My first visit to the 2025 Osaka/Kansai World Expo was on June 5, 2025.
I left everything — tickets, directions, all of it — completely up to my mom. I did zero research. I just followed along. This is the story of my very first expo visit, done entirely in “total trust” mode.
- Umeda → Sakurajima → Shuttle Bus to the Venue
- The Girl Who Underestimated Sun Umbrellas
- The Downside of Zero Research: I Ate a Katsu Sandwich
- Walking the Grand Ring
- My First “This Is It!” Moment: The Commons Pavilion
- On the Way Home, I Started Thinking About a Season Pass
- Summary: Go In With Zero Research and You’ll Leave With Zero Understanding
Umeda → Sakurajima → Shuttle Bus to the Venue
We met up at Umeda and took the JR Loop Line to Sakurajima Station, then hopped on a shuttle bus to the venue. Our ticket was for the West Gate, 10 AM entry. We arrived around 10:40.
West Gate around 10:40 AM
So few people!!
We got in just before 11 AM. And my first thought the moment I stepped inside:
It’s HUGE!!!
That’s really all I can say. It was just massive.
Looking back at the photos now… the crowd was so small!! It looks so comfortable!!
If only it had been that empty every time I visited. Knowing how crazy the crowds got near the closing date, those June photos feel almost too beautiful to look at. It makes me want to cry a little.
The Girl Who Underestimated Sun Umbrellas
Even in June, the sun at the expo venue was really intense.
I figured I should bring some kind of umbrella, so I grabbed… a black folding umbrella. The regular rain kind. My thinking was: “If it makes shade, it’ll be cooler, right?”
Wrong.
The black fabric actually absorbed heat and made things even hotter.
Then I borrowed my mom’s proper UV-blocking sun umbrella, and the difference was huge.
Sun umbrellas are incredible.
UV protection really matters.
This goes for any summer outing, not just the expo — I genuinely recommend a UV-blocking umbrella that works in both sun and rain. Seriously.
The Downside of Zero Research: I Ate a Katsu Sandwich
My mom had made a reservation (booked 7 days in advance) for one of the Signature Pavilions, “LIVE EARTH JOURNEY,” with a 1:45 PM slot. So we had some time to kill before that.
Since I hadn’t researched anything, I just ate whatever caught my eye — a katsu sandwich (Japanese pork cutlet sandwich).
It was tasty. It really was. But looking back, I didn’t need to eat that at the expo! There were so many things there that you can only eat at a world expo. A katsu sandwich? You can get that anywhere. That’s what happens when you do zero research.
By the way, while I was eating my katsu sandwich and drinking a beer, a foreign visitor came up and asked me in English, “Where can I buy beer?”
So global! So expo!
Walking the Grand Ring
After lunch, we headed to the Grand Ring — the giant circular wooden structure that ran around the entire venue.
We walked about halfway around.
Looking at the photos… again, so few people, so comfortable… (I keep saying the same thing.)
I wish I could have taken a slow, relaxed walk around the Grand Ring back then. That’s not possible anymore.
By the way, when I tried to walk it again in late September, the crowd was insane and a thunderstorm was approaching — so an announcement told everyone to come down. I didn’t even get a quarter of the way around. I never did complete the full circle.
But that’s a story for another time.
My First “This Is It!” Moment: The Commons Pavilion
When our reservation time came, we headed to the Signature Pavilion “LIVE EARTH JOURNEY.”
The visuals were incredible, I think — though I honestly wasn’t sure what I was looking at. (Terrible vocabulary for a review blog, I know.) It was beautiful, but I walked out a little confused about what exactly I’d just seen. Signature Pavilions are a bit of an acquired taste, aren’t they?
“You didn’t even complete all of them, so don’t say that.” …Yeah, fair enough.
After that, we stopped by the Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion (just the no-reservation section), and then headed to the Commons Pavilion — Commons-B, I think.
This was where I had my first “Yes! THIS is what an expo is!” moment.
The Commons Pavilion is a shared facility where countries that don’t have their own standalone pavilion are all grouped together. Each country has its own little exhibition and shop. It felt like stepping into a different world — and it was wonderfully air-conditioned. Amazing.
I really wanted to look around more, but my brother said, “My feet are tired, let’s go home,” so we left through the West Gate and took the shuttle bus back. It was just after 4 PM.
On the Way Home, I Started Thinking About a Season Pass
I hadn’t seen much. It was hot. But somehow, I could feel that there was something really fun here waiting to be discovered.
There’s so much more I haven’t seen. I know I could enjoy this a lot more.
A few days later, I bought a Season Pass.
Mom, thank you for taking me to the expo. Your daughter ended up not just getting a Season Pass — she also bought plenty of single-day tickets and visited 29 times total.
More on that another time.
Summary: Go In With Zero Research and You’ll Leave With Zero Understanding
My first expo visit was a complete “no research” experience.
The venue is so huge that if you go knowing nothing, you’ll leave knowing nothing. Honestly, it’s a waste. But even so, it was fun — and realizing “I could enjoy this so much more!” was the beginning of the end for me.
If you’re planning to visit GREEN×EXPO 2027 (Yokohama Flower Expo) or the Riyadh World Expo 2030, please do a little research before you go.
I hope this blog can be a helpful resource for you!
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