The happenings of Thursday May 1, 2025 in Osaka, Japan
Many people have asked how we planned our route and travels. For experiences like our Tanzania safari and cruise, we planned about 9-12 months in advance. Those larger trips became anchor destinations around which we built the rest of our travels and budgeting. We were excited when Chaim realized Japan was hosting the 2025 World Expo exactly when we would be there. We bought a one-day pass, which was about all our boys were going to be able to handle.
Our World Expo day visit also happened to be Israel’s National Independence Day. Appreciating the nice weather, we walked to catch our first subway of the day. We were still learning how to navigate the subway system. Since we didn’t have a pre-paid card, which wasn’t financially worth it for our timing and family size, we were laden with paper yen and coins. Chaim and I did our best to empower the boys who were eager to push the buttons and put the coins into the ticket machines. Between the Japanese keyboard and the intricate train and payment systems, it was anything but straightforward. Worried about holding up rush hour traffic, Chaim eventually stepped in so we could get our tickets and stop annoying the locals with our tourist-level “incompetence.”
The World Expo was a fascinating experience. Almost immediately after entering the grounds, the boys spotted a robotics venue. There they experimented with operating construction machinery on the moon, racing cars, and more. They were so engrossed that we had to remind them there were over one hundred countries’ showcases to visit. This quickly became the theme of the day. The boys were far less interested in the “must-see” attractions and much more captivated by places where they could touch, experiment, and play. The smaller venues and shorter lines ended up being a much better fit for our family.
Notably, Israel’s venue, which we were all excited to see because it was Israel’s Independence Day, was run by local expo employees and, unsurprisingly, had extra security visibly present. We had been so ready to wish at least one Israeli a “Happy Independence Day” that the absence of Israeli representatives came as a genuine shock. Shaking off the disappointment, one of the boys noticed a video of Chiune Sempo-Sugihara playing. The boys had learned about him the previous week as part of our Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance and Heroes Day) discussion.
Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who served in Kovno, Lithuania, at the beginning of WWII. After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, members of the Jewish community approached him seeking transit visas to help them escape Lithuania before the Nazis advanced further east. Because of Japan’s geopolitical position and wartime alliances, Sugihara’s supervisors denied permission to issue the visas. Instead of following orders, Sugihara issued thousands of transit visas to desperate Jewish refugees, saving countless lives.
The boys were proud of themselves for recognizing Sugihara’s story and seeing it highlighted at an international event. More than that, it suddenly made Japan feel personally connected to Jewish history rather than simply another fascinating country we were visiting. Sugihara was no longer a distant historical figure from a lesson the week before. His story had become part of the place we were actively experiencing in real time.
Australia was another standout venue, partially because we had just been there and partially because the sensory display was exceptionally well done. Mostly, though, it was the two Australian musicians playing Australian-Japanese fusion music that caught our attention. And of course, no good Aussie performance is complete without their unofficial anthem, “Thunderstruck.”
By 6:00PM, we were exhausted and ready to head home. Bringing personal food or beverages into the park was not allowed. We did our best to find vegan options for the kids, including a visit to Sushiro, a restaurant containing the most extensive allergen and cross-contamination list we’ve ever seen. It was just enough to get through the day. Normally, I would have worried about what we were going to feed the boys when we got home. But knowing we still had chicken and hot dogs waiting for us somehow made everything feel manageable again.
