Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai closed in the autumn of 2025. Yet a piece of news recently reminded me how much can continue to grow from the encounters it made possible.
I heard that a young person who had come to Osaka with a European government’s pavilion team is planning to return—this time to spend two years studying Japanese.
A city first encountered through work at the Expo will now become a place of learning and everyday life.
That thought brought me considerable joy.
Six Months to Form a Connection
For those who came from overseas to work at the Expo, its six-month duration offered time to develop a relationship with Osaka.
A route to work becomes familiar. A neighbourhood shop becomes part of the weekly routine. There may be moments of confusion over language, alongside moments made easier by someone’s kindness.
Through these ordinary experiences, a connection to a place can gradually take shape.
From Visiting Osaka to Choosing It
Hearing about this decision to return made the Expo’s continuing influence feel very personal.
Two years of language study is a meaningful commitment. It represents time, curiosity and a willingness to build a life in a different environment.
I do not know every experience or encounter that led to this decision. But as someone whose work is rooted in Osaka, I am delighted that our city has been chosen again.
Where an Encounter Might Lead
Learning a language opens up new conversations. It also offers a deeper understanding of the people who speak it and the culture in which they live.
From there, new friendships may develop. A career may take an unexpected direction. For some, meeting a partner may eventually lead to marriage across cultures and a family with roots in more than one country.
Every person will, of course, choose their own path.
What moves me is the possibility that a city visited for the Expo could become part of someone’s life for decades to come. An encounter during those six months may help shape an entirely new chapter.
An Exchange That Enriches Both Sides
I hope those who come to Japan have the time and opportunity to discover its language, traditions and everyday pleasures.
We, in turn, have much to learn from them.
People bring their cultures with them: their perspectives, their food, their ways of spending time with family and friends. Through their presence, Osaka gains new opportunities to encounter the world.
Living in the same neighbourhoods, talking together and learning to appreciate our differences are modest, everyday forms of international exchange. Over time, they can make a city more welcoming and more open.
The Stories Continue
At Dios, our work in housing and everyday support has brought us into contact with people beginning their lives in Osaka.
Having a comfortable home to return to, and someone to consult when life feels unfamiliar, can provide a foundation for everything that follows: studying, forming friendships and finding a sense of belonging.
Young people will come to Japan to study or travel, carrying memories and connections from the Expo with them. Each will have new experiences ahead and a story of their own to write.
Expo 2025 has closed, but the lives it touched continue to unfold.
Looking back now, I find myself thinking, quite simply, what a wonderful thing an Expo can be.
If your next chapter brings you to Osaka, you are welcome to speak with us at Dios. We would be pleased to help you find a home and settle into everyday life here.
Masahiro Fukai, CPA (U.S.)
CEO, Dios Co., Ltd.