Japan Pavilion
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Concept
Concept animation. A plant sprouts from the soil and grows into a tree. Wood is transformed into a chair. The chair breaks and falls apart, becoming soil. A cyclical animation where life continues even as it changes in form.
It’s not just us. When an animal or plant, a thing, even a whole society, nears to the end of its role, part of it is carried on, transforming, taking on a new role. We all live through these connections.
Take a look at this space between lives and you'll see that the world is made up of countless, tiny cyclical loops.
A full life is one in which all life is respected, its meaning and value understood. A full life is lived as part of the connections between lives. The relationship to nature and aesthetic sensibility that have flourished in this country are one key to achieving this.
What will you find, what will you think, in that cycle between lives with no beginning and no end? What will you carry on to the next?
Architecture
The Japan Pavilion, with its circular structure, embodies the cycle of life and stands as a distinct presence befitting the host country’s pavilion. Its distinguishing feature: a great circle of innumerable wooden planks. Peering between them, visitors can glimpse the interior, connecting the outer and the inner, through exhibits and architecture, inspiring an understanding of what lies “between”—part of the pavilion’s theme. These planks, mainly composed of cross-laminated timber (CLT), have been designed to be easily disassembled for reuse in buildings across Japan after the Expo is over.
Experience
How do you make a pavilion that “eats trash”? By making it a biogas plant. Microorganisms decompose the Expo site’s garbage, transforming it into biogas. Visitors can witness this process through an installation on site, experiencing a “living pavilion” that uses power from its own plant. Visitors walk in a circle through the building’s three zones to gain an understanding of the Japanese aesthetic concept of “circulation,” and themselves become part of a grand, unending story. Circulation: an eternal connection, without beginning or end. Adding to the Japan Pavilion’s unique charm are its three separate entrances and exits, each offering a different story for visitors to experience.
Visual System
Visual system animation. An organic pattern takes the shape of a circle. Like cell division in life, the pattern becomes finer and finer, before returning to a single large cell. Division and regeneration repeat.
The visual system at the Japan Pavilion is another kind of living organism. It breathes and grows, splitting and fusing again and again, always changing. It represents the purpose of the Pavilion: to turn our eyes toward that which lies between lives, and impress guests with memories not of a design, but of a process. We hope that this visual experience creates another life between the Japan Pavilion and all who visit.
Uniform
A looping stop-motion animation showing a uniform emerge from a neatly wrapped furoshiki cloth, the individual items inside arranging themselves in an orderly fashion. There are eight components making up the uniform. From the top left, they are: a hat; a T-shirt; a lightweight gold scarf; a bag; a jacket; pants; traditional Japanese setta sandals; and tabi socks. The clothing items are shown lined up in a folded state. The uniform then returns to the furoshiki cloth, where the items are again wrapped up neatly.
The attendant uniforms at the Japan Pavilion were created with the concept of “Embodying Japanese Aesthetics.” Beyond functionality—such as comfort, ease of movement, and heat resistance—the uniforms incorporate various thoughtful elements, including eco-friendly materials and plans for recycling after the event. The design reflects a Japanese sense of space, inspired by the structure of traditional kimono. Each uniform allows diverse attendants at the Japan Pavilion to wear it comfortably and elegantly throughout the changing seasons.
Legacy
The Japan Pavilion: Legacy Book
The legacy of the Japan Pavilion is the diverse range of values, realizations,
and behavioral changes aimed at the realization of a circular society, born from
the experience of looking in between the forms life takes.
It summarizes
the impact of changing individual awareness and behavior through the series of
activities and experiences found at the Japan Pavilion, both tangible and
intangible, starting before the Expo began and continuing after its conclusion,
as well as the positive impacts of inspiring real progressive evolution of
social values in the future.
We invite you to take a look at the legacy
created by the Japan Pavilion.
The Japan Pavilion: Legacy Project Report
The Japan Pavilion Legacy Project aims to pass on the core philosophy of the
Japan Pavilion to the next generation. Participating in the project were
university and junior high school students. With the themes of the Japan
Pavilion as a springboard, engagement in dialogue and co-creation conveyed the
soft, intangible legacy of the Japan Pavilion to the younger generation. What
did the university students feel and gain? And what did the junior high school
students take away from this experience?
In addition, a worksheet was
created for individuals to explore the future for themselves using this project
as a starting point.
This worksheet can be utilized not only in educational
settings but also in workshops, personal everyday learning, and a variety of
other scenarios.
Contents
A portion of the content published on the official Japan Pavilion website has been archived in PDF format. In addition, a video tour of the Japan Pavilion from the visitor's perspective is available to watch. This video includes the audio guide from the Expo.
The Japan Pavilion: Archive Movie
This video allows viewers to experience what it was like to walk through
the actual Japan Pavilion and visit each exhibition space in order.
A
recording of the audio guide provided to visitors to the Japan Pavilion
during the Expo is also included, offering viewers a chance to learn about
the sentiments and stories behind the different exhibits.
The unique
world of the Japan Pavilion is available at any time through this audio
and video experience.
We invite you to join us on this endless
journey through cycles.
Monthly JP pavilion
This web magazine will help you enjoy the Japan Pavilion even more.
We
will look at the cycles of life in our immediate surroundings, while
identifying lessons to help shape the society of tomorrow and build a
sustainable future.
The Japan Pavilion: A Guide
Join the endless journey along the “cycle“.
Discover the Plant Area,
Farm Area, and Factory Area.
The dreams that drive them, and the
technologies that make them work.
This guide will deepen your
understanding of the Japan Pavilion before and after your visit.
The Japan Pavilion Library
The Japan Pavilion Library is a collection of information about related
exhibits and projects.
It showcases stories about the Japan Pavilion,
including about Japan Pavilions of the past and the Martian meteorite.
We
hope you will make new discoveries and gain new insights.