Confusion over navigation app at Osaka Expo 2025

Osaka Expo 2025 is supposed to showcase futuristic technologies, but some visitors experience were confused by the official app which was meant to offer with  navigation and language support. 

The app, called “EXPO 2025 Visitors”, has a 2.3/5 rating on Google Play with over 500k downloads, with many users complaining about the slow function, clunky interface, and glitchy performance. 

“It would be nice if they had a map with the pavilion names on the app, because we have to click on every button to see what it is,” said Frank Johnson, 37, a tourist from the United States. 

“First we used the maps on the website and then the maps on the app, but we kept getting lost,” said Helen Okoro from the United States. “It’s because there aren’t really any signs with pavilion names in general.” 

Tourists can buy a paper map for 200 yen at the venue, but the line is usually very long. According to the official website, the map is not distributed free of charge due to sustainability concerns.

Across the venue, groups of volunteers are placed to help visitors find their way.

“Lots of tourists need help with directions in the venue,” said a Japanese volunteer who chose not to reveal her name for fear of getting into trouble.

“It is generally circular, so it’s hard to tell the direction,” she added. 

Angela Zhou, a Chinese visitor aged 28, said the paths inside the venue are confusing.

“Google Maps is much more useful compared to their official app,” she said. “It allows you to directly search for each pavilion and head straight to it, while the official app is slow.”

“Many of the app’s functions require you to visit the website on a browser. For example, clicking on the booking button on the app just redirects me to the webpage,” added Zhou. 

While app problems frustrate visitors, language barriers present another challenge.

Zhao Xiyuan, a Chinese student who visited the Expo alone, said that there are only  few members of staff who speak Chinese or English. 

“I almost had to solely rely on translation apps to communicate with staff at the pavillions,” she said.

Okora said the staff at the Expo are very helpful. 

"Even though there is a bit of a language barrier, we're still able to communicate what we want with most of the staff. For example, when we order food, we can just point at the menu,” she said. 

The Expo also provides multilingual services for on-site broadcasts and an automatic translation app to facilitate the needs of foreign visitors. 

According to projections by the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, the number of tourists from mainland China in the first half of 2025 is likely to exceed the 2.58 million record set by 2019 before the pandemic. If this trend continues, the figure for the whole year may break the record high of 5.64 million in 2019.