Expo National Day Hall: Ray Garden Welcomes the World’s Visitors

Greenery and Graceful Slabs

The nations and regions participating in Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai make use of their pavilions to showcase their cultures, histories, and more, but they also take turns celebrating national days as an important part of the Expo calendar. Hosting these events is the Expo National Day Hall in the East Gate Zone. Known as the “Ray Garden,” this striking piece of architecture hosts artistic performances and other events in connection with these national celebrations.

The main stage in the hall is equipped with an auditorium seating some 500 people, including guests in wheelchairs. There is also a small stage fit for performances of classical Japanese nō, an exhibition space showcasing Japan’s traditional culture, and a lounge and dining area with seating for 280. The structure also features lengthy sloped decks crisscrossing the façade and extending from the ground level up to the greenery-covered roof area; the towering wall side of the hall is finished in glass allowing natural light to pour into the interior.

The Ray Garden has been engineered as a friendly, welcoming place as befits Osaka’s position since ancient times as a key gateway to the Japanese islands. Organizers hope it will be the birthplace of many more warm international ties lasting for years to come.

The angular slabs forming the structure’s rooftop create its signature look. (© Nippon.com)

Banners draped from the ceiling create a unique interior space. (© Nippon.com)

The angled walking paths to the top are inviting at night as well. (© Nippon.com)

(Originally published in Japanese. Reporting and text by Uchiyama Ken’ichi and Nippon.com. Photographic assistance by Kuroiwa Masakazu of 96-Box. Banner photo © Nippon.com.)