Introduction - Expo 70
Expo 70 was a Category One - Universal Exposition held on an 815 acre site in the Senri
Hills in the City of Osaka, Japan, over 183 days from March 15 to September 13, 1970.
Universal Expositions are typically large-scale expositions hosting international member states.
The theme of Expo 70 was Progress and Harmony for Mankind and drew 76 participating
countries representing themselves in national pavilions and a total of 32 local and corporate
Japanese pavilions. Expo 70 was the first International Exposition to be held in Asia, and
attracted a total attendance of over 64 Million (64,218,770) visits – the largest attendance of any
World Fair since their inception in 1851.
The center piece of the exposition was the “The Tower of the Sun” (Sun Tower) by
famous Japanese sculptor Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) (Figure 1a & 1b) – a 230 foot tall
sculpture, which still remains today in the Banpaku Koen (Expo 70 Commemorative Park)
contained exhibits themed about the topic of the evolution of life. The Sun Tower was set within
the Festival Plaza (Symbol Area) in which concerts and staged performances were conducted.
The Festival Plaza was covered by the world's largest translucent roof 100 feet tall, 350 by 1,000
feet in area, supported by six pillars, and weighed 6,000 tons. The other key icon of the
Exposition was the extensive Japanese Gardens covering an area of 64 acres containing four
thematic representation – Garden of Ancient Times (Heian Period – 8th to 11th centuries); Garden
of the Middle Ages (Kamakura Period – 12th to 13th centuries); and Garden of Modern Times
(Edo Period – 17th to 19th Centuries); and Garden of Present Day (Figure 2). The Expo also