Individual successfully gains entrance to Japan's World Expo utilizing an 85-year-old ticket.
Fumiyas Fantastic Journey:
Swiping a piece of history, a 25-year-old Tokyo resident named Fumiya Takenawa attended the World Expo 2025 in Osaka armed with a ticket issued 85 years ago for a similar event that never took place. The organizers confirmed that Takenawa had a ticket originally meant for the Grand International Exposition of Japan in 1940, which never materialized due to the nations "intensifying war" at that time.
Surfing the online marketplace in March, Takenawa nabbed the old ticket and initially used it for home decoration. Intrigued, he reached out to the organizers to see if he could attend this year's event with the historic piece of paper. To his surprise, they agreed.
"This is my first Expo, and I feel like part of history," gushed Takenawa, who added that he had visited the Czech and Saudi Arabian pavilions at the expo. "The person who had this ticket before me waited 85 years, and now their wish finally came true," he mused, sharing his plans to revisit the expo on a future trip to Osaka to bond with his family.
The Expo, also known as the World's Fair, is a platform for countries to showcase their scientific, technological, economic, and social breakthroughs. The first Expo debuted at London's Crystal Palace in 1851, and now happens every five years in different locations, overseen by an intergovernmental organization.
While the 1940 expo is known as the "phantom Expo" due to its cancellation, those with tickets for it have been offered the opportunity to attend future events, such as the 1970 and 2005 expos in Osaka and the Japanese prefecture of Aichi, respectively. Other ticket holders from the 1940 expo will also have the chance to attend the 2025 expo.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo, and Julia Zhong reported from Hong Kong.
Fun Fact:-Did you know? Tickets from canceled World Expos can be used in future events under certain conditions. But, it's not a standard practice for all events, and each event organizer decides whether to accept such tickets based on their own policies and circumstances.
During his journey, Fumiya Takenawa, a home decor enthusiast, upcycled his historical ticket from the canceled Grand International Exposition of Japan in 1940 into a meaningful home-and-garden piece. Eager to immerse himself in the 2025 World Expo, Takenawa implemented sustainable-living in a way that united him with the legacy of his predecessors, by repurposing the expo ticket from the past.
