Catalonia presents itself as innovative and pioneering territory at Osaka Expo 2025

Catalonia is presenting itself as a pioneering and innovative territory at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

The Catalan government is promoting the territory to millions of visitors from Tuesday to Sunday at the fair. Since the expo opened its doors on April 13, over five million people, most Japanese nationals, have accessed the venue.

Japan is among the top 20 countries in terms of the number of tourists visiting Catalonia. Of the nearly 19.9 million visitors that traveled to the territory in 2024, over 264,500 came from Japan.

Catalan cuisine

The event, taking place until October 13, will see Catalonia showcasing some of its most unique gastronomy with Michelin-starred chefs Joan Roca, from El Celler de Can Roca, and Carme Ruscalleda, former head of the Sant Pau restaurant, coinciding with Catalonia being the World Region of Gastronomy 2025, present at the expo. 

Among the activities at the Catalan pavilion are wine-tasting workshops and cuisine classes, concerts, dance shows, tourism demonstrations using virtual reality, and arts in collaboration with the Joan Miró Foundation. In fact, Miró took part in the Expo 1970 in Osaka.

On Wednesday, Catalan president Salvador Illa will visit the Expo 2025 and the Catalan area at the Spanish Pavilion in the artificial island of Ymeshima. Illa is currently on an official visit to Japan and South Korea.

During the week, several videos will be on display, talking about the architectural modernism style and the Catalan language, as well as the Mobile World Congress and the FC Barcelona, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the club.

Ruscalleda and Roca will travel to Osaka after hosting a dinner at Tokyo's Metropolitan Art Museum to celebrate the World Region of Gastronomy.

Over 160 countries are guests at Expo 2025 in Osaka. Seven Spanish regions, including Catalonia, will promote their products at the Spanish Pavilion during the event. Before Catalonia, there was Extremadura, and in the coming weeks, Castilla y Leon, Castilla y la Mancha, the Canary Islands, Andalusia, and Galicia will follow.

Historic relationship

Catalonia hosted the Universal Expo in 1888 at the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Expo in 1929 at Montjuïc mountain.

The Catalan government has only once had its own pavilion, in this case, at the Expo 1992 in Seville, Andalusia. However, it has already taken part in Hannover, Germany, in 2000, Nagoya, Japan, in 2005, Shanghai, China, in 2010, Milano, Italy, in 2015, and Osaka.

Illa in Tokyo

The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, defended Catalan gastronomy as "at its best moment in history." He said so during the official dinner in Tokyo organized by the Catalan tourism board to celebrate Catalonia's designation as the World Region of Gastronomy in 2025.

Catalan chefs Ruscalleda and Roca prepared the dinner, which was a "presentation letter to the world."

Local gastronomy "is one of the best heritages that Catalonia holds," as the territory "understands that food is much more than cuisine, it's self-identity, culture, history, health, and future. It is a way of living," he added.

Among the 240 attendees were representatives of Catalan companies exporting to Japan, tourist agents, institutional figures from Japan, influencers, and the Japanese press. Guests tasted a 'Trinxat de la Cerdanya,' 'Bacallà amb mongetes,' a reinvention of the 'Calçots' sauce, or a 'Xuixo.'

Direct flight

The president of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, says the government are working on establishing a direct flight between Barcelona and Tokyo.  

On the first day of his official trip, he told the press in the Japanese capital that his executive "has been taking steps and offering support for some time. " 

Illa also met with Akiko Matsumoto, the vice governor of Tokyo's metropolitan government. The pair discussed the creation of the new route, and Illa explained that there is "significant interest" in travel in both directions for tourism and economic reasons.