The Osaka-Kansai Expo is scheduled to be held in Osaka in 2025. The former site of the 1970 Osaka Expo has been transformed into Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, a popular spot for children and adults alike to enjoy a variety of activities. There are many things to see and do in the park, so we have picked out a few points that you should keep in mind. If you check them out in advance, you will surely be able to enjoy them without wasting your time!

Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, commonly known as Japan World Exposition Commemorative Park, is located in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, and was developed on the site of the 1970 Japan World Exposition (Osaka Expo).

The expansive 260-hectare site offers a wide variety of natural attractions, including the “Nature and  Cultural Gardens” and the “Japanese Garden”, cultural facilities such as the “National Museum of Ethnology” and the “Osaka Japanese Folk Crafts Museum”, and the “BAMPAKU BEAST”, one of the world’s largest athletic towers.

Across the main road is EXPOCITY, one of Japan’s largest commercial facilities, perfect for shopping and dining! The area is also adjacent to facilities such as the Giant Ferris Wheel, which boasts the highest height in Japan, and NIFREL, a “living museum” that combines an aquarium, zoo, and art museum, making it an area where adults and children, large groups or solo visitors, can fully enjoy themselves according to their needs. The area is designed to provide ample enjoyment for adults and children, large groups or single visitors, according to their needs.

Basic information about Expo ’70 Commemorative Park is as follows (subject to change, so please check the official website before your visit).
●Opening hours: 9:30-17:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing)
●Closed: Wednesdays (if Wednesday is a national holiday, the weekday immediately following Wednesday) / Year-end and New Year holidays
Open every day from April 1 to GW in May, October, and November.
●Admission: Adults: 260 yen, Junior high school and elementary school students: 80 yen
●Address: Senri Banpaku Park, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture
●Official website: Expo’70 Commemorative Park

The symbol of Expo ’70 Commemorative Park is the Tower of the Sun, designed by Taro Okamoto, one of Japan’s most famous artists, and built for the 1970 Japan World Exposition (Osaka Expo)! A commemorative photo in front of this tower soaring into the sky is a must.

The top of the tower represents a “golden face” symbolizing the future, the front side a “sun face” symbolizing the present, and the back side a “black sun” symbolizing the past. It is a unique tower that gives a completely different impression depending on the angle of view.

The “Tree of Life” displayed inside represents the evolutionary process of life from protozoa to humans. In principle, the museum was closed to the public, but it has been open to the public since 2018. Currently, reservations are given priority. Same-day tickets may be sold on the day of the exhibition if available.

●Fees: Adults: 930 yen, Elementary/Junior high school students: 380 yen Nature and Cultural Gardens and Japanese Garden common admission set)
●Time required: about 30 min.
●10 min walk from Banpaku-kinen-koen Station
●Closed: Same as Expo ’70 Commemorative Park
*Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for the inside of the tower. Please be sure to check the official website of Tower of the Sun.

Located on the north side of the park is the Japanese Garden, an approximately 26-hectare area created by the best of Japanese landscaping techniques. A stream flows across the long and narrow terrain measuring 1,300 meters from east to west and 200 meters from north to south, and along the stream are areas that incorporate landscaping styles from different periods, such as the Early Modern, Middle Ages, Modern, and Contemporary periods.

The “Falls in Filtered Sun Light” is located in the joudai area. It consists of several waterfalls centering on a 3.5-meter-high waterfall. Both banks are planted with maple trees, and visitors can enjoy a different beauty each season, such as the fresh green leaves filtering through the trees in spring and the bright red autumn leaves …… in fall.

In the medieval area, there are bamboo groves where you can feel the serenity and beautiful Karesansui (dry landscape garden), in which water is expressed by stones and sand without using water, allowing visitors to experience the Wabi-sabi(Wabi-sabi is a Japanese expression referring to an aesthetic concept of perceiving beauty in imperfection.) of the Japanese, who find beauty in simple things.

It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to make a round of the Japanese Garden. You can take more time to fully enjoy the scenery, or if you want to appreciate the garden in a shorter time, we recommend a short course of about 30 minutes, starting from the central rest area to enjoy the magnificent view of Tsuki-yama, the changing scenery around Shinji-ike Pond, and Karesansui (dry landscape garden).

●Time required: about 1 hour and 30 minutes
●About 15 minutes on foot from Koen-higashiguchi station (to the main gate of the Japanese Garden)
●Closed/Wednesdays (if Wednesday is a national holiday, the following Thursday), the New Year’s holiday *But open from April 1 to Golden Week and from October 1 to November 30.

The area extending to the west of the park, including Tower of the Sun, is called the “Nature and Cultural Gardens.

With the idea of recreating a natural forest, various trees, plants and flowers were planted after the closing of the Osaka Expo, and it has been more than 50 years since then. It is now as lush and green as it is today.

Visitors can stroll through the park while admiring the flowers and trees that bloom beautifully in each season: cherry blossoms in spring, tulips and poppies, sunflowers in summer, autumn leaves and cosmos in fall, and plum blossoms and camellias in winter …….

The “Flower Hill(Hana-no-oka)” near the west exit is a flower garden of chamomile in spring and cosmos and kochia in fall. The scenery is breathtaking, as if you have entered the world of a storybook, and the area is well worth a visit.

＜Flower Hill(Hana-no-oka)＞
●Time required /about 30 min
●About 25 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station

Nature Observation and Study Hall “moricara” in the Nature and Cultural Gardens, visitors can learn about the fun and importance of nature through exhibitions, observation, and crafts. With a kids’ space and nursing room, this is a great spot for families with children.

＜Nature Observation and Study Hall “moricara”＞
●Time required: about 1 hour
●About 20 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station
●Closed／Following the schedule of Expo ’70 Commemorative Park (other temporary closures may apply)

Adjacent to Nature Observation and Study Hall “moricara” is the Sorado (Aerial Promenade), a facility consisting of an aerial walkway through the forest and an 82-meter-high observation tower. Visitors can enjoy a magnificent view of the park from the highest point in the park.

＜Sorado (Aerial Promenade)＞
●Time required / about 30 min.
●About 20 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station

Opening in 2020, BAMPAKU BEAST is one of the world’s largest athletic towers with four levels, a rooftop, and a sky corridor. Visitors from elementary school students to seniors can enjoy about 120 different activities, including climbing, slacklining, and aerial bicycling.

●Fees: Adults: 3,000 yen, Junior high school students: 2,200 yen, Elementary school students: 1,500 yen
●Time required: about 80 minutes (safety equipment and training will be provided separately)
●about 25 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station
●Closed: Same as the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park closed days *Closed or suspended in case of rain or stormy weather. Please check the official website for the latest operation status.
BAMPAKU BEAST has terms and conditions of use. Please check the official website for details.

This is the first time it has appeared in western Japan! This is a huge athletic maze with five levels and a height of 13 meters, where you become an “adventurer lost in a labyrinth” and aim for the goal on the top floor. There are two courses with different levels of difficulty: a “physical course” and an “intellectual course”.

●Fees: 500 yen per person for each course (3 years old and up are charged)
●Time required: about 20 min.
●About 10 min on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station
There are conditions of use for the Labyrinth Fortress. Please check the official website for details.
●Closed/as per Expo ’70 Commemorative Park

The National Museum of Ethnology, commonly known as “Minpaku”, is a facility that exhibits tools of daily life, ethnic costumes, and ritual implements collected from around the world based on research and studies related to ethnology and cultural anthropology. The exhibits are arranged by region (Oceania, America, Europe, Africa, and Asia), so you can feel as if you are touring the world. The Japanese culture exhibit is also a must-see.

At the Osaka Japanese Folk Crafts Museum, located next to the National Museum of Ethnology, visitors can view ceramics, dyed fabrics, wood crafts, and other folk crafts from around Japan. It is also recommended to check out souvenirs at the store attached to the museum.

●Fees: Adults: 580 yen, college students: 250 yen
●Time required:about 1 hr 30 min.
●About 15 min on foot from Koen-higashiguchi station
●Closed: Wednesdays (if Wednesday is a national holiday, the weekday immediately following Wednesday will be closed), year-end and New Year holidays

Opened in 2010 as a commemorative museum for the 1970 Japan World Exposition (Osaka Expo). The museum features an array of photographs and other items that give visitors a glimpse of that time.

●Fees/High school students and older: 500 yen
●Time required: about 60 min.
●About 10 min on foot from Koen-higashiguchi station
●Closed/follows Expo ’70 Commemorative Park

“LIVING PARK” is a glamping facility based on the concept of “a cozy space in a park that feels like a living room in a house”. You can also enjoy BBQ at the attached cafe “WEST”.

●Fees/Vary according to plan
●About 20 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station
●Closed/as per Expo ’70 Commemorative Park

The Expo ’70 Commemorative Park hosts a variety of events such as music events, lighting up with projection mapping, fireworks displays, gourmet festivals, and more.
When you visit, don’t forget to check the event information.

There are two stations closest to Expo ’70 Commemorative Park: Bampaku-kinen-koen Station and Koen-higashiguchi Station on the Osaka Monorail.

Bampaku-kinen-koen Station, located in the center of the park, is the closest station to Tower of the Sun, the Nature and Cultural Gardens, the Central Gate, and EXPOCITY.

Koen-higashiguchi Station, located farther east, is the closest station to the National Museum of Ethnology and the Japanese Garden.

The distance between the stations is a little over 1 km, so it is possible to walk around the park using either station.

There are several routes to get to Expo ’70 Commemorative Park from Osaka Umeda Station on the Hankyu Railway, Osaka’s terminal station.

(1) When using the Kyoto Line from Hankyu “Osaka Umeda Station” (about 35 minutes)
Take the Hankyu Kyoto Line (bound for Kyoto Kawaramachi) from Osaka Umeda Station on the Hankyu Line. Take the Hankyu Kyoto Line bound for Kyoto Kawaramachi, get off at Minami Ibaraki Station, and take the Osaka Monorail bound for Osaka Airport at the adjacent Minami Ibaraki Station. 2 stops away is Bampaku-kinen-koen Station.

(2) From Osaka Umeda Station on the Hankyu Line, take the Senri Line (about 40 minutes).
Take the Hankyu Senri Line (bound for Kita-senri) from Osaka Umeda Station. Get off at “Yamada Station” and board the Monorail (bound for Kadoma City) at “Yamada Station” of the adjacent Osaka Monorail. The next station is Bampaku-kinen-koen Station.

If you are planning to visit Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, which has a wide variety of facilities on its vast grounds, we recommend that you decide what you are going to enjoy and check it out well in advance. The following are just a few of the many must-see spots, so please take a look at them before you visit!