The Japan World Exposition Official Report provides some interesting statistics from
a visitor study conducted at the time of the Expo concerning the movements and experience
of visitors. For example, the average daily attendance on near-peak days was 641,000
people and the attendance on the peak day of the Exposition was 835,000 visits. Ninetyseven
percent of all visits to Expo 70 were made by Japanese nationals, with foreign visitation
accounting for only 2.7 percent. The exposition attracted Japanese nationals from
all parts of the country: 31.1 percent visited in an organized group (a group from work or
a tour group), 29.7 percent visited as a family group, 30.8 percent visited with friends or
acquaintances, and 8.3 percent as individuals. The report also provides a description of
the “average visitor’s” experience: average time spent on site was 6.5 hours; average time
spent in pavilions was 2.5 hours; average number of pavilions visited was 8; average time
spent in pavilions was 15-20 minutes; and the average distance covered by foot was 15 to
20 kilometers. The report also indicates that 45.5 percent of visitors surveyed indicated
that they had pre-planned or decided on what to see prior to their visit to Expo. Interestingly,
the report indicates that 40.9 percent of Japanese visitors covered by the survey
“were most anxious to see various structures and facilities [buildings] rather than to see
the exhibitions inside, while 34.9 percent answered that the exhibits were what they were
most eager to see”. The report speculates that this was probably due to the fact that “widely
varied images of many different pavilions had been well publicized to the Japanese
people through various mass media” (Commemorative Association vol. 2 1970, 374) (Commemorative Association vol. 2 1970, 374).