Expo 2005 was a
world expo held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in
Aichi Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...
, Japan, east of the city of
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
. Japan has also hosted
Expo '70 Osaka (World Expo),
Expo '75 Okinawa (Specialised Expo),
Expo '85 Tsukuba (Specialised Expo), and
Expo '90 Osaka (Horticultural Expo) and is currently hosting
Expo 2025 Osaka (World Expo).
The site of the expo would become the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park after it ended and is now the home of
Ghibli Park.
Theme
The theme of the Expo was "Nature's Wisdom", with national and corporate pavilions expressing themes of ecological co-existence, renewable technology, and the wonders of nature. In Japanese, this is rendered as ''Ai-chikyūhaku'' (愛・地球博), which means (roughly) "Love the Earth Expo," as well as being a play on the name of the host prefecture, 愛知 (
Aichi). According to the official website:
: ''We must come together and share our experience and wisdom, in order to create a new direction for humanity which is both sustainable and harmonious with nature.''
Location
The main site of the Expo was a forested area in
Nagakute, east of Nagoya, covering an area of about . A smaller area of nearby, accessible by
gondola from the main site near
Seto was also part of the Expo. Great care was taken to build the pavilions out of recycled or recyclable materials, to minimize environmental impact on the site, and to provide environmentally friendly transportation to and within the Expo area.
The cost of the Expo has been estimated at 340 billion yen ($3.3 billion). However, the recorded 22,049,544 visitors greatly exceeded the target of 15,000,000 and the Expo made a profit of over 10 billion yen.
The nearby city of
Toyota
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
also held some related events, although there was no special area set aside.
The area in Nagakute can be reached from Nagoya by
subway (Higashiyama line) to the last stop in Fujigaoka, followed by a ride on the newly built
Linimo magnetic levitation train.
Participants
122 participating countries set a date for their own pavilions.
In regards to the companies and municipality, the ones who were presented are as follows:
*Wonder circus -
Federation of Electric Power Companies.
*
Central Japan Railway Company
is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...
*Wonder wheel -
Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
*
Mitsubishi
*
Toyota
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
*
Hitachi
() is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...
*
Mitsui&
Toshiba
is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
*Mountain of Dreams -
Chunichi Shimbun
The is a Japanese daily "broadsheet" newspaper published in mostly Aichi Prefecture and neighboring regions by Based in Nagoya, one of the three major Japanese metropolitan areas, it boasts the third highest circulation after the group newspa ...
joint pavilion organizing committee.
*Fire magic theater - The Japan Gas Association.
*Japanese government
*Aichi Prefecture
*Earth Tower - City of Nagoya.
*Chubu community for Millennial Symbiosis - Chubu regional exhibition executive committee.
Image:Expo 2005 Flaggs and Corporate Pavillion Zone.jpg, Expo with the corporate pavilions in the background
Image:Wonder Circus-Electric Power Pavilion.jpg, "Wonder Circus", the Electric Power Pavilion
Image:Expo_2005_Sasashima_Satellite_Studio_De_La_Fantasia05.jpg, PokéPark 2005 at De La Fantasia
Mascots
Morizo (モリゾー) and Kiccoro (キッコロ), collectively known as "Moricoro," (モリコロ) were created to be Aichi Banpaku's mascots. The popular fluffy green creatures are both from the forest of
Seto.
Attractions
*"Satsuki and Mei's House," was a recreation of the house from
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...
's movie ''
My Neighbor Totoro'', and located inside the “Forest Experience Zone”. It re-opened to the public on July 15, 2006 and would spark the creation of an entire
Ghibli Park, which opened in 2022.
*
ASIMO,
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
's humanoid robot, was shown off at the Expo as one of its many public appearances.
*The
Toyota Partner Robots made their debut.
*''Chickens Suit'' a clothing range for chickens by
Edgar Honetschläger made its debut with chickens on a runway.
*The
Growing Village Pavilion featured a variety of
tree shaping art work.
*''The Franklin Spirit'' at the USA Pavilion, designed by award-winning experience designer
Bob Rogers and the design team
BRC Imagination Arts,
presented the American statesman, Benjamin Franklin, using an innovative multi-plane 3D effect that suspended layered planes of digital media on stage, where Franklin visited the world of 2005 to celebrate his 300th birthday, as he discussed the pending advances in science, technology freedom and enterprise that will improve the lives of people worldwide.
*The Forest Experience Zone contains three areas, the ‘Nature School Forest’, ‘Satsuki and Mei’s House’, and the ‘Japanese Garden’. This forest explores the relationship between people and nature.
*The Street Art experience was performed in the park by multi artists, giants reproductions art exhibited open air. The French artist Gailord Bovrisse was one of them.
Theme songs
The official theme song of the Expo was "I'll Be Your Love," composed by
Yoshiki, and performed by Dahlia, an Okinawan-American musician (then aged 24) from Honolulu, Hawaii. On March 24, 2005, Yoshiki conducted an orchestra and performed the song for the opening ceremony of the Expo. Pop singer
Ayumi Hamasaki also performed a classical version of her single "
A Song Is Born" on the event's opening day.
New transportation system
*
Linimo -
magnetic levitation train using trains from
Chubu HSST Development Corporation
*Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Bus (
FCHV-Bus)
*Intelligent Multimode Transit System (IMTS)
Holder
The holder was
Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition whose president was
Shoichiro Toyoda, the honorary president of
Toyota Motor Corporation
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
.
See also
*
List of world expositions
*
Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute
*
Solar Ark
*
Chubu Centrair International Airport - Opened in accordance with the Aichi Expo.
*
Nagoya Pan-Pacific Peace Exposition 1937
*
World Design Exhibition 1989
References
External links
*
Official website of the BIEExpo 2005Expo 2005 page at ExpoMuseumJapan Association for the 2005 World ExpositionInfo on current use of the park and a gallery of Expo 2005
by Vinod Jacob 14 April 2006
Expo 2005 memorial park- the use of the site as of 2012
{{Authority control
2005 in Japan
2005 festivals in Asia
History of Nagoya
Tourist attractions in Aichi Prefecture
World's fairs in Nagoya
Nagakute, Aichi