Society

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  – Hundreds of revelers danced to electronic music with beer in an hours-long metro party in Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen on Sept. 7.  The rave took place in a running metro train circulating the Copenhagen City Circle Line from 8:30pm to 11pm, with people joining or leaving at any station.  Four music artists played live techno music, with big speakers installed in each car. Some party-goers brought beer along with them on the train. Metro staff regulated the flow of passengers at the gates to prevent overcrowding. Augustinas, 20, from Lithuania, said he has a broad interest in different music genres and is a fan of Peachlyfe, one of the DJs at the event. “I just want to have a great time. I want to dance. I want to listen to some good stuff,” he said before entering the metro party. The metro party is one of the events of the 2025 Strøm Festival, an annual festival since 2006 that promotes electronic music to both Danes and international audiences.  Around one-fifth of Nordic listeners chose “dance & electronic” as their favourite music genres, according to a 2020 study by YouGov, an international market research and data analytics firm. “We often present electronic music in unconventional settings: urban spaces, nature and other unexpected places where audiences do not typically expect to encounter electronic music,” said a spokesperson for the non-profit Strøm, which organizes the festival, in an email interview. Theo Pallesen, 21, a Danish local resident, found himself passing through one extra station due to the crowds.  “I was at the right station and tried to squeeze off and suddenly the door shut and then I was stuck just right in the middle of the party, where people were jumping, sweating and drinking alcohol,” he said.

OSAKA – 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 …