Latest news with #OsakaExpo
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
India showcases cultural renaissance at Osaka World Expo
While nations across the globe are displaying their modern might at the World Expo in Osaka, India has focussed on its soft power and showcased a cultural renaissance. The Osaka Expo, a World Expo being held in Japan, carries the theme 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives.' This international event, held every five years for six months, focuses on showcasing innovations and fostering exchange between nations and cultures to address global challenges. It aims to create a 'Living Lab' where diverse participants come together to co-create and implement solutions for global issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year the Expo is being held from April 13 to October 13. The Indian pavilion, curated by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), is described as an 'immersive civilisational experience, rooting India's global identity in compassion and the flowing wisdom of the Bodhi stream,' a senior official at IGNCA said. 'From conceptualization to storytelling, IGNCA has played the role of a modern-day sutradhar (narrator), stringing together India's ancient philosophies and contemporary ambitions,' he added. The IGNCA is an autonomous body under the Union Culture Ministry. The design of the pavilion is a tribute to 'Bodhisattva Padmapani' from the iconic Ajanta Caves, symbolising compassion, enlightenment, and knowledge. Bodhisattva Padmapani is a prominent figure in Mahayana Buddhism, representing compassion and mercy. Aligned with the 'Connecting Lives' theme, the India Pavilion embodies the nation's values of inclusivity, sustainability, and progress, serving as a bridge between its spiritual heritage and its ambitious future. Among the many features of the pavilion is the Lotus Courtyard, which showcases a curated collection of Bodhisattva forms and artistic reproductions of frescoes from the 2,000-year-old Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Within the pavilion is the 'Oneness Lounge', at the heart of which is the Bodhi tree as a central design element — abstracted and reimagined — while the 'Heritage Zone' celebrates India's rich legacy by showcasing UNESCO World Heritage Sites alongside an immersive presentation of hidden treasures, aiming to boost tourism and global recognition. The pavilion also highlights India's space programme. Visitors traverse thematic exhibits celebrating India's achievements. There is also a 'Wall of Life', focusing on internal well-being through Yoga and Ayurveda.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Japan's Expo 2025 draws 5 million visitors in first 6 weeks
Visitors rest under the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka on May 21, 2025. (Starfish Neuroscience pic) OSAKA : The World Expo in Japan's Osaka has welcomed five million visitors in its first six weeks, organisers say, despite lukewarm enthusiasm for the event ahead of its opening. A Mars meteorite and a beating artificial heart grown from stem cells are among the displays at Expo 2025, where more than 160 countries, regions and organisations are taking part. The event opened on April 13 and runs until mid-October, with most of the pavilions encircled by the world's largest wooden architectural structure, a latticed 'Grand Ring'. On Monday, the five millionth visitor entered the vast waterfront site, organisers said in a statement. 'The number of visitors to the Expo… increased from four million to five 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. Organisers 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.
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
'Expo grandma' completes tour of all Osaka Expo pavilions
A Japanese woman known as "Expo grandma" for visiting World Expositions around the globe has completed her visits to all open pavilions at the ongoing 2025 Osaka Expo. On Wednesday, the 46th day of the Osaka Expo, Tomiyo Yamada visited her last remaining pavilion, the Netherlands pavilion, where a celebration ceremony was held in her honor. "I finished with the Netherlands, which has had friendly relations with Japan for a long time," the 76-year-old said with a smile. "It's important not only to enter pavilions, but also to thoroughly digest (the exhibits) until the end," she said. The Netherlands pavilion presented her with commemorative gifts including a stuffed doll of the Dutch character Miffy. Yamada aims to visit the Osaka Expo every day until it closes. "I want to communicate with the staff (of pavilions) and feel the current situations of (exhibiting countries)," she said.
4 days ago
- Entertainment
Expo Grandma Completes Tour of All Osaka Expo Pavilions
News from Japan May 28, 2025 18:09 (JST) Osaka, May 28 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese woman known as "Expo grandma" for visiting World Expositions around the globe has completed her visits to all open pavilions at the ongoing 2025 Expo in the western Japan city of Osaka. On Wednesday, the 46th day of the Osaka Expo, Tomiyo Yamada, 76, visited the last remaining pavilion, the Netherlands pavilion, where a celebration ceremony was held in her honor. "I finished with the Netherlands, which has had friendly relations with Japan for a long time," Yamada said with a smile. "It's important not only to enter pavilions, but also to thoroughly digest (the exhibits) until the end," she noted. The Netherlands pavilion presented her with commemorative gifts including a stuffed doll of the Dutch character Miffy. Yamada aims to visit the Osaka Expo every day until it closes. "I want to communicate with the staff (of pavilions) and feel the current situations of (exhibiting countries)," she said. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's 2025 Osaka Expo draws 5 million visitors in first six weeks
The 2025 Osaka Expo has welcomed 5 million visitors in its first six weeks, organizers say, despite lukewarm enthusiasm for the event ahead of its opening. 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.
