Wake up. My eyes open to a screen embedded in the ceiling of my sleep capsule, gently displaying a summary of last night’s rest. Throughout the night, the capsule adjusted temperature, humidity, and light to optimise my sleep. Feeling refreshed, I head to the bathroom, where the mirror scans my face, checking for early signs of illness and offering personalised health advice. Then it’s into the human washing machine — a full-body cleansing pod — before making breakfast. Alongside my usual eggs and toast, I plate up a portion of 3D-printed meat I cultivated at home the day before. Minutes later, I’m airborne in my flying car, commuting to work above the skyline. According to exhibitions at Expo 2025, currently being held in Osaka, Kansai, this could be a glimpse into a typical day in the not-so-distant future. With a theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the Expo brings together cutting-edge ideas from across the globe, and I left with a vivid image of what life might soon look like.
(Words: Grayson Hale)
Getting to Yumeshima, the man-made island built specifically for the Expo, was a little stressful — it was Monday morning, after all, and public transport was in high demand. If you’ve ever seen footage of Japanese commuters being crammed into rush-hour trains, you’ll get the idea. Thankfully, the change of lines at Hommachi was a turning point. From there, Expo-goers were split off from the regular office crowd, and the rest of the journey was easy. If your schedule’s flexible, arriving a little later in the morning is definitely worth considering.
Once I arrived at Yumeshima, I was struck by the sheer scale of the place and realised quickly that the day would involve a lot of walking. We were greeted almost immediately by a heavy squall, a predictable hazard of visiting during Japan’s rainy season. I worried the weather might ruin the day, but the rain passed quickly, and I made my way to my first stop: the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion.
The first attraction inside was the Reborn Experience Route, which began with a body measurement pod that assesses seven health parameters — cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, skin, hair, and so on. To participate, I had to register my information in advance and sync it with a smart armband, called “Reborn Band”, given at the entrance. The whole scan took about six minutes, though my hair and teeth data failed to process for some reason (earning me a default score of “C” in those categories). Still, it was impressive how accurately it picked up things like my height and weight with so little effort. Be warned, though: this pod doesn’t sugar-coat anything. My body analysis age came back as 41, a sharp increase on my actual age of 33.
From there, I advanced to the next area, where I met an avatar of myself 25 years in the future. After the age boost from the pod, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the avatar version of me at 58 looked surprisingly good. Not flawless, and I suspect it didn’t fully account for my missing hair data, but it was recognisable enough. Obviously, I can’t say whether it’s accurate, but the overall experience was entertaining.
The following exhibits were designed to help you “improve” your health scores by learning about new medical and technological advances. Each section connected to a health category from the initial scan. One of the more memorable displays was the Meat Maker, a concept device for 3D-printed cultivated meat. According to the information presented, future consumers might make their own meat at home from customised cells, potentially helping to solve food insecurity and reduce environmental impact. Your meat can be tailored to suit your health needs and taste preferences. Some of the other booths in the area did lean a little too close to product promotion at times, which felt slightly at odds with the impressive technologies on display nearby.
The experience ended with a “Reborn Parade.” After scanning my Reborn Band again, my health scores were updated to reflect the new knowledge I had gained while moving through the pavilion, and my avatar was uploaded into a large-scale virtual display. Once a small crowd had gathered, our future avatars danced through a digital cityscape, occasionally interacting with one another. I only caught a brief glimpse of myself once or twice, but it was a fun, quirky finale to the pavilion.
Elsewhere in the pavilion, outside of the Reborn Route, visitors could also see other displays, including the Future Human Washing Machine, which uses microbubbles to cleanse the body while also monitoring your physical and emotional condition in real time.
Having already seen and experienced so much, it was hard to believe that was only the first pavilion of the day. Next up was the Monster Hunter Bridge at the XD Hall, a 360-degree theatre that accommodates about 20 people per showing. I’ve never played Monster Hunter, so I went in with zero expectations. At the entrance, I was offered an English-support card, which I gratefully accepted. Inside, I was fitted with an AR headset that projected images onto a transparent screen across my field of vision. By raising your hands, you could see and interact with digital elements overlaid onto your actual hands. The directional audio was especially impressive, and it was often hard to tell what was coming from the headset and what was part of the theatre’s sound system. The vibrating floor added a physical layer of immersion, too. From the outside, I’m sure we looked a little ridiculous, but inside, it was thoroughly absorbing.
Even without any knowledge of the game or its creatures, the experience was fun and impressively executed. I imagine fans of the series, who could recognise monsters and gameplay elements, would get even more out of it. The only downside is capacity — spaces are limited and bookings fill quickly, so plan ahead if you want to give it a try.
After that, I made my way to the Pasona NATUREVERSE. The first zone, History of Life, featured a stunning centrepiece called the Tree of Life Evolution. This towering sculpture charts the story of life on Earth, from mysterious pre-cellular origins to the present and beyond. The lower layers represent ancient history, such as early organisms and the Cambrian explosion, while the middle layers depict the rise of humans, the internet, and artificial intelligence. The AI layer appeared to be built from iPhones playing AI-generated videos (though only a few screens were actually switched on). The upper layers explore speculative futures, including humanity’s extinction and what might come after. At the very top, the sun consumes the Earth. The whole thing felt like a beautifully constructed existential crisis, and I would’ve loved to spend more time looking at and considering each level. Sadly, like most parts of the Expo, the crowds made lingering too long a challenge.
One of the standout displays in the Body Zone, my next stop inside the pavilion, was the iPS Heart, a miniature heart grown from living cells using iPS-derived cardiac muscle tissue. It beat gently in a small container of culture fluid, which gave an eerie but mesmerising look at what regenerative medicine might one day make possible. The idea is that damaged hearts (for instance, after a heart attack) could eventually be healed using tissue grown from the patient’s own cells.
Nearby, the Future of Sleep exhibit offered a glimpse into tomorrow’s smart beds. These sleep pods featured sensors (developed by MinebeaMitsumi) under each leg that tracked body weight, heart rate, breathing, and movement. The system responded in real time, adjusting mattress angle, lighting, vibration, and sound to help users fall asleep more easily and wake up feeling refreshed. A short three-minute demo simulated a full sleep cycle, complete with synchronised lighting, sounds, and even scents. I wasn’t able to try the demo myself, but watching others, it appeared genuinely calming.
Later, I visited the Future of Medical Care exhibit, where interactive simulations — including catheter surgery and a concept “Flying Operating Room” — showcased the potential of delivering healthcare remotely. In the adjacent Future Me zone I saw HAL, the world’s first wearable cyborg suit that moves with the wearer’s intent, and the Master Remote System, which demonstrated how one’s movements can control a robotic “second you” in another location. These technologies felt lifted straight from science fiction, but they’re grounded in real prototypes. It’s hard to say when they’ll be widely available, but their presentation offered a compelling glimpse into what might be possible.
The final highlight of the day was the NATUREVERSE Show, a multisensory experience presented on a monumental kinetic LED cube structure. Towering above visitors and reminiscent of a giant Rubik’s Cube, the installation was made up of multiple LED-faced segments that could shift, rotate, and realign in real time. This kinetic movement brought a striking sense of drama and dimensionality to the vivid visuals projected across its surfaces. As the show progressed, the cube’s motion pulsed in synchrony with an emotive soundtrack composed by Akira Senju, allowing the imagery to evolve with the story’s emotional arc.
Designed as the climactic moment within the Mind and Bonds Zone of the pavilion, the show reflected the central message of “Thank You, Life.” The cube’s dynamic design reinforced the theme of connection between people, nature, and the wider universe. The interplay of visuals, movement, and sound created a thoughtful conclusion to the exhibit; it invited quiet reflection on the relationship between life, technology, and the natural world.
After a day of exploring future food, medicine, and digital selves, I left the Expo feeling a little awed, a little overwhelmed, and, despite myself, slightly optimistic. The world envisioned at Expo 2025 is still far from our own, but some parts felt closer than I expected.
I don’t know when I’ll wake up to a smart capsule adjusting my sleep or cultivate my own steak from cells in the kitchen, but after visiting the Expo, I can at least imagine it. And maybe that’s the first step to getting there.
