Different zones in the Pavilion, each with unique entertaining features, all combine digital technology and traditional art to present aspects of Japanese food culture: spiritual approach to food, knowledge and wisdom passed on in farming villages, technology of the future, and ever-continuing food evolution. Rather than being limited to a folkloric showcasing of Japanese culture, the innovative use of technology and art succeeds to offer an emotional experience, encouraging visitors to be feel more involved and personal, to see Japan and their own country as sharing the same future.

The first zone presents a farm landscape that symbolizes the longstanding Japanese relationship to food. Images inspired from calligraphies, drawings, and painted screens are digitally projected to create an immersive space. Next comes a giant virtual waterfall where informative contents about various Japanese food culture float on the surface. These contents are also designed to be relevant to other cultures, and visitors can save them in smartphones to take home. Next, countless miniature food models provide a sense of diversity of Japanese food. Having gained basic understanding of Japanese food, in the next zone, the visitors see various food crises facing the Earth. A sense of emergency is shared, and Japanese solutions are explained. Lastly, the live performance theater: visitors sit around virtual Japanese dishes served at media tables, and chant “itadakimasu” to the theme tune, expressing thanks for the food. The smiles spread across the room.

During the 184-day season, 2,280,000 people visited the Japan Pavilion. That amounts to 1 in 10 of total Expo visitors. In a survey conducted by an Italian agricultural organization, Japanese Pavilion was chosen as the “best pavilion.” The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera gave a favorable review, recognizing the “balance of the poetical and the high-tech” of Japan Pavilion. The word spread through various media, resulting in 9-hour-long waiting lines at its peak periods. In the Pavilion Prizes awarded by BIE (Bureau International des Expositions), Japan Pavilion was awarded gold, the best prize, for exhibition design. This is the first time ever that a Japanese Pavilion receives the gold prize. The smartphone app “Japan Pavilion app” counted 206,000 downloads, 7,700 users, and 37.3% post-visit app retaining rate.