Urban Best Practice Area

Osaka meets watery challenges

(expo2010.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-01 14:15

Osaka will present a watery world at World Expo 2010's Urban Best Practices Area, officials from Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City said as they signed a participation contract with the event's organizer January 13, 2009.

Osaka's practice in developing water transport as well as curbing water disasters will be introduced. The display will also involve innovative and sophisticated technologies designed to achieve a more comfortable life and a better environment.

The theme is "Advanced Environment City – The Challenge of the Water Metropolis." Construction of the pavilion is expected to start in November.

Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, said at the signing ceremony that Shanghai would learn from Osaka's experience in hosting the 1970 Expo, which set an attendance record for the event with more than 64 million visitors.

Osaka meets watery challenges

artistic rendition of the pavilion

The layout of the pavilion will share some features of the famous ancient Song Dynasty (960-1279) painting "The Qingming Festival on the River."

The cost of the exhibit is estimated at 400 million yen (US$4.4 million) with Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City investing 100 million yen respectively. The rest will be donated by businesses.

Japanese officials are expecting 1.1 million visitors to the pavilion.

Hong and Kunio Hiramatsu, mayor of Osaka City, signed the participation contract.