“Itadakimasu” and “gochisosama” are expressions of thanks that naturally come out of the mouths of the Japanese at mealtime, and these two phrases are incorporated in the theme music of this theater. Visitors actually sit at a table and learn about Japanese food culture through a virtual dining experience. It is an interactive, inclusive entertainment show executed with cutting-edge technology. The overriding message is that the Japanese food can be the food of the world, something that connects everyone on earth with a happy feeling.

The Japan Pavilion featured a 150-seat circular theater space where interactive performance called Future Restaurant took place. The performance ran 34 times per day, and the total of 6000 times during the whole period.

Fitting to the concept of the Future Restaurant, a giant chandelier lights the circular stage where cooking performances are acted out. Visitors are seated at tables around the stage, where they use media table to access information on ingredients, choose their own dishes, and participate in the meal. All kinds of Japanese dishes, traditional ones as well as those already popular around the world, come up on the table one after another. The key phrases that unify the experience are “itadakimasu” and “gochisosama.” Chopsticks, the traditional utensil, are chosen as an input interface for the media table. Moving images of Japanese landscape in four seasons accompany the experience.

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 voted number one as the most popular pavilion. The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera gave a favorable review, recognizing the “balance of the poetical and the high-tech” of the Japan Pavilion. The word spread through various media, resulting in 9-hour-long waiting lines at peak periods. In the Pavilion Prizes awarded by BIE (Bureau International des Expositions), Japan Pavilion was awarded gold (the best prize) for installation design. This is the first time ever that a Japanese Pavilion has received the gold award.