Expo Blog

When we began shaping the Netherlands’ participation at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, we chose the theme “A New Dawn on Common Ground.” To us, this is more than a slogan. It is a promise: to create moments where people from different cultures connect, discover each other, and realise that we share the same roots.

During the technical issue with the Yumeshima metro line on 13 August 2025, 30,000 visitors were unable to leave the site and faced a long and uncertain night. In the middle of this difficult situation, many pavilions kept their doors open to offer comfort and support.

This is a quiet moment and everyday scene from Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, currently being held in Japan.

Themed “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is centered around solutions to universal challenges – including matters relating to outer space. Whether addressing the exploration of space, showcasing the latest satellite technology or presenting research on meteorites, many pavilions bring the outer space to within reach, allowing visitors to learn more about the cosmos and get a glimpse of future developments.

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai has officially reached its half-time and Yumeshima – the Island of Dreams – roamed daily by thousands of people from 158 countries and regions around the world, is becoming the place for connecting visions for a better future. It is a place where going from the artistic exhibitions of France to the United Arab Emirates with a subsequent visit to the huge wooden structures of China is a matter of minutes. Where many cultures – some perhaps outside of one’s expertise – are adjacent to each other and easily accessible for visitors, ready to showcase their beauty and prosperity. These cultures can be imagined as many different coloured threads, weaving a multi-coloured carpet for future generations to walk on through joint contributions to this Expo’s motto of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.