was a world expo held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. Japan has also hosted Expo '70 Osaka (World Expo), Expo '75 Okinawa (Specialised Expo), Expo '85 Tsukuba (Specialised Expo), Expo '90 Osaka (Horticultural Expo) and Expo 2025 Osaka (World Expo).
The site of the expo would become the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park after it ended and is now the home of Ghibli Park.
Bidding process Expo 2005 was awarded to Nagoya during a meeting of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) General Assembly in Monaco on June 12, 1997. Nagoya received 53 votes while the other candidate city, Calgary in Canada, received 27.Adams, Jeff. "Expo heartbreak: 53-27 vote for Japan 'stunning'", Calgary Herald, June 13, 1997, front page and page A2. The Australian city of Gold Coast had been a candidate as well, but decided in March 1997 to bid for Expo 2002 instead.Adams, Jeff. "City could take stab at Expo 2002", Calgary Herald, March 24, 1997, page B1. In the weeks leading up to the decision, promoters for both Calgary and Nagoya recruited countries to sign the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions and become members of the BIE so they could vote for the Expo 2005 host. The BIE grew from 47 member states in late April 1997 to 82 on June 12, including three countries which joined on the day of the vote.Adams, Jeff. "It's Expo showtime", Calgary Herald, June 12, 1997, front page.
Theme The theme of the Expo was "Nature's Wisdom", with national and corporate pavilions expressing themes of ecological co-existence, renewable technology, and the wonders of nature. In Japanese, this is rendered as Ai-chikyūhaku (愛・地球博), which means (roughly) "Love the Earth Expo," as well as being a play on the name of the host prefecture, 愛知 (Aichi). According to the official website: We must come together and share our experience and wisdom, in order to create a new direction for humanity which is both sustainable and harmonious with nature.
Location The main site of the Expo was a forested area in Nagakute, east of Nagoya, covering an area of about . A smaller area of nearby, accessible by gondola from the main site near Seto was also part of the Expo. Great care was taken to build the pavilions out of recycled or recyclable materials, to minimize environmental impact on the site, and to provide environmentally friendly transportation to and within the Expo area.
The cost of the Expo has been estimated at 340 billion yen ($3.3 billion). However, the recorded 22,049,544 visitors greatly exceeded the target of 15,000,000 and the Expo made a profit of over 10 billion yen.
The nearby city of Toyota also held some related events, although there was no special area set aside.
The area in Nagakute can be reached from Nagoya by subway (Higashiyama line) to the last stop in Fujigaoka, followed by a ride on the newly built Linimo magnetic levitation train.
Participants 122 participating countries set a date for their own pavilions. Country Receipt of announcement for Location National day Aichi Hospitality partner Participation (common)Angola2003-03-175September 6 Haruhi TownArgentina2003-01-082July 11Okazaki CityArmenia2003-06-174June 7Tsukude VillageAustralia2003-07-166April 21Anjo City(Japanese only)Obu CityAustria2003-05-144April 27Kozakai TownAzerbaijan2003-04-144May 17Shippo TownBangladesh2004-04-181June 9Nisshin CityBelgium2003-01-234June 14Nagakute TownBelize2003-02-212August 19 (SICA) Miyoshi Town(Japanese only)Benin2001-10-115September 21Ichinomiya TownBhutan2001-06-201June 2Handa CityBolivia2001-05-112August 5Toei TownBosnia and Herzegovina2003-06-093Ichinomiya CityBrunei Darussalam2003-7-196May 18Takahama City(Japanese only)Bulgaria2002-10-284May 13Toyoake CityBurkina Faso2003-06-195June 16Konan CityBurundi2001-12-215September 12Isshiki Town(Japanese only)Cambodia2002-10-096May 10Kota Town(Japanese only)Cameroon2001-12-265 June 21Tsushima CityCanada2001-05-022April 5Kasugai City(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)Kariya CityChad2001-08-295June 8Aisai CityChina2002-08-281May 19Toyohashi CityCongo2003-04-075September 14Seto CityCosta Rica2003-03-312August 19 (SICA)Tsugu Village(Japanese only)Côte d'Ivoire2002-07-055August 3Anjo City(Japanese only)Croatia2003-05-273April 12Hekinan CityCuba2002-05-092July 26Iwakura CityCzech Republic2002-01-044June 24Otowa TownDemocratic Republic of Congo2003-02-045May 31Obu CityDenmark2003-06-134April 20Anjo City(Japanese only)Djibouti2002-12-265June 28Kariya CityDominican Republic2003-02-062May 25Atsumi TownEcuador2003-06-302August 10Komaki City(Japanese only)Egypt2003-01-145July 22Kira Town(Japanese only)El Salvador 2003-03-312August 19 (SICA)Nishiharu TownEritrea2004-01-305June 10Inuyama CityEthiopia2003-03-035May 16Horai TownFiji2003-11-246June 22Taketoyo Town(Japanese only)Finland2003-06-254May 12Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)France2002-03-273April 14Seto City Jushiyama VillageGabon2003-03-075July 12Aisai CityGeorgia2002-04-234September 22Kasugai City(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)Germany2002-09-203April 13Inuyama City. Toyohashi CityGhana2001-09-025June 30Ichinomiya TownGreece2002-10-153May 20Inazawa City(Japanese only)Guatemala2003-03-242August 19 (SICA)Handa CityGuinea2001-10-195August 26Inazawa City(Japanese only)Honduras2003-06-132August 19 (SICA)Toyohashi CityIceland2003-06-174July 15Chiryu CityIndia2001-12-101July 20Kariya CityIndonesia2002-08-066August 17Togo Town(Japanese only)Iran2002-05-291April 1Jushiyama VillageIreland2003-07-184March 31Kiyosu City(Japanese only)Italy2003-05-213April 28Ichinomiya CityJordan2002-11-273July 5Kasugai City(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)Kazakhstan2002-11-111June 15Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Kenya2002-04-155August 18Higashiura Town(Japanese only)Kiribati2002-03-196 August 15Ichinomiya Town Obu CityKyrgyzstan 2001-06-291August 4Tomiyama VillageLaos2002-01-146June 13Tahara CityLibya2003-03-243April 7Tahara CityLithuania2002-04-104July 6Toyohashi CityMadagascar2003-04-015May 30Nukata TownMalaysia2003-06-096August 31Tokoname CityMali2003-05-055September 1Jimokuji TownMarshall Islands2003-08-296Tobisihma Village (Japanese only)Mauritania2001-08-225July 14Nishio City(Japanese only)Mexico2002-11-062September 15Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Micronesia2003-11-276August 22Konan CityMongolia2002-04-181May 27Kanie Town(Japanese only)Morocco2003-04-043July 1Toyoyama Town(Japanese only)Nepal2001-12-061July 7Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Netherlands2003-09-054April 19Yatomi City(Japanese only)New Zealand2003-09-096June 3Ichinomiya City Nishio City(Japanese only)Nicaragua2003-03-202August 19 (SICA)Oguchi Town(Japanese only)Nigeria2003-04-105August 23Oguchi Town(Japanese only)Norway2003-07-034April 11Inazawa City(Japanese only)Pakistan2003-04-251August 11Tsushima CityPalau2003-07-296July 8Nissin CityPanama2003-06-132August 19 (SICA)Aisai CityPapua New Guinea2003-03-286September 16Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Peru2003-03-282July 28Toyokawa CityPhilippines2003-03-076September 20Toyokawa CityPoland2002-08-234May 9Gamagori City(Japanese only)Portugal2003-03-254May 24Oharu Town(Japanese only)Qatar2003-03-231September 2Chita CityRepublic of Korea2002-03-081May 11Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Shikatsu TownRepublic of China2003-04-011Romania2002-04-234June 1Minamichita TownRussian Federation2002-05-284June 17Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Rwanda2002-10-235June 10Kiyosu City(Japanese only)Samoa2003-06-136August 30Shitara Town(Japanese only)São Tomé and Príncipe2003-06-115July 21Tokai City(Japanese only)Saudi Arabia2001-08-081September 9Toyone Village(Japanese only)Senegal2003-03-065April 8Fuso Town(Japanese only)Singapore2001-10-136August 9Mihama Town(Japanese only)Solomon Islands2003-09-156July 13Agui Town(Japanese only)South Africa2003-08-135April 26Aisai CitySpain2001-05-243July 25Kiyosu City(Japanese only)Sri Lanka2002-05-281July 27Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Sudan2003-10-125August 16Kasugai City(English) (Portuguese) (Chinese) (Filipino)Kariya CitySweden2003-06-264April 6Okazaki CitySwitzerland2001-12-194April 15Shinshiro City(Japanese only)Tajikistan2003-04-071September 13Shikatsu TownThailand2003-03-106August 12Inazawa City(Japanese only)Tonga2003-01-156July 4Owariasahi CityTunisia2002-12-193June 23Seto CityTürkiye2002-12-193August 2Tokai City(Japanese only)Tuvalu2003-12-296August 15Cita CityUganda2001-05-245September 7Kiyosu City(Japanese only)Ukraine2002-11-124August 24Hazu City(Japanese only)United Kingdom2003-07-194April 22Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)United Republic of Tanzania2002-02-195May 26Komaki City(Japanese only)United States of America2003-11-182June 20Toyohashi City Toyota City(English) (Portuguese) (Spanish)Anjo CityUzbekistan2001-06-011September 8Ichinomiya CityVanuatu2003-11-106August 1Gamagori City(Japanese only)Venezuela2003-04-112June 29Toyohashi CityVietnam2002-09-166September 5Miwa TownYemen2002-05-061May 23Nishio City(Japanese only)Zambia2003-10-285July 19Okazaki CityZimbabwe2003-07-145April 18Mito Town In regards to the companies and municipality, the ones who were presented are as follows:
Wonder circus - Federation of Electric Power Companies. Superconducting Linear Hall - Central Japan Railway Company. Wonder wheel - Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. Mitsubishi Toyota Hitachi Mitsui&Toshiba Mountain of Dreams - Chunichi Shimbun joint pavilion organizing committee. Fire magic theater - The Japan Gas Association. Japanese government Aichi Prefecture Earth Tower - City of Nagoya. Chubu community for Millennial Symbiosis - Chubu regional exhibition executive committee.
Mascots
Morizo (モリゾー) and Kiccoro (キッコロ), collectively known as "Moricoro," (モリコロ) were created to be Aichi Banpaku's mascots. The popular fluffy green creatures are both from the forest of Seto.
Attractions "Satsuki and Mei's House," was a recreation of the house from Hayao Miyazaki's movie My Neighbor Totoro, and located inside the “Forest Experience Zone”. It re-opened to the public on July 15, 2006 and would spark the creation of an entire Ghibli Park, which opened in 2022. ASIMO, Honda's humanoid robot, was shown off at the Expo as one of its many public appearances. The Toyota Partner Robots made their debut. Chickens Suit a clothing range for chickens by Edgar Honetschläger made its debut with chickens on a runway. The Growing Village Pavilion featured a variety of tree shaping art work. The Franklin Spirit at the USA Pavilion, designed by award-winning experience designer Bob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts, presented the American statesman, Benjamin Franklin, using an innovative multi-plane 3D effect that suspended layered planes of digital media on stage, where Franklin visited the world of 2005 to celebrate his 300th birthday, as he discussed the pending advances in science, technology freedom and enterprise that will improve the lives of people worldwide. The Forest Experience Zone contains three areas, the ‘Nature School Forest’, ‘Satsuki and Mei’s House’, and the ‘Japanese Garden’. This forest explores the relationship between people and nature. The Street Art experience was performed in the park by multi artists, giants reproductions art exhibited open air. The French artist Gailord Bovrisse was one of them.
Theme songs The official theme song of the Expo was "I'll Be Your Love," composed by Yoshiki, and performed by Dahlia, an Okinawan-American musician (then aged 24) from Honolulu, Hawaii. On March 24, 2005, Yoshiki conducted an orchestra and performed the song for the opening ceremony of the Expo. Pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki also performed a classical version of her single "A Song Is Born" on the event's opening day.
New transportation system Linimo - magnetic levitation train using trains from Chubu HSST Development Corporation