Part1「Expo’70　Synthesis of Technology, Design and Art」 2025.3.8 Sat. －5.25 Sun. Part2「After Expo’75　Toward People, Nature, and the Environment」 2025.6.14 Sat. －8.31 Sun. Closed on Mondays (Open on holidays that fall on a Monday. In which case the following weekday will be closed: Open on 5th May., 6th May., 21st Jul., 11th Aug. Closed on 22nd Jul., 12th Aug.) Open hours：10:00－16:30 Entry： ・Case1 To view the exhibition only (open on weekdays only). Please enter from the main gate of the Yushima Local Common Government Offices. Admission is free. Visitors are not allowed entry into the Tokyo Metropolitan Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens. ・Case2 To view both the exhibition and Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens. Please enter via the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens (Admission 400 yen). World Fair in Japan 1970-2005

 

Leaflet（PDF）

Press release （PDF）

The World’s Fair (also called International Exposition or Expo) originated in the nineteenth century as an exhibition that gathered and displayed the finest goods from many countries. Though the buildings of World’s Fairs are intended to serve as containers for the exhibits, they have also made significant contributions to the development of modern architecture. The Eiffel Tower, built as a gate and observation deck for the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889, was the most advanced steel-framed architecture of its time, and even today functions as a Paris landmark. The fact that a World’s Fair is a prestigious national event, and that the architecture is to be used only for a short period of time, has encouraged varied architectural experiments, and consequently World’s Fair architecture has contributed to the evolution of modern architecture.

World’s Fairs have been held in Japan five times: Japan World Exposition Osaka 1970 (Expo ’70), International Ocean Exposition Okinawa 1975 (Expo ’75), International Exhibition Tsukuba Japan 1985 (Expo ’85), International Garden and Greenery Exposition Osaka 1990 (Expo ’90), and Expo 2005 Aichi (Expo 2005). Following these, the sixth will be Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, to be held for 184 days from 13 April 2025 (Sunday) to 13 October 2025 (Monday).

This exhibition will focus on drawings and other materials related to their planning stages held in the NAMA collection, intended to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of the venue planning and facility design for the five previous World’s Fairs. Through this exhibition, we hope that visitors will gain an understanding of the role that World’s Fairs have played in architectural history, and an appreciation of the inventive designs that are to be found in their architecture.

 

Basic Information

Organization：Agency for Cultural Affairs
Planning：National Archives of Modern Architecture
Cooperation：Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
Venue：National Archives of Modern Architecture, Agency for Cultural Affairs
　　　　（4-6-15 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo）

Part1「Expo’70　Synthesis of Technology, Design and Art」　2025.3.8 Sat. －5.25 Sun.
Part2「After Expo’75　Toward People, Nature, and the Environment」　2025.6.14 Sat. －8.31 Sun.
Closed on Mondays
(Open on holidays that fall on a Monday. In which case the following weekday will be closed: Open on 5th May., 6th May., 21st Jul., 11th Aug. Closed on 22nd Jul., 12th Aug.)
Open hours：10:00－16:30

Entry：
・Case1 To view the exhibition only (open on weekdays only).
Please enter from the main gate of the Yushima Local Common Government Offices. Admission is free. Visitors are not allowed entry into the Tokyo Metropolitan Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens.
・Case2 To view both the exhibition and Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens.
Please enter via the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens (Admission 400 yen).

※NOTE
We do not have a parking lot. If you use a wheelchair or other wheelchair accessible facilities, please contact us in advance.
Also, as our building was renovated from a building constructed to older standards, it is not barrier-free. If you have any trouble, please feel free to contact the reception.

 

Contents of Part 1

Part 1, “Expo’70 Synthesis of Technology, Design and Art” will provide an overview of these five World’s Fairs, with particular attention to drawings of notable facilities at the Japan World Exposition Osaka 1970 (Expo’70). They will be a testament to the tremendous efforts made to unite technology, design and art.

Section 1: Symbol Zone
Main Exhibits: TANGE Kenzo“Big Roof・Festival Plaza”, KIKUTAKE Kiyonori“Expo Tower” and “South Plaza”, OTAKA Masato“Main Gate”.

 

Section 2: Pavilions
Main Exhibits: MAYEKAWA Kunio“Automobile Pavilion” and “Steel Pavilion”, SAKAKURA Junzo“Electric Power Pavilion – Electrium”, MURATA Yutaka“Electric Power Pavilion – Floating Theater” and “Fuji Group Pavilion”, OTANI Sachio“Sumitomo Pavilion”.

 

 

 

Contents of Part 2

Part 2, “After Expo’75 Toward People, Nature, and the Environment” will display drawings and documents from the collection related to the four other World’s Fairs, in addition to the Japan World Exposition Osaka 1970 (Expo’70). The general theme of Expo’70, which manifested in designs that foregrounded technological advances, has shifted toward themes that include human habitation, nature such as oceans and mountains, and consideration for the global environment, with corresponding changes in venue site-planning methods and architectural designs.

Section 1．Japan World Exposition Osaka 1970
Main Exhibits：We will update partially the exhibition materials of the Part1.

Section 2. International Ocean Exposition, Okinawa 1975
Main Exhibits: KIKUTAKE Kiyonori“Aquapolis”, MURATA Yutaka“FUYO Group Pavilion”, KIMURA Toshihiko“Aquarium（Designed by MAKI Fumihiko）Structural Documents”

 

Section 3. International Exhibition, Tsukuba Japan 1985
Main Exhibits: OTAKA Masato“Expo Hall” and “Foreign Pavilion”, KIKUTAKE Kiyonori“Foreign Pavilion”, TAKAHASHI Teiichi and Daiichi-Kobo’s “Guest House”, KAWAZOE Noboru“Materials of Early Master Plans”

 

Section 4. International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan 1990
Main Exhibits:13 FOLLIES collected by WORKSHOP FOR ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM

 

Section 5. EXPO 2005, Aichi, Japan
Main Exhibits: KIKUTAKE Kiyonori“Global Loop”, TAKAHASHI Teiichi and Daiichi-Kobo“Aichi Pavillion in Seto Site”.

 

 

Features and highlights of this exhibition

１）Basic knowledge to Enjoy the World’s Fairs
Through an exhibition on five World’s Fairs held in Japan, you will learn the basic knowledge of World’s Fair architecture and site planning. This knowledge will enable you to enjoy the Osaka-Kansai Expo even more.

２）A Rare Opportunity to See Original Drawings of World’s Fairs
Exhibitions about the World’s Fairs have mainly been introduced through photographs, and the original drawings have rarely been made public. This exhibition will display valuable materials related to Japan’s World’s Fairs, including never-before-seen items from NAMA’s collection of approximately 200,000 items.

３）The Skill and Passion Behind Hand-Drawn Designs for Complex Structures
In the late 1960s, before computer-aided design (CAD) became widespread, architects relied on hand-drawn drawings to create intricate structures. This exhibition also features drafts and sketches, so you can feel the architects’ challenges and passion.

４）The Real Stories of Architects, Told by Those Who Knew Them Well
Our archives also conduct activities to record oral histories related to architects. This exhibition presents previously unreleased records of structural engineer KIMURA Toshihiko and architect MURATA Yutaka, both of whom played key roles in Japan’s World’s Fairs.

 

Events Information

Details of the Symposiums and Guided tours during the exhibition will be announced on this website.

 

Inquiry

National Archives of Modern Architecture, Agency for Cultural Affairs
TEL：03-3812-3401
Email：nama@mext.go.jp