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Expo 2025 is being held in Osaka, Japan from April 13-Oct. 13, 2025, and the theme is “designing future society for our lives.”
Thanks to the support of the NC STEM Center, leaders from the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and eight high school students from across North Carolina are headed to Japan to present their scientific research at Nagoya University and also to attend the expo to think about the future in North Carolina, the United States, and around the world.
EdNC is tagging along, and we hope you will join us. We will be at the expo on June 23-24.
This year’s expo seeks to answer the question: “What is the happy way of life?” As of June 7, there have already been more than 6.8 million visitors to Osaka for the expo.
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What is the World’s Fair?
Typically called a World’s Fair in the United States but known as an expo around the world, the World’s Fair dates back to 1791. Think of it as a global exhibition to showcase the leadership of nations from around the world.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is the intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos since 1931, according to its website.
Now held every five years, Saudi Arabia will host the World Expo 2030 with the theme “foresight for tomorrow.”
What is the World’s Fair theme for 2025?
Expo 2025, says the BIE website, “provides the world with an opportunity to come together in one place to explore the theme of ‘life.’”
The theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” poses these questions to visitors:
- How do you want to live?
- How can you maximize your potential?
- How can we design society to sustain how individuals from around the world want to live?
“The Expo is taking place at a time when new social challenges, including expanding economic gaps and heightened conflicts, are emerging, while science technologies are evolving, including AI and biotechnology, that will present changes to humankinds, for example, extended life spans,” says the BIE website.
The expo has three subthemes, which include saving lives, empowering lives, and connecting lives.
Saving Lives focuses on protecting lives, including countermeasures against infectious diseases through improvement in public health, ensuring safety through disaster readiness and disaster risk reduction initiatives, and harmonious coexistence with nature.
Empowering Lives focuses on enriching the lives of individuals and expanding their potential, including for example high quality remote education through the use of information and communication technology (ICT); the extension of a healthy life span through appropriate exercise and diet; and the maximization of human potential through the use of AI and robotics.
Connecting Lives focuses on getting everyone engaged, building communities, and enriching society, including the power of partnership and co-creation, advanced communications enabled by ICT, and the design of a data-driven society.
Excerpted from BIE website
The USA Pavilion is located in the “Empowering Lives” section, and the concept is “imagine what we can create together.” The pavilion focuses on technology, space exploration, education, culture, and entrepreneurship.
“Japanese culture has long been based on the belief that any material, from all living creatures to even a pebble along the road, has an inherent life,” says the BIE website.
Expo 2025 strives to put its theme into practice through a concept it calls the “People’s Living Lab.”
“The most distinctive characteristic of the Expo is the endeavor to give a realistic picture of a future society not just through thought, but also through action,” says the BIE website.
The design of the expo site
Expo 2025 is being held in Osaka, Japan on Yumeshima, an artificial island located on the waterfront in Osaka with a view of the Seto Inland Sea.
Osaka was the seat of government in Japan for more than a thousand years, and since the Edo period in 17th-19th century, it has been known as the “kitchen for the entire nation” with cuisine that is celebrated internationally.
The design of the expo intentionally includes the sky, the sea, and the earth.
Our shared sky, says the BIE website, is symbolic of our connection. “Everyone around the world is looking up at the same sky,” it says, connecting all parts of the world.
The design also includes a clear line of flow for accessibility as well as different areas arranged in a decentralized and dispersed way to bring the site itself to life for visitors.
The Grand Ring — a symbol of unity in diversity — was “constructed using a fusion of modern construction methods and traditional Nuki joints, such as those used in the construction of Japanese shrines and temples.” It has been recognized as a Guinness World Record for the largest wooden architectural structure.
Here is more about the master plan.
What are the eight signature pavilions?
Expo 2025 includes eight signature pavilions, each designed for individuals to contemplate and experience what society could look like in the future.
1. Resonance of Lives/Better Co-Being, by MIYATA Hiroaki, professor at Keio University School of Medicine and a researcher specializing in data science
“In this pavilion, visitors are invited to explore the deep interconnectivity that defines our existence and experience the merging of their own resonance with others and the surrounding space. Central to this experience is the mysterious pebble called ‘echorb,’ which is handed to each visitor, symbolizing the unseen yet profound links that bind individuals together.”
2. Amplification of Lives/Future of Life, by ISHIGURO Hiroshi, honorary professor at Osaka University, visiting director at the ATR Ishiguro Special Research Institute, and an authority in the field of android (humanoid robot) research
“This pavilion offers a glimpse into a world where the boundaries of life expand through interactions with humanoid robots (androids) and simulations of future homes and workplaces.”
3. Invigorating Lives/Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion, by NAKAJIMA Sachiko, musician, jazz pianist, mathematics researcher, and STEAM educator
“Drawing on multifaceted perspectives from music, mathematics, and education, this pavilion allows visitors to experience how creative ‘play’ can elevate life. In a fantastical space inspired by the fluid and mesmerizing movements of jellyfish, workshops and interactive exhibits invite visitors to engage with the joy of creation firsthand.”
4. Forging Lives/null², by OCHIAI Yoichi, media artist, associate professor at the Digital
Nature Laboratory of Tsukuba University
“In this pavilion, visitors are digitally scanned to generate a digital avatar, offering the experience of dialogue with another self. The digital body projected on the screen reflects the visitor’s movements and emotions, sparking an exploration of new corporeal expressions. As the boundaries between reality and digital realms blur, this space invites contemplation on future self-awareness and the potential in our lives.”
5. Quest of Life/DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM OF LIFE, by FUKUOKA Shin-Ichi, biologist and writer, professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, and a visiting professor at Rockefeller University in the United States
“Giant projections recreate the movements of cells and molecules, enabling visitors to experience the harmony of life. In learning about our connection with nature, one can appreciate the astonishing dynamism and continuity of life, rediscovering its sanctity from a scientific perspective.”
6. Totality of Life/LIVE EARTH JOURNEY, by KAWAMORI Shoji, animation director, known for his work as the director and “mecha” designer of the television anime series “Macross”
“Set against the vast backdrop of nature and the cosmos, this adventure-style pavilion expresses the interconnectedness of life. Visitors are encouraged to consider Earth from a life-centric rather than a human-centric perspective.”
7. Cycle of Lives/EARTH MART, by KOYAMA Kundo, known for “Iron Chef” and for being a devoted food enthusiast
“This pavilion resembles a vibrant marketplace where diverse cultures and culinary traditions from around the globe converge, offering visitors an immersive experience of the interconnectedness of life through food. More than just a showcase of global cuisine, it is a space where history, tradition, and innovation come together to highlight the role of food in shaping human civilization. By engaging with flavors, aromas, and stories from different cultures, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for the way food serves as a bridge between people, generations, and ecosystems.”
8. Embracing Lives/Sign of Life Dialogue Theater, by KAWASE Naomi, film director celebrated for her works that transcend the realm of documentary fiction through a consistent pursuit of “reality”
“The Dialogue Theater aspires to a form of communication that goes beyond merely exchanging word — it is about engaging in profound face-to-face encounters that transcend language and surface-level interactions. The aim is to create dialogues that resonate on a profound level, offering both participants and audience members fresh perspectives and moments of revelation. By witnessing and engaging in these conversations, visitors can rediscover the essence of human connection and reflect on the fragility and beauty of life itself.”
Meet the official character of the expo
Myaku-Myaku, which means something passed down from generation to generation, is the official character for Expo 2025.
The red part of the character represents cells, and the blue part represents water.
“It appears to be transforming into various forms in search of who it wants to be,” says the Expo 2025 website.
A story of the Myaku-Myaku says it was born on a small spring somewhere in Kansai (the region of Japan that includes Osaka) and is known to be goofy, often making silly mistakes. It is able to change its shape and find rainbows after it rains. Its favorite thing to do is interact with all kinds of living beings.
Just wait until it meets our scholars.
Here is the website for Expo 2025. You can follow our journey here on Facebook. Stay tuned for more on the students, their research, and our trip to Japan.
