Overview

“EXPO 2005, Aichi, Japan” took place in the hills east of Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from March 25 to September 25, 2005. Organized by the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition, it is classified as a specialized exhibition under the second categorization system of the International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE). Its theme was “Nature’s Wisdom.” The Expo occupied 173 hectares, welcomed 121 countries and four international organizations, and recorded 22,049,544 visits.

Origins and the bid

Japan won the right to host in June 1997, when delegates of the BIE member states, meeting in Monaco, chose its bid over Calgary, Canada, in a secret ballot. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien congratulated Japan on a strong campaign. The BIE formally recognized the Expo on December 15, 2000.

Theme and subthemes

The theme reflected the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and a 1994 BIE General Assembly resolution calling on Expos of the 21st century to address protection of the natural environment. It was developed through three subthemes: Nature’s Matrix, The Art of Life and Development for Eco-Communities. The site itself was moved because of the environment: the Expo was first planned for the Kaisho forest in Seto but was relocated because of its likely impact on local wildlife.

The site

The final site was divided between Nagakute and Seto and preserved existing forests and ponds. At Nagakute, the Global Loop, a promenade raised 14 meters above the ground, ran 2.6 kilometers around the grounds and linked six “Global Commons” of international pavilions with Japanese and corporate pavilions devoted to environmental technology. The Seto area was dedicated to satoyama, the traditional rural way of life in harmony with nature. Near the Global House, a refrigerated hall displayed the frozen remains of a mammoth.

Pavilions and international participation

Technology was a major draw. Visitors met robots that spoke several languages, cleaned and guarded the site, entertained, kept older people company or played music. A hybrid bus connected the two areas, and the Expo tested autonomous solar power systems and a generator fueled by biodegradable garbage. Operations followed the “3Rs” of reduce, reuse and recycle: waste was sorted into nine categories, and an “Eco-Money” program rewarded visitors for choices such as using public transport. The mascots Morizo (“Forest Grandfather”) and Kiccoro (“Forest Child”), designed by Aranzi Aronzo, were named by the public from 82,527 entries.

Visitors and services

Attendance of more than 22 million was nearly one and a half times the organizers’ initial target, although most visitors came from Japan and residents of Aichi alone accounted for 43.8%. In July 2006 most of the Nagakute area reopened as Moricoro Park, named after the mascots and served by the Linimo magnetic levitation line; Ghibli Park opened there in 2022. On the Seto side, the Aichi Kaisho Forest Center opened in the former Seto Pavilion in September 2006. Expo 2005 Aichi carried the environmental agenda of the 1990s into the 21st century and showed how an Expo site could be planned around the landscape it occupies.