Photo/Illutration Many people stand in line under umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun in front of a pavilion at the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 in Osaka on June 18. (Kazushige Kobayashi)

OSAKA—Instead of having fun in the sun, visitors to the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 are trying to cope with the double whammy of extreme heat and humidity.

How to safely navigate the world's fairgrounds in Osaka, which is hotter than Tokyo, is a problem not only for the visitors, but also for the organizer, which is taking the utmost precautions.

On June 18, the mercury in Osaka city reached 34.1 degrees, the highest temperature of the year.

The expo site in the city’s Konohana Ward was filled with visitors using umbrellas to shield themselves from the blistering rays of the sun.

Rest areas were crowded with people trying to cool off.

An Osaka resident in her 50s, while meeting a friend, arrived at a fan site that emits a cooling mist.

She saw the weather forecast the day before and thought that she would be going to the expo on the worst day.

The woman packed an umbrella, sunglasses and frozen tea, but they were apparently not enough to combat the heat.

“I was prepared for it, but it’s still hot,” she lamented.

A 65-year-old man who came with his wife and young child from Tottori Prefecture tried to walk under the towering Grand Ring, the symbol of the expo, as much as possible. The stroller carrying the child was covered to keep the sun at bay.

The measures did not seem to have much effect, as he said wiping off his sweat, “It’s so hot that there is no such thing as heat protection.”

In Osaka, the maximum temperature exceeded 30 degrees for three days in a row since June 16, and was forecast to exceed 30 degrees every day for the following week.

A number of visitors have been suspected to be suffering from heatstroke and transported to hospitals.

However, the moment of truth for “hot Osaka” is yet to come.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the average temperature in Osaka last summer (June to August) was 28 degrees, 1.2 degrees higher than normal.

This was higher than Tokyo’s 26.9 degrees.

The number of “extremely hot days” with a maximum temperature of 35 degrees or higher was recorded on 41 days last year.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the organizer of the expo, has installed parasols, mist fans, and spot air conditioners as countermeasures against the heat.

It has also placed a number of benches under the ring to create shady spots.

It alerts visitors via its website and emails, and has enhanced the medical relief system in the event of emergencies.

Jun Takashina, an executive of the association, said, “Depending on the summer heat and other factors, there may naturally be situations where our efforts are not sufficient.”

He said, “We will work with the utmost caution and continue to make the necessary improvements every day.”

Related News