You're welcome. Yokohama is surprisingly overlooked by most visitors, yet it is so close to Tokyo. Most port cities do not have pleasant waterfronts, but this one and Kobe do. Thank you for watching!

First, thank you for watching and commenting. Agreed on all points. Its way too complicated, so I hope I was able to shed some light. We hope to produce a follow up soon on the specific pavilions and where to find them. As an alternate to Osaka, I suggest looking into Nagoya. This is our favorite large city in Japan and we've been four times in the past year and return again shortly. Its not overrun with tourists, yet has tons of great things to do. Look for our Nagoya video which we published six months ago. There's the SCMAGLEV Museum, the Toyota Commemorative Museum, the Meiji Mura Village, Nagoya Castle, Inuyama Castle, Oasis 21 and the Mirai Tower. Also the Sky Promenade on the 46th floor of the Midland Square Tower. The Tokugawa Garden and Museum, Nabana no Sato and Ghibli Park and Legoland. I could list many more, not to mention the nearby historic Post Town of Magome. Nagoya is amazing. One thing to know is the Formula 1 circuit has a race there in early April. Again, thanks for watching and hope you'll check out some other videos. We just started this venture about seven months ago and hope to make it last. Video creation is very new to us. My wife was born and raised in Osaka and is 4th generation in her American family to have been born in Japan (goes back to 1861). Safe travels!

I believe everyone here is in general agreement on this point. Its a very confusing website in which one must dig down through layers to get to information I believe should be up front. But who am I to suggest such a thing? Anyway, thank you for watching and your comment. Hope you'll check out some of our other videos on this, our very modest channel. We've only been at it a little over seven months, so we're trying to make headway. Its all new to us. Safe travels!

Thank you for commenting and sharing your thoughts. Yes, many local residents have concerns about the Expo, although it is now here after being in the planning stages for many years and hopefully it will be more well organized than some expect. Appreciate you making the suggestion of USJ and Dotonbori, although they also can get very crowded. If you look at our videos, we try directing visitors to the less known places such as Izushi, Matsue, Aizuwakamatsu and even the hidden spots in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto that are not overcrowded. But most visitors do the same things at the same time, resulting in overcrowding. Hopefully our recommendations will help some to have a better experience. Wish you all the best!

Thank you for your two comments, and I understand your concerns about overcrowding. I very much like your statement that "Japan is not a theme park for foreigners." I have said much the same thing many times as the concentration of so many visitors in so few areas (specific parts of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto in particular), result in unpleasant experiences for those who live there. Visitors must respect the culture, the places and people of Japan. Sadly, there are some who do not, as witnessed by some recent influencers, and others simply don't take time to understand the culture. But most are genuinely interested and try to follow the customs and unwritten rules. Fortunately, I am born to an American who was born and raised in Osaka, speaks Japanese and who's father was born in Fukuoka and lived out his life serving the Japanese as his father before him who was born in Yokohama. Our family arrived in Japan in 1861 (late Edo) and we still have a home north of Nagano. We love Japan, the people and its culture, and we try directing visitors to less known places where they are welcomed and can experience other parts of Japan. But our channel is very new, and unfortunately to become a sustainable venture, we must also feature some of the more popular places and activities such as the expo. But even in our videos of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, we feature little known places that are not overrun with tourists. I hope you will enjoy some of those and if you have suggestions for other unique places, please share them or ideas as to how to better manage the growing number of visitors. After all, the JNTO has publicly stated its goal is to have 60 million visitors in 2030. That is nearly double the amount last year, and if these visitors all concentrate in the big three cities, it will be unbearable at times and places. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and observations. They are well received.

Thank you for your comment and observations. I understand the concern and agree with some of your points. But it is here and we must decide how to deal with it. Let us hope for the best for all. Thank you.

Thank you for watching and the comment. Yes, will be interesting to see how the two expos compare. All very exciting.

Good time of the year to be in Osaka at the Expo! Thanks for watching and the comment. Hope you have a great time! We will be doing another video on reservations for the pavilions, then several after we visit in April. Thanks for watching!

I get it. Took me a couple of days' studying to figure it out. Its way too complicated, but it can be done. Planning on another video in which we'll go deeper into applying for the timed entry item for the pavilions. That's something to remember in addition to purchasing tickets. Lines will be long, but the timed entry will help get to the "head of the line" in some cases. Per the official website, not all pavilions require timed entry, and you can request a timed entry on the day you attend, but I would submit the timed entry application as soon as you're able. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@ thank you, it would be helpful.

Glad you found it helpful. Will be producing another video in a few weeks with a more in depth look at selecting the Pavilions for timed entry. Unfortunately, the ticketing website is too complicated, but it can be done. Yes, hotels will be getting up in price due to this event unfortunately, so I would book as soon as able. Thanks for watching and the comment, and safe travels!

Thanks for asking and watching! Scroll down below the video in the description and you'll find it as well as others there, but to make it even easier, here is the link: www.expo2025.or.jp/en/ Just copy that and put it into your search bar and it will take you to the official website.

Thanks a bunch!

You're very welcome, and thanks for watching! You, individually can purchase all the tickets for your group. I purchased all of ours under my Expo ID. However, make sure you have an Expo ID for each person in your group, just in case. As soon as I say this, I still tell everyone "Don't take my word for it. Study the official website on one's own!" Thanks again for watching and commenting!

⁠Thanks very much for all the useful information!

Oh yeah. One day will scratch the surface. Its is vitally important to reserve entry times into the various pavilions of interest. Otherwise, you will get into the Expo, but spend most of the time standing in lines. With timed entry, you will "move to the head of the line". We will be posting a follow up video in a few weeks with more details and maps to help folks plan their visit. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@UnchartedJapanTravel Reserve entry times ? Oh man I guess I did skip read this part ! Thank you to telling me I ll search about it !

Yes, there are basically three components. You must first have an Expo ID. Use that to purchase your ticket(s). Then while on the purchase ticket screen, there's a link to where you can enter the lottery to reserve time slots for the various pavilions of interest. Some pavilions have not yet uploaded the links to their lotteries, so its hit or miss at this moment. But perseverance is key.

@ Wow ! I must take a look in the website to see it ! Kinda frustrating this lottery time slots entrances but what we can do ! Thanks again man for the infos ! Definitely I need check this out !

@@UnchartedJapanTravel I went to Expo 2020 Dubai. Am I correct in assuming that some pavilions will need reservations while some pavilions will not?

Thank you, and our pleasure! We'll be producing a follow on video in a few weeks with more details about the layout of the expo and location of the various pavilions. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, enjoy another of our videos!

@@UnchartedJapanTravel wonderful! Looking forward to it.

Not quite sure what your saying/asking, but we appreciate you watching and the comment. Is it a suggestion for a future video? If so, we agree and have had plans for a while on this topic. Still gathering material. We have encountered earthquakes while in Japan, but most dramatically is when Josephine's parents survived the Great Hanshin Earthquake January 17, 1995 in Kobe. Dad was walking out the door at 5:45 AM when it struck. Destroyed around 250k buildings and claimed over 5,000 lives. We have a short segment about it in our Kobe video which you can find on our channel. For tsunami preparation for the Expo, there's not a lot that I can see. The entire island is only about three to four meters or so above sea level, so if there were a tsunami of the magnitude of the Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami in 2011, it would be devastating. If you are familiar with the effects of the Hanshin earthquake on the manmade Rokko Island off Kobe, much of it turned to slurry. Construction since the Hanshin Earthquake is significantly improved and we see evidence everywhere as the work continues around the country reinforcing bridges, railways and elevated highways. However, there are many more buildings from the building boom of the 50's and 60's that are among the greatest at risk. A very serious subject and thank you for mentioning it as it is something in the back of the mind of every Japanese, although the foreign tourist thinks little about them. But we certainly do!

Thank you very much. Glad it was of help. We're working on a couple of follow up videos with more information on how to review the various pavilions and get signed up to enter them. Unfortunately, the official website is terribly complicated (may be why ticket sales are low). So please check back for these follow up videos. We've also just launched a new Facebook Group "Travel Uncharted Japan" which is a forum for sharing travel experiences, questions and ideas among others. Hope you'll check it out. At this moment, we have a whopping 6 followers (and they're all family!). Why not become part of the family?!

Excellent! Safe travels, and thanks for watching!

Yes it is very frustrating. We've purchased tickets, but are studying the map and pavilions carefully, although there is scant information on many of them. I found an interactive map of the expo and descriptions of each pavilion and its location and whether it is accepting timed entries. I had to first log into my account, then clicked the "Apply for Reservations/Lotteries" tab which opened up the page for applying. In the fourth paragraph is a link to a page listing all the pavilions in alphabetical order. I clicked that link and was taken to a page that looks totally different than all the others and on it is a visual thumbnails of all the pavilions in order. There is also a tab for the interactive expo map. In addition, somewhere out there, I found a PDF of the entire expo with names of the pavilions and numbers beside each one so that I could study where I want to go. Unfortunately, I can't find it again and didn't save the URL. Hopefully the above information will help you figure out where you want to go. Thanks for watching, and on another note, we just launched a Facebook group named "Travel Uncharted Japan" to provide a forum for the sharing of ideas about the expo and Japan travel in general. Hope you'll check it out and grow with us.

Whoa! I understand having seen some of the footage. I suppose that's why this time around they're doing the "timed entry" thing for the pavilions. Don't know if they did that in 2005 or not, but if they did, it didn't work. Regardless, given the complexity of purchasing tickets, then entering the lottery to get a reservation to get into the pavilion(s), I think most people will simply show up and line up, making it a repeat of 2005. Hope not, but....... Thanks for watching and commenting. Perhaps you can find another activity or place of interest to visit in one of our other videos. Safe travels!

@@UnchartedJapanTravel The Japanese do 'the timed entry thing' very well. I was part of that this year when I went into the Palace grounds to greet the Imperial family as they appeared on the balcony, and also at Yasukuni shrine. Team Labs also use this method to great effect. However, I just think getting tickets will be too much of a hassle.

Yep, they let in too many people.

I was at Aichi Expo in 2005 as well and logged ~21 full days in total. Yes it was crowded! but not everywhere, and not all at the same time (in the beginning at least!). John here has the right idea. Figure everything out ahead of time, and then watch where the crowds go. Armed with a map and a strategy I think we can get a lot out of it. At Aichi and at Vancouver's Expo in '86 the numbers were low starting out - but then! The reason why the seasons pass cuts off early is probably they're expecting a surge. It should be fun! See you all there!

Thanks for watching, and yes, it is waayy too complicated. I suppose they're trying their best to manage the expected crowds, but the unintended consequence is that of making it confusing. As for the timed entry for the pavilions, you don't have to "purchase" them. Your ticket to the Expo grants you entry to the pavilions, but for the more popular ones (which is anybody's guess as to which those are), lines could be very long and that's where the timed entry comes into play. From what I've seen, you can enter the lottery with multiple time slots for multiple pavilions on the date(s) of your attendance. However, from what I've read recently, not all pavilions have set up their timed entry availability. That is, as of a recent press release last week, only a few pavilions were accepting timed entry reservations. So that's just one more nugget of confusion. We'll likely be creating another video specific to ticketing very soon and of course will have other videos from the expo. Thanks for the comment and please share our channel with others as we try our best to grow.

@@UnchartedJapanTravel yes, I’ve been sharing your channel and will continue to do so. So I think you’re saying my entry ticket will give me access to all of the pavilions but the more popular ones which will be offering timed entries, like the Japan Pavilion, may require us to wait in line for a long time if we don’t win a lottery ticket, is that what you mean?

Yep, that is my understanding. Without a timed entry reservation, it may be possible you wait in a standby line, but even then if the lines are too long, you may not be able to get inside. Again, I'm going from what I've read on the official website, so double check. But I think the thing for all of us to remember is to attend with reasonable expectations knowing that (despite slow ticket sales to date), there will still be long lines. So if we all go into it knowing that, then we won't be too disappointed if we can't get inside our preferred pavilions. Despite the potential for crowds, Expo 2025 will still be an amazing event and we look forward to attending. There will be bumps along the way, but the Japanese are very good at pulling things together when needed. Appreciate your comment and sharing!

@@UnchartedJapanTravelthank you! Appreciate all your work on this!

You're welcome! Glad you found it helpful. Yes, it is surprising how little mention there is about it. But its going to be big! Thanks for watching!

日本人の反対を押し切り 中国と深い関係に有る大阪維新の会が 強行している万博です。 そんな万博が日本全国で話題になるはずが有りません。

Absolutely. Will be excellent for the youngsters and the "oldsters". Thanks for watching.

Excellent! We'll be there just before Golden Week. My wife was at the Expo 70 also held in Osaka. The Expo 70 Park is an enormous public park now with the equally huge Museum of Ethnology and the iconic "Tower of the Sun" statue. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching and commenting! Don't have any specific hotels nearby to recommend, but look for a hotel on the island where the Osaka Aquarium is located because those hotels are closest to the subway line that serves the Expo and cater to tourists. We typically stay at the Hankyu International Hotel, just north of Osaka Station (which is about 35 minutes from the Expo). Actually included a hotel tour in our video "Top Things In Osaka" which we published on December 13th, so take a look at that video and you'll see the accommodations. Its somewhat more expensive than the typical business hotel, but the rooms tend to be quite large along with the baths and the bedding is excellent. As for days, we'll be attending at least two days, though we'll be in Osaka for six just in case we need a third at the Expo. Keep in mind that while we're there, we'll be zipping from here to there to capture as much video content as possible going at probably a faster pace than most. I would think of it as if you were visiting Tokyo Disneyland or Universal Studios Japan and plan on the same number of days.

Thanks for watching and glad the video was helpful. Again, I have to say check the official website, but as you point out, it is quite confusing. I too believe you are correct regarding the lottery results applying equally to both tickets. As for transferring one of the tickets to your friend, that's a good question. If the ticket does not bear your name on both, it should be okay for your partner using her Expo ID. Its when tickets/passes (from other experiences) are issued with one person's name only, it can be a challenge to hand them to another. Sorry, I can't be more helpful but just dig through the website for hopefully a more helpful answer. I'll be doing that myself!

Yes, it is definitely huge. The biggest event in Japan this year.

Thanks for watching. Yep, there are creative mascots in nearly every town, but this one in particular looks crazy.

Thanks for asking! [email protected] is the email address.

Like icebergs, one doesn't realize how much of a submarine rests below the waterline. And imagine that this is actually a pretty small submarine compared to some. Thanks for watching!

Enjoy your trip! We have another Osaka video as well that you might enjoy. This is where Josephine was born and raised, so its a special city for us. Thanks for watching!

Absolutely a great idea! Thanks for watching!

Its an amazing story. The people are so genuine. Hope you'll share the video story with others. We want the community to come alive again as they are such good people, and what they've created is so amazing. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Thanks for watching! Yes, it was a great find! Can't beat the price of admission for such quality. Josephine and I appreciate your feedback and hope you'll share with others as we try growing our channel. Hope you'll enjoy another of our videos on some unique places. Safe travels!

Thanks for watching and glad to know it has provided some inspiration for your next trip. We are so glad we discovered this place. Josephine and I appreciate the feedback as we try to grow our meager channel. Our content isn't mainstream Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto material, and we don't show up that high in searches, so we hope you'll share our channel now and then with others who might also find it helpful. Thanks again for watching! Safe travels!

Same to you!

Thanks for watching. Yes, the illuminations in Japan are amazing.

Merry Christmas to you as well! Thanks for watching and following the journey. Here’s to an exciting 2025!

No I haven't, are there any other good places to go see lights in Japan?

You bet! There're plenty throughout Tokyo, and Yokohama has some incredible displays down along its waterfront.

Closer to 6 million depending on which website source you check

To each his own, but we prefer Nagoya. Less crowds and plenty to do.

Yes, nice to see some of the strengths of both, but we're obviously partial to Nagoya!

Thanks for watching and the comment! Yes, Edo Wonderland was a surprise and something anyone visiting Japan will enjoy as it provides a high quality glimpse into the Edo Period of Japan. Going to be publishing a video soon on the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum which is somewhat similar but without the live characters and activities. Appreciate you sharing our channel with others as we try growing it little by little!

As long as it doesn't put one to sleep!! Thanks for watching!

Appreciate you watching and commenting. Yes, we were very surprised and impressed. From some of the reviews, we weren't quite sure what to expect, but upon visiting, we came away very glad we did. We too would like to return when we can have more time there. We took in one show and it was quite well done. Despite it being a "tourist" spot, its not well known by most foreign visitors, and thus definitely fits the content profile of our channel. Thanks again for watching!

@@UnchartedJapanTravel There is one in Kyoto called Toei Kyoto Studio Park, the studio that made most of the Jidaigeki series. Smaller than Edo Wonderland but just as amazing.

Great to know! Will definitely look into it. These kinds of places provide visitors an easy way to get a glimpse at 200+/- years of history in one place and though not original towns and such, they make it convenient and entertaining. On our recent trip we visited the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum and were equally amazed. This isn't a "theme" park with player-characters in costume, but definitely a high quality experience from Edo to Show Periods. Thanks for watching and commenting! We're trying to grow the channel, so every view is appreciated.

Thank you very much for watching and the encouraging word! Josephine was born and raised in Osaka, so it holds special memories for her. Thanks for subscribing! I just subbed to yours and must say, its a lovely channel. Great videography. All the best to you!

@UnchartedJapanTravel Thanks for your lovely support, all the best to you too😘

Just sent you a brief email. Have a great day/evening (depending on where you are in the world at the moment)!

Lots more than just Dotonbori and Osaka Castle in Osaka. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the encouragement! Glad it has given you some ideas. Tsutenkaku is a great alternative to Dotonbori, plus you have the Tsutenkaku Tower which we didn't do on this trip due to the line, but it has some unique activities one can do up top. Its just a fun little neighborhood. Appreciate you watching and the comment.