Digitalized Osaka Expo Troubling Elderly Visitors

From Jiji

April 19 2025

OSAKA – Elderly visitors are struggling to look for pavilions on digital maps and make reservations online at the ongoing World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka. 
   Under the digital and paperless policies of the Expo, visitors are asked to use digital devices including smartphones to reserve admission to pavilions and search for locations they want to visit.
   This has drawn complaints such as “I don’t know how to make reservations for pavilions,” and “I can’t get to places I want to go.”
   “It’s very nice that we can enter pavilions without queuing up if we can get reservations,” said a 79-year-old male visitor from Tokyo.
   Meanwhile, a visitor in her 70s living in Osaka said, “Making a reservation is difficult, and I tried many times but couldn’t do it.”