Expo 2025 Osaka with Kids
Last Updated on May 9, 2025 by Kay
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If you’re a parent like me, you’re thinking of going to Expo 2025 in Osaka with your kids but may be wondering what the right pavilions to visit are. For those feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of having to do a ton of research, don’t worry, I’ve done it for you.
In this article, I’ll cover what you need to know about visiting Expo 2025 Osaka with children, kid-friendly pavilions, my family’s experience visiting, and helpful tips.
Table of Contents
What is Expo 2025 Osaka?
Expo 2025 Osaka is an event that showcases pavilions from countries around the world, as well as innovations. This event is held in a different country every five years.
Last time (2020), it was held in Dubai, and in 2030 it will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
When Is Expo 2025 Osaka?
Expo 2025 Osaka runs from April 13th, 2025, to October 13th, 2025. The opening hours are from 9 AM to 10 PM.
How to Get to Expo 2025 Osaka?
Expo 2025 Osaka is located in Yumeshima, an island along Osaka Bay.
You can get to the Expo Site via the following:
- Catching an Osaka Metro train to Yumeshima Station
- Catching a JR train to Sakurajima Station and then taking a shuttle bus (note that you need to make a reservation for the shuttle)
- Taking a shuttle bus from the following stations
- Car (you will need to take a shuttle bus from the parking lot)
- Ferry
Kid-Friendly Pavilions at Expo 2025
The Osaka Expo grounds are massive, and some pavilions require reservations, which is why it’s important to plan which pavilions you want to visit in advance. It is possible to get into some pavilions without a reservation but this requires waiting, and some wait times can be more than two hours long.
So if you have kids, I highly recommend trying to make a reservation in advance for your desired pavilions.
The Osaka Expo grounds are broken up into different color-coded zones. When deciding which pavilions to make reservations for, make sure you don’t reserve two pavilions that are far apart with little time in between. Give yourself ample time to get from one to another if they’re spread apart or stick to one area, especially with kids, because they can be slow (and get hungry, need potty breaks, etc).
For instance, it’s probably not the best idea to book a pavilion in the East Gate Zone and right after have another to visit in the Future Life Zone.
I will explain more about the reservation system in the following section.
You should also note how long each pavilion experience takes. Most are around 35 to 40 minutes long but some, like Gundam, are 50 minutes or even longer!
It’s also important to know that most people, apart from those arriving by ferry, will enter the Osaka Expo grounds via the East Gate.
When it comes to child-friendly pavilions, I think most of them are worth visiting with kids.
However, some are more fun and interactive than others, so for the best pavilions to take your children to, look no further than these:
Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion
Location: X03 (Forest of Tranquility Zone)
As suggested in the name, this pavilion consists of different parts, including a play mountain where both kids and adults can play to their heart’s content.
My daughter absolutely loved this pavilion because there was so much for her to play with! Instruments, interactive cards that made funny noises, and more!
We didn’t have to make a reservation for this pavilion and were able to enter in the evening without lining up at all.
Panasonic Group Pavilion “The Land of NOMO”
Location: E06 (East Gate Zone)
⭐️ You need a reservation
This pavilion was made with children in mind, specifically Generation Alpha (my daughter’s generation!).
Kids get to explore the pavilion and interact with it using crystals. They are also able to visit a virtual world where images they’ve created using their imagination come to life! (It reminds me a bit of teamLab Borderless in Tokyo, which my daughter really enjoyed.)
Gas Pavilion Obake Wonderland
Location: W03 (West Gate Zone)
⭐️ You need a reservation
I feel like this is something my daughter would really enjoy because it involves cute obake (ghosts). Visitors wear goggles in order to see ghosts that are different shapes, colors and sizes. I watched a review on Japanese television about it and kids seemed to love it.
However, it’s important to know that the goggles seem to come in one size. This means that they don’t have goggles suitable for children under the age of seven. Children ages six and under will get a handheld device rather than goggles, so the experience might not be as immersive or fun.
Since my daughter is five years old and thus too young for the goggles, we didn’t make a reservation for this pavilion, unfortunately. My husband and I both thought she would feel bad seeing her parents wearing the goggles and getting a more immersive experience than her.
Osaka Healthcare Pavilion: Nest for Reborn
Location: E02 (East Gate Zone)
I think the concept of this pavilion is pretty cool because you’re able to see what the future might be like in the year 2050! This includes seeing what YOU might look like 25 years from now, too! I’m especially curious to see what my daughter might look like when she’s… 30?!
In terms of accuracy, you might get an idea by watching this video showing a reporter finding out what he might look like in the future (spoiler alert, it seems a little disappointing…? But kids might still get a kick out of it):
And for the parents, you can receive personalized recommendations for hair, skin, and beauty products at the Milbon Salon. These recommendations are based on your health data, so it’s something I really want to check out myself.
Gundam Next Future Pavilion
Location: W07 (West Gate Zone)
⭐️ You need a reservation
If your kids like Gundam or giant robots, they will probably enjoy the immersive videos and demos at the Gundam Pavilion. There’s a life-sized Gundam statue as well! The statue is outside the pavilion, so you can see it without a reservation.
Depending on your child, though, they might not like the inside of the pavilion, especially if they’re young. I’ve written in detail about our visit to the Gundam Pavilion, so make sure to give it a read before you go!
There’s a small area right next to the Gundam Pavilion where kids can run around, goof around on the fake grass, and enjoy bubbles that are occasionally dispersed from a silver rocket ship.
Sumitomo Pavilion
Location: E07 (East Gate Zone)
In this pavilion, kids can explore a forest and find different animals using electric lanterns. Kids can also plant a seedling in a pot, which will later be transferred to the Sumitomo Forest.
When we passed by this pavilion in the morning, it had a wait time of a whopping 2 hours and 20 minutes, so I recommend making a reservation in advance for this or trying your luck in the evening.
A Spectacular Show of Water and Air
Location: P40 (Future Life Zone)
This is a daily light and water show that’s held at the Water Plaza after the sun sets.
My friend went with her five-year-old and teenage daughters, and they all really enjoyed the show.
Note that there’s music, so just be warned in case it might be too loud for your little ones.
I also recommend taking your kids to your country’s pavilion! I took my daughter to the Canada Pavilion and she loved it.
Other kid-friendly pavilions we visited were the Japan Pavilion, which had Doraemon and Hello Kitty. My daughter liked taking photos here and making funny faces. However, I do think this pavilion is more appropriate for school-age kids who can read and like science, since there is a lot of fascinating educational material.
The Fiji Pavilion in Commons-B lets you play with instruments, which my daughter enjoyed as well:
I’ve also heard the Kuwait Pavilion is great for kids and even has a tube slide. We didn’t manage to make it there, but I am going to try to visit it next time I go. Someone told me there’s no line to get in, so I guess I’ll see!
Keep in mind that it’s best to make a reservation for some country pavilions, especially popular ones like Canada and Japan. Otherwise, you’ll be waiting for quite a while to get in.
⭐️ Kay’s Tip: There’s a Bornelund playground where kids can unleash their energy right by the France Pavilion. I lined up to buy some bread and a vanilla shake from the France Pavilion (pricey but sooo good) while my husband watched my daughter in the playground, and I can’t recommend this plan enough!
When we went to the Osaka Expo, we took it easy, walking around and going to pavilions if there was no line, and this worked perfectly for us. To know more, read my article about my family’s Expo 2025 Osaka experience.
You can find a list of pavilions representing countries around the world here.
⭐️ Kay’s Tip: Make sure you and your kids keep your eyes out for Pokémon statues throughout the Osaka Expo venue! My daughter had a lot of fun looking out for these.
Overall Impression of Taking Kids to the Osaka Expo
I think my daughter had a good time overall at the Osaka Expo, but we did wait 40 minutes just to get inside, which can be hard for young kids.
It really helped renting a stroller for her, especially since it’s a long day involving lots of walking.
She wasn’t too impressed with any of the pavilions except for Canada and Hello Kitty at the Japan Pavilion. When I asked my daughter what the most fun part of the Osaka Expo was, she said the Stamp Passport.
This costs 1100 yen and allows kids to collect stamps from pavilions and other locations throughout the Osaka Expo. You can also bring a blank notebook, too, if you don’t want to pay for a Stamp Passport. My daughter liked the official book, though, since it had tiny maps of the Expo in it, so she felt like a helpful navigator for us.
I suppose the reward of getting stamps is enough to entertain and motivate younger kids, but my friend (a mother of three) and my husband both thought that Osaka Expo is perhaps not the greatest place to bring kids who are very young, so ages six and under. Children who are at least in elementary school will be able to appreciate the Expo more.
In fact, my friend is planning on going to the Expo again, but this time with only her thirteen-year-old, not her five-year-old. We have also decided to go one time together, and without any kids in tow.
As mentioned earlier, I wrote a very detailed (and honest) article about my family’s experience going to the Osaka Expo (including the best place to get the Stamp Passport), so I recommend reading it to know more. I initially wrote it for my friends, so consider yourself a friend of mine as well!
How to Reserve Tickets and Lottery System Guide
Tickets can be purchased from the official Expo 2025 Osaka website. The cost ranges from 3700 yen to 6700 yen for adults and 1000 yen to 4200 yen for children. Kids ages three and under are free.
Depending on the pavilion, you will need a reservation to get in, and some require that you apply in advance for a lottery that’ll determine whether or not you need a ticket.
You can make reservations for pavilions up to two months in advance. Don’t worry if you’re reading this and panicking that you haven’t made any reservations yet — you will have plenty of chances to secure a reservation!
When it comes to pavilions that require a reservation via lottery, you can apply for up to five, but you can only win three at most.
You will need to choose a time slot for each pavilion when you apply to the lottery, so make sure you give yourself ample time to get from one pavilion to another. We gave ourselves about an hour between each.
Keep in mind that the order you apply for each pavilion is your preference order as well. This means that the first pavilion you apply for is your number one choice, and the second is your second choice. So it might not be the best idea to apply for pavilions close to each other one after another if they’re not all your top choices.
We only managed to snag one reservation for a pavilion via the lottery, and it was our 5th (last) choice! This was for a weekday.
My friend who went to the Osaka Expo on the weekend didn’t win a single lottery for her desired pavilions, so I recommend trying to go on a weekday if possible.
You will also have two other chances to snag a reservation, starting from three days before your visit and then on the day. Note that you can only reserve one pavilion each time.
Some pavilions do not require reservations, thankfully, so you can come and go as you please. However, depending on the popularity of the pavilion, you may need to wait.
If your plans change, you’re able to change the date of your Expo ticket up to three times. However, you’ll need to reapply for pavilions that require reservations. I also recommend trying to avoid going to Osaka Expo when it rains because the pavilions get full very quickly and some even leak! (Hopefully they’ll fix that soon.)
Kid-Friendly Activities In Osaka
As a mom living in Osaka for several years with a young daughter, trust me when I say I know the best spots to take kids, from babies up to school-age children.
Of course, if you’re going to the Expo, you will want to visit Universal Studios Japan (USJ) as well since it’s located nearby. My daughter and I have annual passes for USJ, which is why I highly recommend reading my detailed article filled with tips and helpful information about everything you need to know before you go to USJ with kids.
I also suggest reading the following articles about everything you can do in Osaka with kids:
Everything I’ve written about in these articles has been tried and tested by me and my daughter.
Where to Stay Near Expo 2025 Osaka with Kids
For kid-friendly accommodation closest to Expo 2025, I recommend staying at the following hotels:
Grand Prince Hotel Osaka Bay
🚃 15 minutes from Yumeshima Station
🤱 Provides rental cribs (depending on the room type)
👧 Provides children’s amenities (slippers, pajamas, toothbrush, bed guard)
🚃 18 minutes from Yumeshima Station
🤱 Provides rental cribs (limited number so ask in advance)
👧 Provides children’s amenities
Staying somewhere near Universal Studios Japan (I have listed family-friendly hotels here) is another option, although it may be expensive due to being close to the theme park.
It’s also easy to get to the Expo from Osaka Station via a shuttle bus, which I why I suggest these hotels as well:
All of these hotels provide amenities for kids, such as toothbrushes and pajamas.
For information on other areas to stay in Osaka with kids, read this article.
FAQ
Is there a place to eat at Expo 2025 Osaka?
Yes, there are various food carts, cafes, convenience stores, and restaurants. You can also bring your own food.
Can I bring luggage to Expo 2025 Osaka?
No, you cannot. Please leave large suitcases and other luggage at your hotel or a station locker. Backpacks are okay as long as they don’t have wheels.
Are strollers allowed at Expo 2025 Osaka?
Yes, strollers are allowed! You can rent strollers for free as well, which is what we did. The stroller rental locations are at the Baby Center, located next to the East Gate and West Gate.
Are there nursing rooms?
Yes, there are nursing rooms and places to change diapers at the Osaka Expo.