Expo 2005 was a world expo[1] held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. 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)[2] and is currently hosting Expo 2025 Osaka (World Expo).[3] The site of the expo would become the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park after it ended and is now the home of Ghibli Park.
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 1.73 square kilometres (430 acres). A smaller area of 0.15 square kilometres (37 acres) 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 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 Linimomagnetic levitation train.
Participants
122 participating countries set a date for their own pavilions.
Country
Receipt of announcement for
Location
National day
Aichi Hospitality partner
Participation
(common)
Angola
2003-03-17
5
September 6
Haruhi Town
Argentina
2003-01-08
2
July 11
Okazaki City
Armenia
2003-06-17
4
June 7
Tsukude Village
Australia
2003-07-16
6
April 21
Anjo City
(Japanese only)
Obu City
Austria
2003-05-14
4
April 27
Kozakai Town
Azerbaijan
2003-04-14
4
May 17
Shippo Town
Bangladesh
2004-04-18
1
June 9
Nisshin City
Belgium
2003-01-23
4
June 14
Nagakute Town
Belize
2003-02-21
2
August 19 (SICA)
Miyoshi Town
(Japanese only)
Benin
2001-10-11
5
September 21
Ichinomiya Town
Bhutan
2001-06-20
1
June 2
Handa City
Bolivia
2001-05-11
2
August 5
Toei Town
Bosnia and Herzegovina
2003-06-09
3
Ichinomiya City
Brunei Darussalam
2003-7-19
6
May 18
Takahama City
(Japanese only)
Bulgaria
2002-10-28
4
May 13
Toyoake City
Burkina Faso
2003-06-19
5
June 16
Konan City
Burundi
2001-12-21
5
September 12
Isshiki Town
(Japanese only)
Cambodia
2002-10-09
6
May 10
Kota Town
(Japanese only)
Cameroon
2001-12-26
5
June 21
Tsushima City
Canada
2001-05-02
2
April 5
Kasugai City
(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)
Kariya City
Chad
2001-08-29
5
June 8
Aisai City
China
2002-08-28
1
May 19
Toyohashi City
Congo
2003-04-07
5
September 14
Seto City
Costa Rica
2003-03-31
2
August 19 (SICA)
Tsugu Village
(Japanese only)
Côte d'Ivoire
2002-07-05
5
August 3
Anjo City
(Japanese only)
Croatia
2003-05-27
3
April 12
Hekinan City
Cuba
2002-05-09
2
July 26
Iwakura City
Czech Republic
2002-01-04
4
June 24
Otowa Town
Democratic Republic of Congo
2003-02-04
5
May 31
Obu City
Denmark
2003-06-13
4
April 20
Anjo City
(Japanese only)
Djibouti
2002-12-26
5
June 28
Kariya City
Dominican Republic
2003-02-06
2
May 25
Atsumi Town
Ecuador
2003-06-30
2
August 10
Komaki City
(Japanese only)
Egypt
2003-01-14
5
July 22
Kira Town
(Japanese only)
El Salvador
2003-03-31
2
August 19 (SICA)
Nishiharu Town
Eritrea
2004-01-30
5
June 10
Inuyama City
Ethiopia
2003-03-03
5
May 16
Horai Town
Fiji
2003-11-24
6
June 22
Taketoyo Town
(Japanese only)
Finland
2003-06-25
4
May 12
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
France
2002-03-27
3
April 14
Seto City
Jushiyama Village
Gabon
2003-03-07
5
July 12
Aisai City
Georgia
2002-04-23
4
September 22
Kasugai City
(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)
Germany
2002-09-20
3
April 13
Inuyama City. Toyohashi City
Ghana
2001-09-02
5
June 30
Ichinomiya Town
Greece
2002-10-15
3
May 20
Inazawa City
(Japanese only)
Guatemala
2003-03-24
2
August 19 (SICA)
Handa City
Guinea
2001-10-19
5
August 26
Inazawa City
(Japanese only)
Honduras
2003-06-13
2
August 19 (SICA)
Toyohashi City
Iceland
2003-06-17
4
July 15
Chiryu City
India
2001-12-10
1
July 20
Kariya City
Indonesia
2002-08-06
6
August 17
Togo Town
(Japanese only)
Iran
2002-05-29
1
April 1
Jushiyama Village
Ireland
2003-07-18
4
March 31
Kiyosu City
(Japanese only)
Italy
2003-05-21
3
April 28
Ichinomiya City
Jordan
2002-11-27
3
July 5
Kasugai City
(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)
Kazakhstan
2002-11-11
1
June 15
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Kenya
2002-04-15
5
August 18
Higashiura Town
(Japanese only)
Kiribati
2002-03-19
6
August 15
Ichinomiya Town Obu City
Kyrgyzstan
2001-06-29
1
August 4
Tomiyama Village
Laos
2002-01-14
6
June 13
Tahara City
Libya
2003-03-24
3
April 7
Tahara City
Lithuania
2002-04-10
4
July 6
Toyohashi City
Madagascar
2003-04-01
5
May 30
Nukata Town
Malaysia
2003-06-09
6
August 31
Tokoname City
Mali
2003-05-05
5
September 1
Jimokuji Town
Marshall Islands
2003-08-29
6
Tobisihma Village
(Japanese only)
Mauritania
2001-08-22
5
July 14
Nishio City
(Japanese only)
Mexico
2002-11-06
2
September 15
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Micronesia
2003-11-27
6
August 22
Konan City
Mongolia
2002-04-18
1
May 27
Kanie Town
(Japanese only)
Morocco
2003-04-04
3
July 1
Toyoyama Town
(Japanese only)
Nepal
2001-12-06
1
July 7
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Netherlands
2003-09-05
4
April 19
Yatomi City
(Japanese only)
New Zealand
2003-09-09
6
June 3
Ichinomiya City
Nishio City
(Japanese only)
Nicaragua
2003-03-20
2
August 19 (SICA)
Oguchi Town
(Japanese only)
Nigeria
2003-04-10
5
August 23
Oguchi Town
(Japanese only)
Norway
2003-07-03
4
April 11
Inazawa City
(Japanese only)
Pakistan
2003-04-25
1
August 11
Tsushima City
Palau
2003-07-29
6
July 8
Nissin City
Panama
2003-06-13
2
August 19 (SICA)
Aisai City
Papua New Guinea
2003-03-28
6
September 16
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Peru
2003-03-28
2
July 28
Toyokawa City
Philippines
2003-03-07
6
September 20
Toyokawa City
Poland
2002-08-23
4
May 9
Gamagori City
(Japanese only)
Portugal
2003-03-25
4
May 24
Oharu Town
(Japanese only)
Qatar
2003-03-23
1
September 2
Chita City
Republic of Korea
2002-03-08
1
May 11
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Shikatsu Town
Republic of China
2003-04-01
1
Romania
2002-04-23
4
June 1
Minamichita Town
Russian Federation
2002-05-28
4
June 17
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Rwanda
2002-10-23
5
June 10
Kiyosu City
(Japanese only)
Samoa
2003-06-13
6
August 30
Shitara Town
(Japanese only)
São Tomé and Príncipe
2003-06-11
5
July 21
Tokai City
(Japanese only)
Saudi Arabia
2001-08-08
1
September 9
Toyone Village
(Japanese only)
Senegal
2003-03-06
5
April 8
Fuso Town
(Japanese only)
Singapore
2001-10-13
6
August 9
Mihama Town
(Japanese only)
Solomon Islands
2003-09-15
6
July 13
Agui Town
(Japanese only)
South Africa
2003-08-13
5
April 26
Aisai City
Spain
2001-05-24
3
July 25
Kiyosu City
(Japanese only)
Sri Lanka
2002-05-28
1
July 27
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Sudan
2003-10-12
5
August 16
Kasugai City
(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)
Kariya City
Sweden
2003-06-26
4
April 6
Okazaki City
Switzerland
2001-12-19
4
April 15
Shinshiro City
(Japanese only)
Tajikistan
2003-04-07
1
September 13
Shikatsu Town
Thailand
2003-03-10
6
August 12
Inazawa City
(Japanese only)
Tonga
2003-01-15
6
July 4
Owariasahi City
Tunisia
2002-12-19
3
June 23
Seto City
Türkiye
2002-12-19
3
August 2
Tokai City
(Japanese only)
Tuvalu
2003-12-29
6
August 15
Cita City
Uganda
2001-05-24
5
September 7
Kiyosu City
(Japanese only)
Ukraine
2002-11-12
4
August 24
Hazu City
(Japanese only)
United Kingdom
2003-07-19
4
April 22
Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
United Republic of Tanzania
2002-02-19
5
May 26
Komaki City
(Japanese only)
United States of America
2003-11-18
2
June 20
Toyohashi City Toyota City
(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)
Anjo City
Uzbekistan
2001-06-01
1
September 8
Ichinomiya City
Vanuatu
2003-11-10
6
August 1
Gamagori City
(Japanese only)
Venezuela
2003-04-11
2
June 29
Toyohashi City
Vietnam
2002-09-16
6
September 5
Miwa Town
Yemen
2002-05-06
1
May 23
Nishio City
(Japanese only)
Zambia
2003-10-28
5
July 19
Okazaki City
Zimbabwe
2003-07-14
5
April 18
Mito Town
In regards to the companies and municipality, the ones who were presented are as follows:
Mountain of Dreams - Chunichi Shimbun 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.
Expo with the corporate pavilions in the background
"Wonder Circus", the Electric Power Pavilion
PokéPark 2005 at De La Fantasia
Mascots
Morizo and Kiccoro on flower wall
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'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's humanoid robot, was shown off at the Expo as one of its many public appearances.
The Franklin Spirit[4] at the USA Pavilion, designed by award-winning experience designer Bob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts,[5] 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.[6]
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.[7] On March 24, 2005, Yoshiki conducted an orchestra and performed the song for the opening ceremony of the Expo.[8] Pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki also performed a classical version of her single "A Song Is Born" on the event's opening day.[9]
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