On May 8, foundation president Akasaka Kiyotaka was invited by the embassies of India and Saudi Arabia to visit their country pavilions at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai.

At the India Pavilion, a giant sculpture titled Namaste Hands welcomed visitors at the entrance. Inside were displays of cutting-edge technologies from India, including a replica of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft that successfully landed on the moon in 2023. There were also exhibits of traditional culture, such as Buddhist murals, and crystals excavated from different geological layers. Displays of textiles and specialties from each of India’s state are rotated regularly, providing visitors new discoveries. Indian delicacies like samosas, tandoori chicken, and biryani were also available.

The Saudi Arabia Pavilion presents the capital of Riyadh, which will host the 2030 Expo. The exhibits highlight such initiatives as greening the desert, managing water quality, and Neom, a futuristic city under construction where the world’s top talents are expected to gather. A shopping area called Souq, which means “market” in Arabic, offers visitors the opportunity to try traditional Saudi snacks and drinks. On the day of our visit, a collaborative dance performance with the Malaysia Pavilion took place in the Saudi Plaza, filling the venue with lively rhythms.

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is being staged on an artificial island, Yumeshima, and is the largest such event ever held, with more than 160 countries, regions, and international organizations participating. It will run until October 13.