Osaka Expo 2025 is one of the major events in Japan from April 13 to October 13, 2025. At the time of posting, there are 12 more days left to attend! The demand is high to enter, so we hope you can visit soon.
Justin and I have never been to a World Expo before, so we didn’t know what to expect. We’ve been to the Osaka 1970 Commemorative Expo Park twice. So, we’ve seen how a former Expo site was repurposed as a tourist attraction.
With our most recent trip to Japan, we only had half a day (more like 5 hours) on September 1 to spend at the Expo.
I reviewed various ticket options and determined that the Weekday Night Ticket was the best choice for us. It was affordable at 3,700 yen per person and allowed us access to the Expo after 4:00pm. We only needed a few hours to get a taste of the World Expo. We bought the tickets ourselves so this is not a sponsored post.
We also did not go through the reservation process for pavilions, such as the Gundam Next Future, as it was too complicated and decided to walk to any open pavilions without reservations.
We want to share with you our experience of visiting Osaka Expo for 5 hours on a weekday night. With our limited time, we set our expectations low as we wanted to enjoy the event and visit any non-reservation pavilions.
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you. Appreciate the support.
What to Know About the Weekday Night Ticket
This ticket was used for entry on a weekday. Reservation was at 5:00pm, but we could enter the Expo at 4:00pm. So, we had an extra hour to explore. Click here for the announcement.
Top 3 Things We Liked About Visiting the Expo at Night
- Ticket prices were cheaper than the Full Day and Weekday Ticket.
- The weather was slightly cooler in the late afternoon and evenings. We went on September 1, and it was crazy hot at 36-38℃ (96.8-100℉) earlier in the day.
- There were fewer crowds in the evenings. But lines were still long!
Myaku Myaku, the adorable Osaka Expo mascot, is another reason to visit
Where to Buy Tickets
I bought the Weekday Night Tickets on the official Osaka Expo website 10 days before our arrival.
The costs are:
- Adults (18+ years): 3,700 yen
- Junior (12-17 years): 2,000 yen
- Child (4-11 years): 1,000 yen
- Child(0-3 years): Free
If staying for the entire day or multiple days, you could buy tickets directly from the official website or a third-party vendor, such as Klook. We usually use Klook to buy our Japan Railway passes, but they didn’t sell the Weekday Night Tickets. Too bad.
Here is the cost for a One Day Ticket, so you can compare the prices:
- Adults: 7,500 yen
- Junior: 4,200 yen
- Child: 1,800 yen
- Child (0-3 years): Free
Here is the cost for a Weekday Ticket, so this can only be used on weekdays.
- Adults: 6,000 yen
- Junior: 3,500 yen
- Child: 1,500 yen
- Child (0-3 years): Free
**Note: I’ve seen reports on the Osaka Expo Facebook group that the last two weeks of the Expo is extremely crowded. It’s impossible to make an online reservation for a specific date or time since it’s sold out.
Based on this article, people who could not make a reservation and have an unused ticket can visit the East or West Gate Ticket Exchange and receive a QR code to visit on the day of. They’ll need to arrive before 6:30am and wait in line. Limited quantities of 100 tickets (could be more depending on the day).
Our Schedule
- 3:00pm – Take the train from JR Osaka Station to JR Bentencho. Transfer to Osaka Metro Bentencho to Yumeshima Station.
- 3:30pm – Arrive at Osaka Expo 2025. Wait in line for East Gate till 4:00pm.
- 4:00pm – Expo allows 4:00pm & 5:00pm reservation to do baggage check. Then we snapped some photos of the beautiful Grand Ring.
- 4:30pm – Waited in line for the United States Pavilion’s English Tour.
- 5:00pm – Entered the U.S. English Tour.
- 5:40pm – Left the U.S. English Tour and went to the Vietnam Pavilion.
- 6:00pm – Waited in line for the Japan Pavilion.
- 7:00pm – Entered the Japan Pavilion.
- 8:00pm – Finished Japan Pavilion and walked a portion of the Grand Ring.
- 8:30pm – Entered the Commons D Hall.
- 8:45pm – Entered Portugal Pavilion.
- 9:00pm – Left Expo at East Gate when the drone show started. Most Pavilions were closed at 8:00-8:30pm.
Note: We did not eat dinner at the Expo.
Our Osaka Expo Experience
Lottery for Pavilions
We bought our tickets 10 days before our arrival.
As a part of the ticket process, we could enter a lottery for reserved pavilions 7 days before. Unfortunately, the Expo website was complicated and not user-friendly, so we forgo the lottery.
We decided to just take it easy and wander around just to get a taste of what a World Expo is like.
East Gate Entrance
We were in Osaka Station area for a late lunch and took the train to the JR Osaka Station to JR Bentencho. Transfer to Osaka Metro Bentencho to Yumeshima Station.
Justin and I arrive at the Yumeshita Station and we’re excited to visit our first World Expo
At 3:30pm, we walked to the 4:00pm and 5:00pm reservation line to enter the East Gate Entrance. There were hundreds of people already in line waiting for the 4:00pm opening.
It was very HOT and toasty waiting in line. We went to the Expo on one of the hottest days of the week – at 36-38℃ (96.8-100℉). Pretty much heat stroke weather.
Luckily, we had an umbrella (not a UV one) to cover our heads and bodies. We didn’t have a hand fan, but that would have been useful. Otherwise, it was an uneventful wait.
This is the East Gate’s Security entrance
At 4:00pm, we slowly crawled our way to the Security checkpoint. All bags were placed into a scanner. Opened plastic bottles were inspected with a hand scanner. Unfortunately, no canned drinks allowed.
Entering Expo
When we entered the Expo, we were already awed at the gorgeous Grand Ring. The architecture and scale of the ring were incredible. The Grand Ring was a popular spot to hang out for shade.
Grand Ring is an important landmark of the Expo
We also saw a Myaku Myaku statue. There was a long line so we just did a quick snap. Myaku Myaku is the Expo mascot who has a red cells and eyeballs as a head, a huge white smile, and a blue body for water. Water droplets hang off its arms. It’s a unique character that can transform to various shapes.
Myaku Myaku is oddly adorable
First Stop: U.S.A Pavilion
We’re from the U.S. so we wanted to see this pavilion.
We waited 30 minutes in line for the 5:00pm English speaking tour. The English tours happened once an hour or so. The other line for the Japanese tour was a longer but it was quicker.
I enjoyed the USA Pavilion
The overall theme was “Imagine What We Can Create Together.” The tour had five parts: Connecting, Innovations, Travel, Space, and Launch.
The adorable star mascot, Spark, navigated us through each part of the tour. She sang and brightened the tour.
Spark is the USA Pavilion mascot
Here are are thoughts about the five parts:
- Connecting was seeing the faces of people around the world who studied, visited, and worked in the U.S., and collaborating for new ideas.
- Innovations was interesting since it showcased how science is being used for research and improving aspects in the medical and environmental fields. It was cool to see how algae is used to solve for medical purposes.
- Travel had video clips of various travel destinations in the U.S. All 50 states were shown in the video. From national parks to iconic landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, it was fun to see which destinations we recognized.
- Space was a small section highlighting the U.S. story of going to the Moon and Mars. We had a chance to take a photo of a rock from outer space. I’m not sure if it was from the moon. We only had 1 take for the photo so that the line wouldn’t be backed up.
- Launch was a simulator of going to space from Earth to the Moon. Although we stood on a platform, we saw what things would look like as an astronaut looking into outer space. Spark the mascot also joined us for the ride.
Overall, I thought the U.S. did a decent job with the pavilion. We spent one hour in the Pavilion.
Some people thought that it was like going through a theme park. Yes, I do agree partially with that statement, as it was like visiting Disney’s Carousel of Progress ride. Yet, I thought they did well highlighting the new technologies and research currently involved. Hopefully, the research is still continuing and funded.
More information about the pavilion is here.
Second Stop: Vietnam Pavilion
Vietnam is our second home as we’ve been living in Ho Chi Minh City as expats for almost 8 years. We’ve traveled to many parts of Vietnam, so we wanted to see what Vietnam would highlight at the Expo.
It was a short line and only a 10-minute wait.
This was a smaller pavilion, yet it was packed with a lot of displays. It was similar to a mini information tourist center. We spent about 15 minutes here.
This is the entrance of the Vietnam Pavilion
There was a mini water puppet area for a live show. Unfortunately, the show was canceled on the day of our visit.
Water Puppet theater
TIP: But if you’re interested in seeing a larger-scale one, Hanoi has a couple of water puppet shows. I’ve seen the show two times.
The most recent time was at Lotus Water Puppet Theater (Trung tâm Múa rối nước Bông Sen). Click here for the location. It’s a hit or miss with tourists since the show is in Vietnamese and incorporates everyday life and cultural stories. Hopefully, the show can be translated into English so it’ll make more sense.
We saw beautiful Vietnamese traditional outfits (áo dài), a sampan filled with tropical fruits, a wall of popular Vietnamese products, souvenirs for purchase, a focus on the ethnic minorities, and much more.
These are the traditional Vietnamese outfits (áo dài)
You can experience Vietnamese food and buy food and drinks, such as Vietnamese sandwiches (bánh mì) and iced coffee with milk (cà phê sữa đá). But you’ll pay exorbitant prices, such as 1900 yen for the sandwiches and 1500 yen for the coffee.
You can try Vietnamese food at the Vietnam Pavilion
Read more about the Vietnam pavilion here.
Third Stop: Japan Pavilion
We saw a non-reservation line for the Japan Pavilion, so we waited 45 minutes up to 1 hour before entering. At 7:00pm, the non-reservation line opened to everyone.
We spent 1 hour in the Pavilion as there was so much to see. This was my favorite exhibit to see as everything was thoughtfully done and insightful on what the Japanese are doing with plant materials.
The theme was “Between Lives,” and it was separated into three areas – Plant (from waste to water), Farm (from water to materials), and Factory (from materials to things). We walked in a circle to the different areas.
Here are our thoughts:
The Plant Area was really cool as we had the chance to see microorganisms and organic waste from the Pavilion do their thing and ferment the waste.
Microorganisms are doing their thing and fermenting waste
We also passed by a pond of water with the most pristine water. It was created by purifying waste generated at the Pavilion.
Pristine water
Like the U.S. Pavilion, Japan also had a small piece of rock from Mars. This rock was discovered in 2000 in the Yamato Mountains, 350 kilometers from Japan’s Showa Station in Antarctica. Japan went above and beyond and gave us a certificate of authenticity that we saw this rock. It was hilarious.
The Farm Area was very popular as it was the Hello Kitty Algae area. We saw 32 different Hello Kitty statues as algae on the wall. It was adorable to see. We also saw algae in aquarium tanks and algae flowing through tubes that looked like a curtain.
We loved the Hello Kitty Algae display! This was the first wall.
Here is the second wall of the Hello Kitty Algae
Justin and I loved how the algae flowed in the numerous tubes for this display
The Factory Area had Doreamon taking us through various arts and crafts of clothes, stools, and toys.
We also saw art using water and movement as the medium. It was a rotating canvas and water droplets fell onto the canvas. Over time, the water droplets evaporated as the canvas continued to spin in a 360-degree circle.
Lastly, we were led out to the Souvenir shopping area. The Hello Kitty Algae products were pricey yet very adorable. I bought a blind package of one of the Hello Kitty algae pins for 770 yen.
The Hello Kitty Algae souvenirs were adorable
I wasn’t expecting to see the Pokémon statues in front of the Japan Pavilion
Read more about this pavilion here.
Fourth Stop: Grand Ring & Commons D
Since the sunset and the weather started to slightly cool down, we walked around a portion of the Grand Ring. It was a beautiful stroll in the early evening. Plus, we had the chance to see a different view of the Expo.
We passed by the area where the evening water show took place, but we opted to continue walking.
I believe this is where the evening water show takes place but we didn’t see the show
We tried to visit other pavilions. Unfortunately, many pavilions closed at 8:00-8:30pm even though the Expo closes at 10:00pm.
We had the chance to visit Commons D which is a large hall with 15+ countries on display such as Kenya, South Sudan, Bhutan, Marshall Islands, and more. We didn’t spend long in there as we wanted to find other open Pavilions.
Bhutan Pavilion with a mini Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery)
For those collecting the Expo country stamps (similar to stamps at the train stations), you could easily collect over a dozen stamps here.
Fifth Stop: Portugal Pavilion
This was the last stop that we walked through. We were surprised that they were open at 8:45pm.
Portugal’s theme was “Ocean, The Blue Dialogue.”
The outside had beautiful, thick braided ropes and recycled nets hanging from the ceiling. Kengo Kuma, the Japanese architect, designed the building as an invitation for guests to simulate an ocean experience.
Inside had two major areas – Sharing Knowledge and Partnering for a Sustainable Future.
The first section, Sharing Knowledge, was an interactive section where visitors watch videos on individual kiosks about the ocean as a resource. It was a rather small area and a handful of kiosks, so we skipped and continued to the next section
The second section, “Partnering for a Sustainable Future,” was a 5 minute video about humans needing to protect the ocean for future generations.
The food and souvenir section was closed when we exited.
To be honest, the entire exhibit was a huge disappointment. We spent less than 10 minutes in here. It wasn’t engaging and seemed like it was put together at the last minute. Considering that this pavilion was located in a prime corner spot and featured a beautiful building, there was considerable potential.
This was my last photo before exiting the Expo
Here is more information about the exhibit.
Returning Home
We passed by a few pavilions on our way to the exit. They were closed yet the architecture were beautiful to see.
Here are a few photos that we snapped.
At 9:00pm, we exited the Expo. It was the same time as the drone show. I would have loved to see the drone show in the Grand Ring area. But we saw a glimpse of the show on the way to the Yumeshima Station.
This was the drone show that we saw outside of the Grand Ring
We heard about the long lines for the train on the way home. Maybe it’s because we left the Expo early, but we thought there was a good flow.
There were plenty of workers to guide people to the three different sections of the station entrance. We went to the furthest entrance with fewer people and hopped onto the train.
We arrived at our hotel, Onyado Nono Namba hotel, after 10:00pm. This hotel chain is known for the late-night ramen snack available from 9:30pm to 11:00pm, so we ate a bowl and called it a day.
Pavilions Ranking
Even though we only saw a few pavilions, here are our recommendations on what to see:
- U.S. – Recommended if you’re in the area
- Vietnam – Recommended if you’re in the area
- Japan – Absolutely Must See!
- Commons D – Recommended if you’re in the area
- Portugal – Skip
Final Thoughts
Was the Osaka Expo worth the experience? Yes!
We set our expectations low and enjoyed wandering through a portion of the Expo for 5 hours on a weekday evening. Although it may have seemed rushed, we loved seeing the various pavilion architecture and visiting any non-reservation pavilions.
We saw people’s complaints about the online lottery process for pavilions, long lines everywhere, the most brutal weather we’ve experienced in Japan, expensive food, and a lack of shade. We do agree with several of these points. Yet, our positive experience outweighed the negative aspects.
If we had more time, we would have loved to spend 3 to 4 days here. Unfortunately, there isn’t any time as the Expo is closing soon. Hopefully, we can visit another World Expo in the future!
For those who want to explore Osaka further, check out our other blog posts we’ve written:
Like this post? Save it to your Japan Travel Pinterest Board.
