The difficult-to-enter-but-once-you’re-in-you’ll-enjoy-it world expo is a photographer’s delight.
“But…what is the World Expo?”
Organized by The Bureau International des Expositions, the World Expo is a showcase of each participating country’s culture, lifestyle, and technology. Held every five years, each expo revolves around a specific theme, with this year’s theme being “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”
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Japan has hosted a number of expos in the past, including two other World Expos: 1970 World Expo also in Osaka, and the 2005 World Expo in Aichi prefecture. So needless to say, I had high hopes for what the 2025 World Expo had to offer—especially since it was my first time at any sort of expo.
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The Frustration Begins
My high hopes of the Osaka World Expo quickly faded as I tried to buy a ticket for it. Believe it or not, I couldn’t figure out how to buy a ticket for the World Expo! After pages and pages of reading instructions, it took me more than an hour to finally be able to buy a single entry ticket.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one voicing this frustration as the ticket ordering procedure was highly criticized online.
A lot had to do with the fact that translating from Japanese to English is not always a straightforward task. Coupled with the overall poor user interface of the website that required you to click page after page after page just to get a single piece of information, the ticket buying procedure quickly became a sloppy mess.
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The Frustration Continues
After buying the entry ticket, you would think you’re good to go, but I soon found out that my next hurdle to overcome was to reserve a time slot to enter the many pavilions at the expo.
I may have jumped past the first hurdle, but I stumbled through the next one and didn’t pass the finish line. The reservation procedure was just as confusing—if not more—that I simply gave up in trying to reserve anything.
And truthfully speaking, it was because of this that I enjoyed my time at the World Expo.
Expectations
Well before going to the Osaka World Expo, I had set my expectations straight. I went in knowing I had no reservations, and that I would only enter pavilions if they were available when I happened to be there. This allowed me to freely roam around the grounds without having to worry about being at a specific location at any given time.
I was still able to enter into about two or three pavilions over my one and a half days of attending the expo. For the second day of attendance, we decided to visit only in the evening, which had an entry time of 4pm. Note that the evening ticket entry time is now changed to 5pm.
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The Expo Grounds
The Osaka World Expo is big…really big. If you booked time at pavilions, you likely won’t be able to walk around the entire grounds of the expo on the same day. This is good though, as it allows you to slow things down and enjoy the event over a span of multiple days.
If you’re a fan of people watching, you’ll enjoy simply sitting down and watching everyone enjoying the expo. Click for more photos!
If you’re a fan of architecture, you’ll enjoy walking around and admiring the pavilions, seeing how different one is from another. The Grand Ring—the world’s largest wooden structure—is a spectacle in itself. Spanning almost 2km in length, it circles the expo grounds giving you a bird’s eye view of the area.
Here’s the official certificate from the Guinness World Records that I found framed and hung on one of the wooded pillars.
If you’re a fan of the heat, you’ll enjoy the fact that there is minimal shade on the grounds, making shaded seats a premium. We tucked into the food court and the Commons buildings to get respite from the heat.
The Commons building houses a number of countries within it, set up in booths. It provides smaller countries to still be able to showcase their lifestyles to the world. There were no lineups when we were there so it was a quick way to re-energize and enjoy the multi-cultural community inside.
The Photography
I went to the Osaka World Expo with minimal camera gear as I anticipated walking a lot each day. Each day I limited myself to one lens—with the exception of the night events where I pulled out my Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens.
My camera of choice was the Nikon Z 6iii for its compact and lightweight carry. I also like using the Flexible Picture Controls of the Z 6iii and took 99% of my images using the Hidamari Color Imaging Recipe.
The first day at the expo I took my Z 35mm f/1.2 S lens to capture the wider perspective of things yet still be able to admire the beautiful bokeh and drop-off.
The second day I brought the Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena to allow me to capture moments from afar with the beautiful bokeh.
I carried all of this in my Gura Gear Kiboko Commuter Classic.
Osaka Expo Photography
There’s a lot of things to take photos of at the Osaka Expo. So here’s a few more taken on the grounds, including a separate gallery further below dedicated to the photos of the pavilions that I took. Click to enlarge the square images!
The Pavilions
I took a few photos of the various pavilions on the grounds of the expo. While I couldn’t get every single one, here are the more interesting ones that caught my attention. Click to enlarge!
YouTube Video
For more photos and videos from the Osaka World Expo, you can watch my YouTube video here:
Have you been to the 2025 Osaka World Expo? Are you planning on going to it? Let me know what your experience was like, as I’m sure many people have different opinions on this event.