There is just one week to go until the World Expo in Osaka draws to a close. Organizers are bracing for a surge in last-minute traffic.
They are also looking ahead to preserve the legacy of the 6-month event.
The expo opened in April with 158 countries and territories taking part. The number of ticketed visitors reached over 23.5 million as of Saturday. That tops the figure for the 2005 Expo in Aichi, central Japan.
A PR event for the 2030 World Expo in Saudi Arabia is scheduled on Friday during the final week.
A group of pavilion producers and experts will also stage a talk show on how to realize the Osaka Expo’s theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”
Meanwhile, the symbolic Grand Ring building will be partially preserved as a public attraction after the expo ends.
The ring has been recognized as the world’s largest wooden architectural structure.
Some of its timber will be reused to build houses for people affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
But for now, organizers are focusing on running the event safely until the final day on October 13.
AloJapan.com