Japanese Industry Pavilion of Expo 2010, Exhibition pavilion in Shanghai World Expo site, China
The Japanese Industry Pavilion is an exhibition building on the Shanghai World Expo 2010 site with multiple halls dedicated to industrial displays. The spaces showcase manufacturing techniques, technological innovations, and achievements from Japanese companies across different industries.
The pavilion was a joint private-sector and municipal exhibit, not a national pavilion, at Expo 2010 in Shanghai's Zone D. The Shanghai Expo Japan Industry Pavilion Exhibition LLC was founded on 21 December 2007, the participation was announced on 19 September 2008, the contract signed on 9 March 2009, and construction began on 4 July 2009. It opened from 1 May to 31 October 2010 and the company was dissolved on 31 March 2011.
The pavilion's theme was "J-Kansei," built on three Japanese words: kirei (beautiful), kawaii (cute) and kimochiii (pleasant). Its main show theatre, "Utage," screened a six-minute film moving from traditional Japanese culture to AKB48, Gundam, Licca-chan and Hatsune Miku, directed by former NHK director Yuji Murakami.
The pavilion stood in Zone D of the Shanghai Expo site, under a large roof shared with the Cisco and Bank of Communications pavilions, on the grounds of the former Jiangnan Shipyard. Queues skipping the main show theatre moved faster, but the six-minute film "Utage" was the centrepiece. The JAL stage and the LED ceiling mural could be seen without entering.
The pavilion's west wall carried a ladder that the "Yume ROBO" robot climbed up and down continuously, a display meant to represent diligent Japanese workers. After the expo closed, the robot was shown and operated at various venues in Osaka.
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