After years of planning and unending concern over undersold tickets, the World Expo in Osaka opened this week to large crowds. Unfortunately, the crowds proved to be too large for what the venue could accommodate. Huge lines both inside and out, a lack of connectivity, and other failures are giving the event a worse name than it already had before it started.
As a result, 最低の万博 (World Expo Sucks) started trending with over 18,000 mentions on X.
Later on Tuesday am, a new trend replaced it: “The Expo’s F*cked” (万博ヤバい; banpaku yabai), which as of this writing has over 64,000 mentions.
Promise of “no lines” disappears as Internet access goes down
The lead-up to the Osaka World Expo was already spotted with controversy. Expo marketing lacked a clear selling point or compelling message to get people to attend. As a result, early ticket sales lagged well behind predictions. Many feared this meant Kansai area taxpayers would be on the hook to cover the event’s costs.
That already put the Expo on a bad footing with many in Japan, who saw it as a huge financial boondoggle with little upside for the region. Event organizers had a chance to turn that around by delivering a fantastic opening day.
Sadly, they blew it.
Before the event, organizers touted that they would offer a “line-free Expo” (並ばない万博; narabanai banpaku). Users could purchase tickets for certain entrance times and were promised they could get access to the venue at the time listed on their ticket.
That didn’t happen. Instead, visitors on Sunday found themselves waiting for between two and three hours to get in through the East Gate close to Yumeshima Station. Some reported waiting as long as five hours.
The problem? The crush of people meant that cellular data became congested. That made it hard for people to pull up their QR code tickets to scan for entry. There were apparently wifi endpoints set up at the east gate. However, they were apparently overloaded as well. Many users report that they couldn’t manage to connect to them.
Expo officials say they’ll address the issue by installing a wifi endpoint specifically for pulling up QR codes at the gate. Meanwhile, they’re asking people to take screenshots of their QR codes – or even print them out – to facilitate entry.
An eight-hour wait for sushi
Once inside, things only got worse.
Sunday was a wet day in both western and eastern Japan, with occasional heavy rains. That led people to scramble for indoor spaces. User @arikarirarika on X posted pics of the inside of the event’s lauded wooden ring, where people gathered for shelter. They complained that it took three hours to enter the event from Yumeshima Station, complained about the connectivity issues, and cited a lack of guides and security.
Unfortunately, the wooden ring didn’t provide the shelter from the rain that some had hoped. While the ring has a roof that’s supposed to keep rain out, it lacks any side walling. That allowed the rain to blow in, drenching much of the space. One user reported they felt the rain coming at them from above as well as from the sides.
There were also abominable lines for food. Conveyor belt sushi chain Kura Sushi had a reservation system for seats. However, at noon, the earliest reservation was at 8pm – a full eight hours later. Similarly, sushi chain Sushiro had 279 parties waiting for a spot.
Visitors also complained that it was hard to get around the event using the Expo’s official app. A Brazilian tourist told reporters that the app logs you out after five minutes of inactivity. Another tourist complained that you can’t zoom in on locations on the map, making it hard to use.
“You’re not special!” staff yells at elderly couple
Other stories of mistreatment by stressed-out staff are also going viral. One 70-year-old woman who talked to ENCOUNT said she and her 75-year-old husband waited five hours to get in.
The woman complained she couldn’t pull up the QR code for the ticket that her son bought her. She couldn’t connect to the wifi endpoint or access the ticket using cellular data.
As a result, staff wouldn’t let her enter. Instead, they berated her when she asked for help figuring out the technology. “Wifi connectivity issues aren’t our responsibility,” they insisted. “Get someone who understands smartphones if you don’t know how to use them.”
The woman eventually lost her temper, accusing the staff of ageism. A staff member reportedly retorted, “Everyone here is waiting to get in! You’re not special!”
The good news for the Expo is that it lasts until October 13th. That means they have time to scramble and set things right.
The bad news is they now have a high hurdle to overcome thanks to the bad publicity. A recent Mainichi Shimbun survey that the newspaper conducted on April 12th and 13th shows that 87% of people don’t plan to attend. 32% said they probably wouldn’t go, while 55% flatly ruled it out. Only 4% said they’d go, with 8% saying they were considering it.
Have thoughts on this article? Share them with us on our Bluesky account or the Unseen Japan Discord server.
Tip This Article
We’re an independent site that keeps our content free of paywalls and intrusive ads. If you liked this story, please consider a tip or recurring donation of any amount to help keep our content free for all.
What to read next
Kyoto Ryokans Stop Serving Traditional Japanese Food That Foreign Tourists Hate
Many inbound travelers to Japan love staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan. However, they’re not so keen on the food that comes with it.
This Popular Tourist Event in Japan Didn’t Want Media Covering It
The iconic spot, struggling with overtourism, asked reporters and media to keep their cameras away this year.
Beware The Illegal Barkers in Sapporo’s Susukino District
Sapporo passed a new law against coaxing customers into questionable businesses in 2022. But in 2024, it didn’t issue a single fine.
Sources
【速報】「並ばない万博」なのに…入場ゲート行列は通信状況悪化も要因 博覧会協会は来場者に”オフライン”協力依頼とWi-Fi設置へ. LiveDoor News
【速報】「並ばない」万博が…帰りも長蛇の列「駅の入口まで2時間かかった」くら寿司は一時8時間待ち、スシローは279組待ち（午後4時）. Yomiuri TV
〈大阪万博・外国人客の本音〉パビリオンには大満足も公式アプリの操作に大苦戦「地図がわかりづらい」「すぐログアウトしちゃう」“スマホ万博”の弊害も. Shueisha Online
「最低の万博」 通信障害で5時間入場できず…70歳女性が怒り心頭「こんないい加減な対応ない」ENCOUNT
万博「たぶん行かない」「行かない」が87％ 毎日新聞世論調査. Mainichi Shimbun
