Expo Osaka 2025: Spain's Pavilion
First-hand review of Spain’s pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka—design, audience, programming, partnerships, and takeaways, with photos from the visit.
After my last experience with Spain's pavilion in 2020 Expo Dubai, Spain was on my must-visit list during the trip to Osaka. Spain's pavilion had a simpler design than in Dubai, with essentially just two experiences: one focused on connection with Japan and a second on Spain as a destination.
The exterior of Spain's pavilion was stunning: turquoise steps with a sun-like motif in yellow tile and an illuminated screen. The official design notes reference the sun and sea. I stopped by to see if there was a rotating art film like last time. At least on my visit, it was a simple preview for an upcoming live performance later that day.
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The first interior section was "currents that connect" – thematically focused on sea-based trade and cultural ties between Spain and Japan. It was largely driven by displays/screens. The second interior section focused on Spanish food, culture, and lifestyle.
What’s good about this pavilion?
The basics
Goals: The goals of travel and tourism were consistent throughlines from the Expo 2020 Pavilion in Dubai. The cultural affinity and ties to the host country were also consistent, albeit represented in very different ways in the United Arab Emirates and in Japan.
Audiences: The audience for this pavilion was squarely a Japanese public. Like most other pavilions in Osaka, it was bilingual in Japanese and English.
Programming: The programming was fine – very focused on history in the first half, while the second half had an almost party-like atmosphere as you saw glimpses of Spanish life. There was almost no interactivity, though. Unlike the artful play of their 2020 pavilion, most of the pavilion was things I could have seen on a travel show, rather than something unique and physical.
Above and Beyond
Execution: Production quality was uniformly good throughout. There was a round globe-style screen and several other large, AI-driven images. I could not tell you what any of them were, but all of them made for a pleasant and immersive experience.
Sponsorship and Partnerships: I didn't spot a single Spanish product or company before we reached the shop and Tapas restaurant at the end. (They may have been there and just didn't catch my eye.) The shop was what I expected, in a good way: reasonably priced Spanish wine, olive oil, and other foods. While Expo swag was pricey, Spain's store was affordable. For an export-focused economy, this is a great strategic choice.
Memorability: The two most memorable parts of the pavilion were the vivid orange in the travel/tourism room and the incredible smell of the Tapas restaurant as it started cooking. It was about an hour away from opening, but the scents wafted across the pavilion exit and drew you in.
With all of that said, the pavilion was not nearly as strong as Spain's showing in Dubai.
