TOP > The Expo Park Project
1970
1971
1995
The vacant site of Expo '70 was converted into a verdurous cultural park in commemoration of the event. Upon the conclusion of Expo '70, the event's cluster of pavilions was taken down, and initiatives to develop the vacant area into a park began. The plan called for dense forest, open vegetation, and thinly-spaced vegetation, in that order, starting with the outer edges of the Natural and Cultural Gardens (Shizenbunkaen Park) and working inward toward the center. The idea was to recreate the original natural vegetation of the area to facilitate a self-sustaining forest. Here, "self-sustaining forest" means stable woodland areas that support a diversity of flora and fauna. The dense forest areas in particular have been planted with broad-leaved evergreen trees, mainly acorn trees and oaks, with a view to revitalizing the region's forests.
The purpose of the dense forest areas is to regenerate the natural woodland setting, creating a shady, sheltered environment throughout the four seasons, and protecting the park from the noise pollution and exhaust gas of the peripheral road.
The open vegetation areas, which dot the park at various places of interest, are designed to emphasize the changing scenery of the four seasons.
The thinly-spaced vegetation is intended to serve landscaping purposes and to provide shade, particularly in the large grassy areas.
Though we have been able to regenerate the forest on a scale in keeping with our original plan, growth has slowed except for a few varieties of trees, despite the fact that a number of different species of broad-leafed evergreens were planted. This development has witnessed the dying off of mid-size and smaller trees, leaving only the tall trees remaining and creating problems with the forest balance.
In light of these problems, we needed to consider the issue of what steps should be taken and how far we should go to bring the man-made verdurous cultural park back to its original self-sustaining state. We therefore decided to conduct research for the purpose of creating woodlands rich in biodiversity, together with Kyoto University and Osaka Prefecture University. This self-sustaining forest project, considered advanced both in Japan and around the world, is implemented on man-made urban lands, which means that great time and care must be taken to ensure that the trees grow.
Trees planted on the site after the removal of pavilions in 1972
Forest is exposed to sunlight, shorter trees remain
Light no longer reaches the shorter trees due to concurrent growth, causing the shorter trees to wither under the shade of the taller trees
Subsequent to the thinning, sunlight reaches the depths of the forest
Because sunlight has reached the forest floor, dormant seeds begin to germinate
Consisting of an area of some 260 hectares, Expo '70 Commemorative Park continues to run facilities left over from the days of the expo, including the Japanese Gardens, the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka, the Steel Pavilion (Tekko-kan), and more. In addition to these, the park also features new facilities such as the Natural and Cultural Gardens (Shizenbunkaen Park), sports facilities, etc., which were established on the site left vacated after the close of the expo.
The Natural and Cultural Gardens (Shizenbunkaen Park) features a magnificent natural setting, including the Japanese Garden, which boasts spectacular landscaping technique, woodlands, spacious lawn areas, ponds, streams, and more. The Japanese Garden conveys the mysterious beauty of Japanese culture and of Japanese landscaping technique, which has continued to evolve throughout the country's history. The Natural and Cultural Gardens (Shizenbunkaen Park), meanwhile, is encircled year-round with the flowers of the four seasons--cherry blossoms, tulips, cosmos, and more, as well as beautifully colored trees such as maples and ginkgos, all making for a wondrous natural setting to delight the visitor.
This area features facilities appropriate to the former site of Expo '70, i.e. the National Museum of Ethnology, which showcases materials on ethnology from around the world; the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka, which exhibits mainly Japanese folk crafts; and the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka, which is a comprehensive international research, materials, and information center for children's literature. Here visitors have the unique opportunity to learn about culture in a natural environment.
The Expo '70 Commemorative Park has sports facilities, including tennis courts, an athletics track field, and a sports plaza. Visitors can come to enjoy professional soccer, or to play a variety of sports themselves.
In addition to golfing in a relaxed park setting, visitors can enjoy attractions such as the Expo Rent-and-Ride Bike Park (Omoshirojitensha-hiroba) and the Dream Pond (Yume-no-ike) Pedal Boats. This is one place where you'll lose track of time!
Visitors can enjoy a totally relaxing experience staying at the Hotel Hankyu Expo Park and trying out its fitness facilities, or visiting the Expo "Oyuba" Natural Healing Hot Springs, an onsen facility. There are also a variety of facilities designed to help visitors discover entirely new affluent lifestyles, such as the Discover Life Pavilion (DILIPA).
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