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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ShinkansenSlide82 on 2025-07-16 02:33:30+00:00.

Just got back from Expo 2025 and honestly, it was a total letdown. Easily the worst part of our time in Japan. Here’s what went wrong

• As most of you know, the official Expo site is a nightmare to use. It’s cluttered, hard to follow, and way more complicated than it needs to be. Making reservations felt like navigating a bureaucratic maze. The pavilion lottery system was just as frustrating, convoluted and unfair. We didn’t get access to any of the ones we were actually excited about.

• The event was absurdly overcrowded. It was clear that ticket sales were prioritized over visitor experience. Lines stretched endlessly, and half the time we had no idea what we were even waiting for. The website provided little in the way of helpful descriptions or previews. Yes, you can find unofficial videos on YouTube, but it’s baffling that the organizers didn’t provide better tools for planning. After waiting hours, we’d end up in pavilions like France (basically a giant ad) or Latvia (a wet wall)

• Inside the gates, crowd control was practically nonexistent. Seating was scarce, shaded areas were rare, and there were no indoor air conditioned places to sit and cool down.

• Accessibility seemed like an afterthought. There were no visible accommodations for guests with mobility challenges or physical limitations.

• Food was a joke. Limited choices, poor quality, and insanely long waits, and this might be forgivable if the food was actually good… It wasn’t.

• Pavilion content was often shallow and forgettable. After all that time in line, we were usually greeted with uninspired tourism videos or blatant corporate promotion. Even the Gundam experience felt lazy, only half of it had English subtitles. Why not all of it?

• We expected cutting edge tech, creativity, and forward thinking ideas. What we got was marketing fluff, tourism ads, vague messages, and filler content.

• We didn’t even stick it out. We left early, completely disillusioned and frustrated.

The whole thing felt rushed, mismanaged, and designed with profit, not people, in mind.

tldr: Skip the Expo. If you’re in Japan, use that day to visit literally any other city. We regret wasting our time there!