| 1975Okinawa | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Overview | |
| BIE-class | Specialized exposition |
| Name | Expo '75 |
| Motto | The sea we would like to see |
| Building(s) | Aquapolis |
| Area | 101.17 hectares (250.0 acres) |
| Visitors | 3,485,750 |
| Participant(s) | |
| Countries | 33 |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| City | Okinawa |
| Coordinates | 26°41′30″N127°52′30″E / 26.69167°N 127.87500°E /26.69167; 127.87500 |
| Timeline | |
| Awarded | May 25, 1972 (1972-05-25) |
| Opening | July 20, 1975 (1975-07-20) |
| Closure | January 18, 1976 (1976-01-18) |
| Specialized expositions | |
| Previous | Expo '74 inSpokane |
| Next | Expo 81 inPlovdiv |
| Universal expositions | |
| Previous | Expo '70 inOsaka |
| Next | Seville Expo '92 inSeville |
| Horticultural expositions | |
| Previous | Wiener Internationale Gartenschau 74 inVienna |
| Next | Floralies Internationales de Montréal inMontreal |
Expo '75, also known asThe Okinawa International Ocean Exposition (Japanese:沖縄国際海洋博覧会,romanized: Okinawa kokusai kaiyou hakurankai), was aWorld's Fair held on the Japanese island ofOkinawa from July 20, 1975, to January 18, 1976.
Expo 75 was conceived, in part, to commemorate the American handover ofOkinawa toJapan in 1972. The theme of the exposition was the oceans, and focused onoceanographic technologies,marine life, and oceanic cultures. The motto was “The sea we would like to see" (海－その望ましい未来,Umi - sono nozomashii mirai).
The event was located on the western end of theMotobu Peninsula, with a site area of 1,000,000 square metres (including sea areas). Thirty-seven nations participated, along with eight domestic and three international organizations. The keynote speaker on opening day was American authorJames A. Michener.
The exposition is the given reason for the construction of theNakagusuku Hotel.
The site was divided into four “Clusters” in which there were pavilions and exhibits:
There was also EXPO Port, EXPO Beach, and an amusement park named EXPO Land.
The centerpiece of Expo 75 was the Aquapolis, a floating city designed by Japanese architectKiyonori Kikutake. It was envisioned as a concept of how humans could live harmoniously on the ocean, and a prototype for marine communities. The Aquapolis was constructed at a shipyard inHiroshima, Japan, and then towed to the Expo site. The facility was funded by the Japanese government, and cost 13 billionyen. It was thirty-two meters high, and had a one-hundred square meter deck. It was later sold for scrap in 2000.
The Expo Transit System featured two types of automated, electric transport vehicles: The "Expo New City Cars" (KRT) ran on a 3.7 km track almost the whole length of the site, there were three stations. The Expo Future Cars (CVS) track was at the north end and connected the Fish Cluster with Expo Land via five stations.
After the Expo was over, the site becameOkinawa Commemorative National Government Park (国営沖縄記念公園), also known asOcean Expo Park. Most of the exhibits were removed, although the Aquapolis was retained as an attraction and eventually hosted four million visitors. As years passed, the number of visitors to the Aquapolis declined and it was closed in 1993. In October 2000, the Aquapolis was towed away toShanghai to be scrapped.
The main tank of the aquarium facility that was opened at Expo was the largest indoor aquarium in the world at that time with a water volume of 1,100,000 litres (291,000 US gal). After that,the Aquarium facility used in Expo'75 continued to be used and was opened as theOkinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium. The Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium closed in 2002 due to aging and then reopened asOkinawa Churaumi Aquarium.
TheTropical & Subtropical Arboretum were later constructed on the site.
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| National | |
