A project to experiment with new ways to enjoy the town and trains along the Hankyu Hanshin Railway, including Umeda, Osaka.

This is a project to build momentum for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai to be held in Umeda, Osaka and other areas along the Hankyu Railway.

What will the city of the future look like? What will the trains of the future be like? …. Together with various artists, creators, and people who are active along the train lines, they will hold events and demonstrations that will make the town and trains freer and more enjoyable, while thinking about the future.

Project Inauguration

The Osaka Umeda area, the largest transportation node in western Japan, has developed as a town with a well-balanced concentration of urban functions. In May 2022, the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Group formulated the “Umeda Vision,” aiming to make the Osaka Umeda area a “hub of international exchange,” a place where people from around the world want to work and visit.

In this context, they believe that the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai to be held in 2025 will be a major milestone for the Osaka-Umeda area and its rail lines. As a company that has played a role in urban development in the Kansai region, they launched this project in the hope of not only contributing to building momentum for the Expo, but also using the event as an opportunity to co-create with various players to create new attractions and communities that will take root in the area even after the Expo is over.

Project Activities

EXPO SAKABA, Osaka-Umeda

The “Expo Bar Osaka-Umeda” was held on July 21, 2023 at the event space “OSAKA FOOD LAB” located under the elevated Hankyu Osaka-Umeda and Nakatsu stations, where a total of over 160 people, including Expo related people, creators, and workers in the Osaka-Umeda area, gathered to think and discuss what they can do for the Expo. It was a place to think about what they can do for the Expo and to talk about it.

EXPO TRAIN Hankyu-go

Held on April 13, 2024, one year before the opening of the Expo, the “EXPO TRAIN Hankyu-go” operated on a special route to and from Osaka Umeda Station. The first half of the train featured theatrical performances, while the second half featured exhibitions and product sales, allowing visitors to experience a new way to enjoy the train. In addition, each train car was decorated with historical backgrounds from the past to the future to express the history and future value of the Expo and to make everyone involved in the project excited about the Expo and step forward into the future.

Future Prospects for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

Through our efforts to date, we have created a variety of co-creation opportunities, including among artists, creators, people active along the rail line, and among participants. They also feel that the Expo is an excellent opportunity to take on new challenges.

They hope to continue to build on these efforts to create co-creation that transcends barriers, and to create a town that continues to be attractive even after the conference.