OSAKA EXPO: Day One

Well, the day finally came for us to go to the Osaka Expo. We were told ahead of time that the long walks would be fearful, giant lines will need to be tolerated just to get into the Expo, with those ocean breezes, it would really be cold, and so forth.

Maybe it was pure luck, but we avoided all the above warnings We had a grand day, and are looking forward to Sunday, our second day at the Expo. So come along for an enjoyable ride.

Our hotel is adjacent to the Tennoji Station, a very large one with several lines. We upgraded our Suica card and caught the Misosuji red line towards Umeda. Transferred to the Chuo green line at the Hommachi Station. This Osaka Metro train took us to the Yumeshima Station at the Expo site. It was a very large mob leaving the train and heading to the entrance.

Took only a few minutes to get to the entrance. This mob was multiplied by at least a factor of ten of those already waiting to enter. However, we noticed a person in a wheelchair heading to a special entrance with a very short line. So with my walking cane leading us, we both were declared eligible to bypass that crowd in lines waiting to enter. We showed a copy of a sheet with our QR Code indicating we pre-paid for our entrance ticket. So we quickly got in and saved at least half an hour. Probably more.

A few minutes later not far from the entrance, we saw some motor scooters for the handicapped, and as best as we could discern, there was an hourly lottery to pick a dozen or so people to use them....FOR FREE. We inquired, and were told to stand in line at noon. We did, and won the lottery for both of us. As there were only about a dozen of scooters, and 50 or so participating in this competition, the odds of both of us winning was quite low. But we did, and thereby largely avoided those dreaded long walks. We had to return our scooters by 4:45PM. Only went as fast as a walking person, but we were riding in full control of where we wanted to go. Mind you, we got close to hitting pedestrians half a dozen times, but this did not happen. Also, if you wanted to enter a pavilion, you had to park the scooter, and there are only around a dozen places to do this, so we still needed to walk a lot.

To avoid pavilion lines for most countries, we had to complete through the internet a week ago for access, and only won two lotteries. The Netherlands for Day One and the UAE for Day Two. Otherwise, there are open pavilions for a wide variety of activities. However, this means we will not be able to enter the Japanese and USA pavilions, and many others that looked attractive.

The first building we entered was dedicated to the Expo festival itself. So we entered and sat in an auditorium. Various groups talked about peace. No entertainment, as such. Most boring. We quietly walked out.

We went up to the top of the Grand Ring after parking our scooters. To make a complete walk around the circle would be 1.24 miles. Maybe we'll do that on Day 2.

We then motored around to see the architecture.

The Netherlands pavilion entrance time for us was at 3PM, and I got hungry. But we were in a location with few restaurants, and they pretty much all required advanced reservations. There were long lines for take out. So the only food I had came from a 7/11, a small piece of chicken and bottle of warm green tea.....for about $4, total. When we later made our full circle tour on the scooter, we did see areas that had a large selection of restaurants, so maybe we'll be more fortunate on Day 2. Inside the Netherlands pavilion.

Never quite figured out what those balls did.

Here is video of the Netherlands show:

Our final stop was in the Commons-D building, featuring booths for many nations.

I took several more videos, but they're all maybe too boring. I also need to improve my filming technique.

Even with the scooters, I still walked 8489 steps, which is a little more than 4 miles. However, at least half those steps probably came from walking around to catch the train to the Expo and back.

Made Shinkansen Green Car reservations at the JR office in Tennoji Station for us on Tuesday from Shin-Osaka to Shin-Yokohama. Took a shower, and made it to the Club Lounge for dinner and drinks.

Tomorrow, Tennoji Park, with the second day of our Expo on Sunday.

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