Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Table of Contents
Osaka Expo’s Roof Sets World Record
We’re still a few weeks away from the Official Opening of the Osaka World Expo 2025. However, the event received a timely boost to its profile this week, as it claimed a new world record.
In a ceremony last week, Guinness World Records confirmed that the Expo site’s Grand Ring, the wooden structure acting as a roof over much of the area, is, indeed the world’s largest wooden architectural structure. With a circumference of around 2 kilometers and a total area of 61,000 square meters, the 20 meter high circular structure is indeed a world record, and a spectacular one at that.
The Grand Ring completed construction on February 27th. In total, 27,000 cubic meters of timber comprise the structure. The timber comes from both Japanese cypress and cedar trees as well as European red pines. This fusion of European and Japanese natural resources follows the theme of the Expo: Unity in Diversity.
Invitation to Expo Rehearsal Gets a Record Response
There was even more good news for Expo organizers this week, as an appeal for local residents to join a rehearsal event drew a record number of responses.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura hoped to recruit some 40,000 local residents for a series of “test runs” on the expo site and its facilities.
In the end up, around 350,000 people applied for the series of events, scheduled for April 4th to April 6th. The organizers will now choose who gets to take part via a lottery. With winners due to receive their notification by the end of this week.
The overwhelmingly positive response is a timely boost for an event that had, until recently struggled to get the general public onside. Yoshimura hopes this newfound enthusiasm may be a sign that public attitudes are finally shifting in the Expo’s favor.
Food Poisoning Restaurant Shut Down, Again
The future is looking grim for one restaurant in the Osaka Prefectural city of Kawachinagano this week. Just one day after the restaurant, a Japanese set lunch provider named Kiichi, reopened, it had to close its doors once again.
23 people were confirmed as having food poisoning after eating at the restaurant. Kiichi had to close its doors for 2 days last week after another 33 people got sick. Five out of the seven staff at the venue also tested positive for norovirus. Prefectural food safety inspectors ordered a thorough disinfection of the premises and reminded all staff to wash their hands thoroughly throughout their shifts.
Unfortunately, it seems that advice was ignored.
As a result, Kiichi’s operator has had their business operation indefinitely suspended under the Food Sanitation Act.
Luckily, none of the cases of food poisoning required hospitalization. They reported symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. A number of them also tested positive for norovirus.
The exact cause of the outbreak remains unknown, however, a number of customers said that they ate sashimi (slices of raw fish). If not washed and prepared correctly, raw fish is a prime candidate for spreading of illnesses like norovirus.
And Finally…
Japan’s baseball stars descended on Osaka this week for a two game exhibition series against The Netherlands.
Among the stars who took part in the game were some of the World Baseball Classic Winners from 2024.
In the end, it proved an easy victory for Japan, who were the overwhelming favorites heading into the series at Kyocera Dome, in Nishi Ward.
They ran out 5-0 winners in the first game of the series on March 5th. The teams will meet again later this week. Pundits expect another strong showing from the Japanese side, as many of the members will look to impress, ahead of the start of the regular baseball season. There is also the small matter of another World Baseball Classic to prepare for in 2026.
For baseball fans in Osaka, it made for an exciting appetizer to what we all hope will be a great regular season ahead.
That’s all for now, but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of This Week in Osaka!
