I've waited 20 years! The world has come to Osaka.

I have been waiting for this day for a long time.
I bought a pass for the entire period as early as last April, when no one was talking about it yet. And after the long-awaited opening this April, I have been entering the museum continuously as if I had been dammed.
I have visited the pavilions about 10 times so far, but I still have a long way to go to conquer all the pavilions.

Let me write about myself and the Expo.
First of all, I would like to go back to the Tsukuba Science Expo in 1985. I was an elementary school student at the time, and because I lived in the Kansai region of Japan, I was not allowed to take my children to Ibaraki Prefecture, but instead I gazed at the Tsukuba Science Expo feature article in the science magazine "NEWTON" until I was bored out of my skull. That was the beginning of my insatiable interest in the Expo.
In 1990, the International Garden and Greenery Exposition was held in Osaka. I was in the middle of the bubble economy, and as a second-year junior high school student, I made my long-awaited debut at the Expo. The Electric Power Pavilion, Mitsubishi Miraikan, and other pavilions that showed me the "future" had a strong impact on me and had a great influence on my life.

Then came Expo 2005, the Aichi Expo. Fifteen years after the Flower Expo, this was the first Expo that I went to with my own money as an adult. Frozen mammoths, linear motor cars, and numerous overseas pavilions. The exciting space captivated me again. I went many times, but I remember with a real sense that the crowds became more and more intense as the latter half of the exposition period progressed.

Then came the opening of the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. It has been 55 years since the Osaka Expo with the Tower of the Sun, 35 years since the Flower Expo, which had a strong impact on me, and 20 years since the Aichi Expo, the first Expo to be held in Osaka.
I know there were many things that happened and were said beforehand. And there are still many issues to be addressed, such as the reservation site, the summer heat, and the lines, but it still holds a strong attraction for me. I can go back to those days at the Expo site, where I can move with my curiosity, even though I am not old enough to do so.

In this article, I would like to report on the "food" in the overseas pavilions!
Each country staked its prestige on the pavilions that would be exhibited at the Osaka/Kansai Expo. The restaurant attached to the pavilion offers even the "tastes" representative of each country. Let's go on a trip around the world of food!

French Pavilion] Enjoy authentic croissants!

The French Pavilion appears as soon as you enter the East Gate and pass through the ring. The theater-like curtains and life-size sculptures are just stylish!

The main sponsor of the France Pavilion is LVMH, which owns brands such as Louis Vuitton. It has an artistic and elegant presence that is different from any other pavilion, including a space where the entire wall is covered with Louis Vuitton patterns.

Just as popular as the pavilion in the France Pavilion is the bakery "La Boulangerie," which is attached to the pavilion. The long line of people waiting in line every day is unbroken. When waiting in line at the France Pavilion, be sure to check whether the line is for the pavilion or the bakery.
The bakery is supervised by Eric Kaiser, a baker and founder of Maison Kaiser, which has its first store in Paris. Eric Kaiser emphasizes the use of natural yeast and reduces the use of yeast in his baking to bring out the original flavor of the bread. In any case, you can find authentic French croissants here!

A variety of breads are available in the window. All of them are carefully made and eye-catching. The "Croissant Rouge" in the upper left corner is especially popular because it is a limited edition of the Expo.

The one I purchased this time was "PAIN SWISS. It is a croissant dough sandwich with rich custard cream and chocolate chips, and is a limited edition product available only at the Expo.
When you put it in your mouth, the surface of the dough crumbles, but the inside is chewy. Then, the custard cream and chocolate chips appear.
The three chocolate toppings on top are also stylish! It is as expected of France.

And here is the "Croissant monsieur" (croissant croque-monsieur).
Croque-monsieur is a hot sandwich made in 1910 at a café near the French Opera House, and is made by frying bread stuffed with ham and cheese.
This is a croque-monsieur made into a croissant, rich with ham and avocado. When you put it in your mouth, the buttery flavor of the croissant fills your mouth, while the cheese of the croque-monsieur and the abundance of avocado and ham give it an elegant, three-dimensional taste, as if you were watching an opera.
All breads are available for takeout, so it is best to eat them sitting on a bench in the venue.

Spanish Pavilion: Cuisine of passion in the land of passion!

The Spanish Pavilion is designed like a sunset over the blue sea. The pavilion is said to have been designed to represent the sea, the sun, life on earth, and the identities of both Spain and Japan.

You will be tempted to climb up the grand staircase. The pavilion is characterized by a grand staircase that creates an open atmosphere.

The exhibits are emotional, as is typical of Spain, the "Land of Passion. Once inside, the atmosphere is completely different. Once inside, you will be overwhelmed by a huge screen representing the ocean and a large globe. Both the atmosphere and the immersive feeling are the best among the European pavilions.

The Spanish Pavilion has a Restaurant serving Spanish cuisine.
This Restaurant is produced by "Etxola," a famous Spanish restaurant in Osaka, and its taste is well-known!

The menu consists of two courses: "Course with Choice of Appetizer and Main Course" (3,850 yen) and "Course with Pintxos & Tapas from 17 Autonomous Provinces and 2 Autonomous Cities in Spain" (5,500 yen). Unfortunately, the "17 Autonomous Provinces of Spain" was SOLD OUT this time, so I chose the "Course with Choice of Appetizer and Main Course.
Incidentally, the "17 Autonomous Provinces of Spain" is, as the name suggests, an elaborate course meal limited to 50 servings per day at where you can enjoy 19 different local dishes from all over Spain.

Restaurants in overseas pavilions also offer beers and wines representing their countries.
We started with a draft of Spanish beer "Mahou" (Maou). It is very easy to drink and soaks into your body after a long day of walking.

The appetizer was a combination of a bucket of crab salad and "hilda," a standard pintxos dish in the Basque Country. Hilda is anchovies, olives, and gindija (green chilies) on a stick, which goes very well with Maou beer!

Next came gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup. The cool soup is filled with tomatoes and other vegetables, and the refreshing acidity is irresistible.
It is also delicious to dip the bucket that comes with the soup!

The main dish you have been waiting for is the Caldereta of Lamb.
Caldereta is a dish of meat stewed in a tomato-based broth, and although it is known as a Filipino dish, it has its roots in Spain. This time, we were served Caldereta with lamb and bell peppers.
The lamb was surprisingly tender and fluffy, and the acidity of the tomatoes that enveloped it gave it a very exotic flavor. I was impressed that such an authentic dish could be served at the Expo.

German Pavilion] Is this Munich?

This pavilion, visible from the large roof ring, is the German Pavilion. There are several circular buildings, and these were designed based on the circular economy concept of the German Pavilion, and the pavilion is named "Wa! Germany.

Wa! has three meanings: "Wa" for circulation, "Wa" for harmony, and "Wa! is a Japanese play on words. It is kind of nice to see a foreign pavilion playing a Japanese word game. It is just like a friend's wa!

This is a serious pavilion where visitors can learn about the Circular Economy, but the image of the original character "Circular" floating and sinking in the water is very cute.
Even the female students who were on a field trip to the pavilion kept saying, "He's so cute! They kept saying, "He's so cute! He may be the most popular character in the foreign pavilions.

In the Germany Pavilion, there is an attached Restaurant named "Oishii! Germany" where you can drink "Hofbräu München" from the German National Brewery. This is the brand that seems to be the star of Oktoberfest.
Sit at the counter (tables are also available) and guzzle a Hofbräu Lagerbier (300 ml, 1,200 yen). The beer is soft to the taste, with a sweet flavor and little bitterness, and you will finish the mug in no time!
I feel like I am in a beer hall in Munich. No, I have never been to Germany.

I would like to pair German beer with sausages, wouldn't you? So I ordered "Nuremberg-style grilled sausages"! It is a plate of three grilled sausages with sauerkraut and bread. The sausages are not too fussy, and with mustard as an accent, they are quite good.
Whatever it is, you will definitely want to order another beer.

Hungary Pavilion] Enjoy delicate Hungarian cuisine after the live singing!

What is the image you have of Hungary?
The first time I became aware of Hungary was during a broadcast of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The image of Ayrton Senna's heroic race on the Hungaroring circuit still remains in a corner of my memory. To put it another way, that is all I know about Hungary.
What in the world can one experience at the Hungarian Pavilion?

While there are many high-tech pavilions that use video screenings and devices, the Hungary Pavilion went in the exact opposite direction.
A woman in traditional Hungarian costume appeared in a pitch-dark dome-shaped theater. To our surprise, she sang a live song!
The music was very beautiful and seemed to convey the atmosphere of the country of Hungary!

Well, let's enter the Hungarian Pavilion's Restaurant, named "MISKA" (Mishka)!
Produced by a star Hungarian chef, this Restaurant is very popular and often has a wait time of over an hour during lunch time.
I ordered the "Cold Paprika Stuffed with Cottage Cheese Cream, Tomato Salsa". This is my first time eating this Hungarian dish.
The very soft bell peppers are stuffed with cheese cream, and this cheese cream is nice and spicy. It tasted wonderful both eaten as is and with the accompanying bread.

A crepe with meat?　What kind of thing is that?
Holtbázy is the name of a village in the eastern part of Hungary, and when I looked at it on Google Maps, the land looked like Hokkaido. This dish was first introduced at the Brussels World Expo in 1958, and is said to be very popular in Hungary today.
The crepe dough contains two pieces of chicken breast, one is steamed and the other is battered like a chicken cutlet, and eating them together with the crepe dough gave me a texture I had never experienced before. And the paprika-flavored sauce, which I guess is the taste of Hungary. It is very tasty.
This dish made me feel familiar with Hungary at once, and at the same time, I felt that it has something in common with the "powdered monsieur" of Osaka!

Monaco Pavilion] You can feel like a celebrity! Wine Bar

Lastly, I would like to introduce the Monaco Pavilion. The Principality of Monaco, facing the Mediterranean Sea, is a country where world-famous celebrities gather, and the average annual income of its residents is 20 million yen (!). The average annual income of its residents is 20 million yen (!). The F1 Grand Prix, held on public roads, is also world famous.
Not many Japanese have ever been here. And drinking alcohol in a bar is a world above the clouds. This can be realized here at the wine bar on the third floor of the Monaco Pavilion!

Take the elevator up to the 3rd floor and you are in Monaco. The wines on the wall are wines and cognacs selected from the wine cellar of the Hôtel de Paris Monte Carlo, an ultra-luxury hotel in Monaco where VIPs from around the world gather. It is a world completely above the clouds.
What did I choose at such an out-of-this-world wine bar?

I couldn't afford a Grand Cru wine, so I tried a relatively inexpensive Chablis Premier Cru Cote de Leche.
It has a powerful and expansive flavor that stimulated my taste buds. I don't know much about the taste of wine, but the best taste is that this is the Monaco Pavilion.

The Monaco Pavilion has a terrace where you can enjoy the night view of the Expo when you go out at night. If you drink a glass of wine here, you will forget that you are even in Japan.

What did you think of the European section of the Osaka/Kansai Expo restaurants? The variety of dishes that give you a sense of tradition and technology, and the bars that make you feel gorgeous, are a great opportunity to encounter a foreign country.

There are many more European pavilions and many more places that I could not introduce here. We hope you will visit them on your own!
In the next issue, we will introduce you to the Middle Eastern Pavilion's Restaurant!

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