Located north of Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture is easily accessible from Osaka — the venue of the 2025 World Expo — via public transport such as Japan Railway, Hankyu Railways and Keihan Railway. To make the most of the international event that is projected to draw 28.2 million visitors from home and abroad in the 184 days starting from April 13, Kyoto is making its best effort in planning its regional promotion both inside and outside the venue to bring visitors to Kyoto during and after the event.
In a recent interview with The Japan Times, Koki Okamoto, director-general of the Department of Comprehensive Policy and the Environment at the Kyoto Prefectural Government, said, “We are collaborating with all stakeholders of Kyoto, including the private sector, in participating in the expo and promoting Kyoto.” The prefecture established the Kyoto Promotion Committee for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, with the Kyoto Municipal Government, the Kyoto Convention Bureau and Kyoto Chiesangyo Sozonomori, a nonprofit aimed at providing comprehensive support for the economic and industrial sector of Kyoto.
Kyoto is one of the nine prefectures from western Japan that will exhibit at the Kansai Pavilion near the East Gate of the expo venue. Kyoto’s exhibit is titled “Ichi-za Kyoto,” borrowing from the Japanese tea ceremony concept of ichiza konryu, which means “to establish (konryu) a space where heart-to-heart communication takes place between host and guest (ichiza).”
Under the theme “Come Together, Create the Future — Leading with Tradition and Innovation,” Kyoto aims to create a space where people build new relationships beyond national borders and connections with the entire area of Kyoto, enticing them to visit the prefecture.
Sandwich, a platform of creators founded in 2009 in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, by internationally active sculptor Kohei Nawa, will oversee the use of Kyoto’s exhibition space.
“We aim to showcase Kyoto’s interpretation of the future. We are also planning part of the exhibition to be interactive,” Okamoto said.
In a bid to involve stakeholders of Kyoto in this exhibition, Kyoto called for the participation of local enterprises. “We received 145 applications from 71 companies and organizations. After going through a screening process, we will cooperate with selected exhibitors to decide on the exhibition content,” Okamoto said.
The content will be grouped into the six categories of culture, food, industry, environment and sustainability, life and tourism. To dig deep into each category in a limited exhibition space, about 180 days of the event will be divided into six terms, and during each term, the exhibition space will be dedicated to one of the six categories.
Kyoto’s exhibition extends outside the expo in the form of action plans that will take place in various locations in Kyoto Prefecture during the expo. “There are already 238 action plans, including 11 flagship ones, all of which will be compiled into a calendar for easy reference so people will know what is happening in Kyoto every day,” Okamoto said.
One of the flagship action plans is a series of events that will be held in various parts of the prefecture to offer opportunities to enjoy green tea. Tea ceremonies, markets, workshops and exhibitions to learn and experience the tea-making process will take place.
Through the promotion of Kyoto conducted both inside and outside the expo, Okamoto hopes that people will enjoy the real Kyoto. “We have a long history and a culture that is deeply rooted in nature and people’s lives. While there are many good older things, we are also home to many universities and startups. We want to showcase the various charms of Kyoto,” Okamoto said.
In the Kansai Pavilion, there is also a partially open-air multipurpose area that can accommodate more than 100 people. The prefectural government will be conducting various events to let people experience Kyoto’s culture such as dance performances, traditional crafts and a market filled with local goods and delicacies from April 28 to May 4 and from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.
On April 23, which is 10 days into the expo, the Kyoto Promotion Committee will be holding an international conference that is tentatively named “Expo Kyoto Meeting” in Expo Hall, which can accommodate 1,850 participants. Okamoto explained that the conference will comprise four discussions focused on the future of the world from several perspectives, which is in line with the expo’s theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”
Around six months before the expo, there were events in Kyoto aimed at promoting it. On Oct. 12, an event titled “Kyoto Irodori Expo Kotoiro” took place in the square in front of Kyoto Station and at the Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is in the station. At the event, an outline of what Kyoto will exhibit at the expo was announced by the Kyoto Promotion Committee and a roundtable session with expo advisors and producers was held. Visitors also enjoyed various performances, shopping and workshops.
A related event held on Oct. 13 was the Yodogawa Cruise Festival. The Yodo River (also called the Seta River and the Uji River closer to its source) connects Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, with Osaka Bay, and portions of its route and tributaries run through Kyoto Prefecture.
Various cruise tours were offered, including one that traveled on what is historically called the Fushimi Route between Hirakata in northeastern Osaka and Fushimi Ward in the south of central Kyoto. The route was used for ships transporting people and goods in the past and later for freighters until it was closed 62 years ago. Various side events were also held concurrently along the river, such as performances, markets and workshops to experience traditional woodworking from the area.
Okamoto said that Kyoto Prefecture hopes to inspire more people from both home and abroad with its wide range of charms.
“We hope that our promotion effort and various opportunities provided by the expo will bring more visitors to Kyoto, and we aim to create warm exchanges among people from different cultures,” he said.
This page is sponsored by the Kyoto Prefectural Government.
