Bring Home Kyoto: Artisan Goods & Cultural Treasures at the Expo

The cherry blossom season is over in Kyoto, and early summer is in the air.

The Osaka-Kansai Expo has finally opened.

At the Expo site, visitors can encounter “Kyoto” in various places.

This eye-catching pavilion, with a surface area of approximately 3,500 m2 of specially treated Kyoto Nishijin brocade fabric, covers the entire surface of the pavilion. The pavilion is a joint exhibition by the Iida Group and Osaka Public University, and introduces new technologies for a decarbonized society, as well as “futuristic housing” and “urban development” for a healthy and comfortable life. Nishijin-ori textile, with its 1,200 year history and technology was used for the exterior walls of the pavilion to express the time axis connecting the past and the future.

After enjoying a tour of the pavilions, one of the last things to do is to pick out a small souvenir. The sales booths will feature food and crafts from Kyoto and will be rotated on a weekly basis by 12 of the approximately 160 member companies of the Kyoto Products Exhibitors Association.

You can get original furoshiki cloths made by a long-established furoshiki shop in Kyoto.

“Furoshiki” are square shaped cloths used in Japan to wrap items and carry them. Being made of cloth, furoshiki can be stored easily, are very light and can wrap many different kinds of shapes. For those reasons, furoshiki are convenient for day-to-day needs and even in emergency situations. They can be used to wrap several small goods together or wrap one bulky item, like a wine bottle or a large sake (rice wine) bottle.

In addition to these advantages, furoshiki can just be washed like other cloths when they get dirty. Since younger generations of Japanese realized that furoshiki are also environmentally friendly, they became even more popular.

The motif of these furoshiki is decorated with "Choju Jinbutsu Giga (caricatures of frolicking birds, animals and humans)" painted in the Heian period.

All four scrolls of "Choju Jinbutsu Giga" are emakimono that have been handed down to Kozan-ji Temple in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City.

Why not get a souvenir from Kyoto as a memento of the Expo?

Text by Keishi Ito

EXPO 2025

Osaka, kansai, Japan

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, will be held from April 13 to October 13, 2025, on Yumeshima Island in Osaka. Under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the Expo aims to address global challenges through innovation and collaboration. With participation from around 180 countries and regions, the event will showcase cutting-edge technologies and cultural exhibits. A notable feature is the “Grand Ring,” a 20-meter-high wooden structure symbolizing unity. The Expo aspires to foster global connections and envision a sustainable future.

https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/