Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo venue in Konohana Ward, Osaka, is seen in this photo taken in July.
13:56 JST, September 21, 2025
Reservation slots for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo are fully booked, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the operator of the expo, said Friday. With the Oct. 13 closing date approaching, a last-minute surge in visitors has made entry to the venue extremely difficult, raising concerns that many purchased tickets may go unused.
No refund policy
The Expo, being held on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka, has introduced a reservation system for visit dates and times as transportation capacity by subway and other means is limited and the association has aimed to realize a “line-free Expo.” There are five time slots: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.
On Friday morning, the association’s official website showed “no vacant slots” for all time slots through the closing date, meaning no new reservations could be made. A reporter holding an admission ticket checked the reservation site and found all days until the expo’s closing displayed as “fully booked.” According to the association, reservations can become available if cancellations occur. However, the reservation site is experiencing heavy traffic, requiring long wait times.
Regarding challenges in making reservations, social media posts are showing people’s frustration. Social media users have said things like: “I stayed up all night staring at the reservation site but couldn’t get any slots,” and “I’ll never be able to book a visit to the Expo.”
A 27-year-old man from Saitama City who visited the Expo on Friday recalled booking three weeks prior. “The 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. slots were already full, but I managed to get one at 11 a.m.,” he said. “I want to come back and see other pavilions, but I doubt I’ll be able to get another reservation.”
The association has a policy of not refunding admission tickets, which is specified in the ticket purchase and usage terms. To avoid situations where reservations cannot be made for desired dates and times, it has been urging visitors to make reservations early. Starting Aug. 18, the system switched to requiring visitors to reserve their desired visit date and time when purchasing tickets.
990,000 tickets unused in Aichi Expo
The association has not disclosed the number of unused tickets, but it is believed to be substantial.
As of Sept. 12, 21.43 million tickets had been sold. In contrast, preliminary figures show that total visitor numbers surpassed 20 million, hitting 20.03 million on Thursday. This suggests 1.4 million tickets remain unused.
A total of 680,000 multiple-entry passes such as the season pass and summer pass had been sold. Visitor counts include people using the same ticket for multiple entries. Therefore, the number of unused tickets is likely even higher.
A senior official of the association expressed concern over the situation, saying, “With so little time left before closing, it’s difficult to drastically reduce the unused tickets.”
At a regular press conference on Friday, Shingo Torii, chairperson of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and deputy chairperson of the association, said: “We sincerely apologize to those who [bought tickets but] cannot visit [the Expo]. We can only offer our apologies.”
At the 2005 Aichi Expo, which drew 22.05 million visitors, 17.2 million admission tickets were sold and 990,000, or 5.7% of them, went unused.
AloJapan.com