Hungarian Pavilion

The upcoming World Expo will be held in Osaka from April 13 to October 13, 2025, with the participation of about 161 countries and 9 international organizations. The Japanese city is built on the waterfront and is interwoven with an extensive canal system, so it’s no wonder that the World Expo site will also connect to the sea and evoke a perfect circular island.

The event is expected to attract – by conservative estimates – 30 million visitors, primarily from Japan and the East Asian region, including South Korea and China. This is also the world’s largest tourism source market, so successful Hungarian participation could significantly increase inbound traffic from here – which is one of the most important goals of the Hungarian presence.

The aim of the Hungarian presence – in addition to stimulating tourism – is to strengthen diplomatic and business relations and investments. Hungary is one of Japan’s most important economic partners in Central Europe; last year, the East Asian region provided the most investments to Hungary. Thus, beyond building the country’s image, the Hungarian Pavilion also aims to create opportunities for many Hungarian businesses to develop and build connections.

Designed along these lines, the Hungarian Pavilion is equipped with several important functions. Domestic small and medium-sized enterprises will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to East Asia, and an entire floor on the second level of the building provides space for nurturing economic, business, and diplomatic relations, and for the presence of Hungarian companies.

Another important function is the gift shop set up at the end of the exhibition space, where visitors can purchase souvenirs and typical Hungarian products. On the first floor of the Pavilion, a bistro representing Hungarian gastronomy and a wine bar await guests.

The central theme of the Expo (“Designing Future Society for Our Lives”) is designing the society of the future for a more sustainable world, to which the Hungarian presence also connects. The artistic concept of the Hungarian Pavilion identifies the achievement of a “Happy Future” in the preservation and continuation of natural and cultural heritage. The close relationship between humans and nature plays a significant role in the value systems of both Japanese and Hungarian nations, so the Pavilion’s exhibition is built on a strong nature-centric experience, which it aims to emphasize through artistic means in its main attraction.

The connecting bridge between Japanese and Hungarian culture in our concept is the universal language of music, as the well-known Kodály method states: music belongs to everyone. Planning the future is unimaginable without knowledge and respect for the past, which is why the central theme of the pavilion’s exhibition is to present a slice of Hungarian culture through folk music.

Instead of a traditional exhibition content, the Hungarian exposition provides an emotionally impactful experience, also featuring a live musical performance. The main attraction is the immersive theater space, which creates the experience of being close to nature and our homeland: a live folk music production will await visitors in the pavilion.

It was a goal during the design process to capture the attention of the World Expo audience already with the visual style of the Hungarian Pavilion. The architectural concept was inspired by natural building materials and construction methods found in both Japanese and Hungarian folk architecture. Both cultures are strongly connected to nature and the relationship between humans and the landscape, thus the built and natural environment is presented as a unity in the design of the Hungarian Pavilion.