Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan was held in 2025. Commissioned by the Ireland Pavilion, I photographed Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin during his visit to the Expo.
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
An international event that brings together countries from around the world to showcase their cultures, technologies, and ideas for addressing global challenges. With education as one of its primary purposes, a World Expo provides a platform for presenting human progress and visions for the future. Its origins are generally traced back to the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851, and since then, World Expos have played an important role in showcasing advances in technology and culture while promoting international exchange.
In Japan, the Japan World Exposition was held in 1970 under the theme “Progress and Harmony for Mankind,” bringing together 77 countries and four international organizations.
At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, 158 countries and regions and nine international organizations participated under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” more than doubling the scale of international participation compared with the 1970 Expo. The Expo aimed to contribute to achieving the SDGs and to advance the realization of Society 5.0, a key national strategy for Japan.
・Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/
Ireland Pavilion
Ireland’s pavilion, themed “Creativity Connects People,” expresses the intersection of tradition and the future, as well as cultural co-creation between Ireland and Japan. Its architecture consists of three circular structures inspired by the triskelion, an ancient Celtic symbol, and features immersive experiences incorporating music, dance, and art. Outside the pavilion stands *Magnus Rinn*, a sculpture by Joseph Walsh that symbolizes the cyclical connections between nature, people, and time.
・Ireland at Expo 2025
https://www.ireland.ie/en/expo/
*Click here to view my other projects related to Ireland.*
https://ropeth.com/tag/ireland/
Ireland Pavilion
Photography Process
On the day of the shoot, Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Micheál Martin (Mícheál Ó Máirtín), visited the Expo. I accompanied him during his tour of the Expo site and photographed the visit.
The Taoiseach first visited the Ireland Pavilion, followed by the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) pavilions. After returning to the Ireland Pavilion, he met and spoke with distinguished guests from various countries and organizations, further fostering international exchange.
Ireland Pavilion
European Union (EU) Pavilion
The EU Pavilion is designed around the three core principles of the New European Bauhaus: “sustainability,” “beauty,” and “inclusion.” It showcases how the EU is contributing to the creation of a sustainable, connected, inclusive, and secure world for present and future generations. Through immersive installations and interactive activities, visitors can explore EU policies and programs, joint projects with Japan, and the strong political, cultural, and economic ties shared between the EU and Japan.
・EU Pavilion (Official Website)
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/official-participant/eu/
United Nations (UN) Pavilion
Under the theme “United for a Better Future,” the United Nations Pavilion brings together more than 30 UN agencies in a collaborative exhibition. Visitors can explore the “Timeline Wall,” tracing the UN’s 80-year history; the “Orb Room,” which illustrates the connections between the United Nations and our everyday lives through familiar objects; and an “Immersive Theater,” offering an experiential vision of a sustainable future.
・United Nations Pavilion (Official Website)
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/official-participant/un/
Engagement with Distinguished Guests
Reception
The final shoot of the day covered the reception held inside the pavilion. A large number of guests attended, filling the venue to capacity. Following remarks from the Taoiseach and other representatives, guests enjoyed music, dance, drinks, and food, creating a lively and celebratory atmosphere.
For this project, accompanying the leader of a nation gave me the rare opportunity to witness international relations unfolding up close and experience them firsthand. It was a true honor to document through photography the moments when countries, cultures, and people from around the world came together. My sincere thanks to the Ireland Pavilion for entrusting me with this opportunity.
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An editor, writer, and photographer based in the Kansai region. After graduating from university, I worked as an elementary school teacher, cram school instructor, and childcare professional. In 2019, I joined hyphen LLC, where I worked at coworking space mocco Himeji and helped launch coworking space mocco Kakogawa, serving as a community manager. I later worked as an editor, interviewer, writer, and photographer for *Maruhari*, a local information magazine covering the Harima region of Hyogo Prefecture, before becoming independent. Since March 2024, I have served as a community manager at GRANDSLAM, a coworking space in Fukushima, Osaka.
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