An Example of a Next Generation Exposition.

(From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI))

Byline: Izumi Shinya

Even those directly involved in the EXPO know surprising little about its history. The modern Olympic Games, the America's Cup, and gold, silver and bronze medals all owe their origins to expositions. Well-informed people may know this much, but research also suggests that events resembling to modern-day expositions were actually held from around 2,500 BC. According to this research, "expositions" were held annually in such ancient towns as Moenjo Daro and Susa, and strangely enough, those events were the same 180 days in length as their modern equivalent. At these ancient expositions, people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds gathered to enjoy each other's company, spending their time drinking and dancing. Expositions through the ages have always been events that encompass humankind, the Earth and the universe. The aspects of humankind, the Earth and the universe represented to people have differed from one age to the next. With this in mind, I would like to reflect upon the 3,000-year history of expositions and consider their significance. Contemplating expositions in millennium phases may seem to lack rhyme or reason, but according to the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions), which oversees international expositions, the next turning point of EXPO development will be around the year 2030, so considering their evolution in 1,000-year stages is by no means illogical. The first internationally recognized "modern exposition" was probably the Great Exhibition, held in London in 1851 to sing Britain's praises for becoming the first nation in the world to accomplish an industrial revolution. As we know from British history, through the Enclosure Acts of the mid-18th century, many people who had engaged in agriculture with healthy bodies and superior sensitivity of nature were denied access to "common" land and so moved to cities such as Manchester and London in search of work. Their labor was a key factor in the industrial revolution. The notion that manufacturers are also consumers appeared for the first time, and was integral in the success of the world's first industrial revolution. The Great Exhibition was the brainchild of Prince Albert, whose statue can still be seen today in Hyde Park. The words, "I see us all moving in the same direction" are inscribed on the granite base. If we consider the path of industrialization that the world followed for the next 150 years, his reference to the "same direction" could not have been more accurate. Nevertheless, the world is now plagued with problems such as mass production, mass consumption, mass disposal and large-scale pollution that can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution. The world also suffers from conflicts born of mass consumption of energy resources and increasingly fierce international competition in manufacturing and sales. If, as I suggest, expositions are a celebration of civilization and culture, we should turn our attention not only to what EXPO 2005 AICHI, JAPAN will achieve, but also to what this Exposition will pass on to the future. What will be the legacy of EXPO 2005 AICHI, JAPAN that will endure for the next 1,000 years? The first is an environmental ...