event was called the "2600 Japan International Exposition." People call it the "phantom expo" because it never really took place. Many tickets were not used. Later, people could use these tickets at other expos, like the 1970 Osaka Expo. The man with the old ticket is Fumiya Takenawa, 25, from Tokyo. He was visiting his parents in Osaka Prefecture. He likes the "Tower of the Sun," the famous building from Osaka's 1970 Expo. He collects things from old expos. In March, he found and bought an old 1940 expo ticket online. He first put it in his home as a decoration. Then he wondered if he could use the old ticket for Expo 2025. He asked the expo organizers, and they said yes, he could use it if it was a real ticket. Takenawa was happy. He said, "This is my first expo, and I feel part of history. Expos help people come together in peace. The person who had this ticket before me waited 85 years, and now their wish finally came true." He visited the Czech and Saudi Arabian pavilions. He said that he wants to visit the Expo again every time he comes to Osaka to see his family. In 1938, people bought about 1 million ticket books for the 1940 expo. Each book had 12 tickets and cost 10 yen at that time. (That is around 17,000 yen today, or about $118.) For the 2025 Expo, one whole old ticket book can be exchanged for two adult one-day tickets, and visitors keep the old ticket book afterward. In the past, people exchanged around 3,000 tickets at the 1970 Osaka Expo and about 100 tickets at Aichi Expo 2005. (Japanese original by Yukiko Hayashi, Osaka City News Department) Vocabulary phantom: a ghost, or something not real war: Fighting between groups or countries. organizer: A person or group who plans and runs an event. pavilion: A special building at an expo where countries show interesting things to visitors. exchange: To give one thing and receive another in return.
The Mainichi
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Man gets admission to Osaka Expo with ticket for 1940 event that never took place
OSAKA -- A man with an admission ticket to the "international exposition" in 1940, which was scheduled to be held mainly in Tokyo but was postponed indefinitely due to the escalation of the Second Sino-Japanese War, gained admission to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai on May 5, exchanging the 1940 ticket for a one-day adult pass. The 1940 expo was officially known as the "2600 Japan International Exposition," based on the Japanese imperial calendar beginning in 660 B.C. Among experts and enthusiasts, it is known as the "phantom expo," and tickets that were not refunded during the chaos have been used at subsequent expos, including the 1970 Expo in Osaka. Holding the time-honored ticket was Fumiya Takenawa, 25, a company worker from Tokyo's Suginami Ward, who was visiting his parents' home in Osaka Prefecture. A fan of the "Tower of the Sun," the symbol of the 1970 Osaka Expo, Takenawa collects expo-related memorabilia. In March, he found and purchased a "phantom expo" ticket online. Though he initially displayed it at home in a showcase, he became curious about whether it could be used at the latest event and contacted the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. The association reportedly responded that if the ticket was genuine and met the requirements, it would accommodate its use. A smiling Takenawa said, "It's my first Expo, and it was great to be a part of history." He added, "Expos are bridges of peace. After 85 years, I hope this clears the regrets of the person who couldn't attend the Expo that they must have been looking forward to." He said his main interests were the Czech and Saudi Arabian pavilions, and he intends to return to the event each time he visits his family. According to an association representative, 1 million copies of the "phantom expo" ticket booklets were sold in 1938. Each booklet contained 12 tickets and was priced at 10 yen (approximately 17,000 yen or roughly $118 in today's currency). For the latest Expo, each unused booklet can be exchanged for two adult day passes, and the booklet is returned to the owner. Approximately 3,000 exchanges occurred at the 1970 Osaka Expo and about 100 at the 2005 Aichi Expo.
