Expo 2005 Japan weblog

My FlickrMap

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 08:19:51 PDT

Flickrmap.com is a web service that allows you to put a flash based world map on your own website or blog. This is my own FlickrMap. :)

A belgian guy at the World Cup - live blogging from Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 12:09:19 PDT

I am in Berlin this weekend for an initiative that looks a little bit like a mini-world exposition event. What it is about?
Well, the idea behind the project - go to www.weallspeakfootball.com for more info - is a once in a lifetime gathering of football fans around the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. They invited people from all over Europe to have the opportunity to get together, live together for a few days and enjoy the exciting atmosphere around the FIFA World Cup - and break down barriers by blogging about all this!

I just arrived in Berlin a few hours ago after a rather long car trip from Antwerp. Being the first Belgian guy in the apartment, I feel kind of embarrassed. Robbie Williams said it spot on a week ago during his concert in Brussels: "Where the f.k is Belgium at the Football World Cup"? Hmm, the players on holidays I guess. But I am here in Berlin for a few days...After having some German food (no, not Bratwurst) we are drinking a few Germans beer. And I already had my laugh with the Germans and their car flags everywhere. :) They really think they will win this tournament...

Anyway, interesting is what Times Online wrote yesterday about this World Cup blogging initiative:

Coca-Cola has produced one of the most readable World Cup blogs with weallspeakfootball.com. Taking as its theme the unifying force of “the beautiful game”, it has four “pro bloggers” and a revolving roster of six guest pan-global bloggers living in the same Berlin flat. You can apply to be one of the latter and share your thoughts with “the world community”.

I am a pan-global blogger...Coool... Right now I am just drinking beer, guys.... just drinking beer...
For more info about the project: www.weallspeakfootball.com

'Tokyo' from the band 'Gaijin Invasion'

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 09:54:49 PST

How are you? I had to think about the world expo, Japan and all my friends in Japan last week...on March, 25th, when it was one year ago that the world expo started. One whole year. To celebrate this a week later, please watch this funny gaijin song about Tokyo. I think it is rather symbolic. ;)
Does anyone know if this is Yoyogi Park?

Morizo and Kiccoro go back on sale

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 11:44:59 PST

It's almost one year ago that the world expo in Japan started...Last year at this time, I remember that we had to prepare a lot of stuff for our press conference in Tokyo, presenting the Belgian pavilion at the World Expo. Hectic times. And that first week in Japan, I was really confused to walk around in that completely different culture. Luckily for me of course, there was always one thing I liked. The food. Japanese food.
We are one year later now, and from time to time that whole expo seems just a very odd memory...but it isn't. Why? Because we will always have Morizo and Kiccoro, the expo mascots, to remind us about it. Apparently, several months after the end of the Expo they go back on sale. Who is still buying those two strange dudes?

My World Expo Japan poster

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 10:48:11 PST

Click for a larger view. Let me know if you are interested in also having such a poster...

Post Expo Reunion Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:30:32 PST

Update 17/02. It was a great weekend. Not everybody could join the party, but those who were there enjoyed it a lot. Lot's of games. Enough beer. The Jacuzzi. Waaater in Spa. Nostalgia about Japan to share. We should do it again, with our Japanese and foreign Expo friends if possible...I just posted some pictures on my Flickr photo site.
First of all, I hope all of you are still doing fine! I know, it has been way too long since I posted here on this blog. One of the reasons has been that the 'tourist-time' for me ended a few weeks ago. I am back on a payroll, working for a small but interesting company not too far from where I am living right now. And like everybody knows, a new job is really time and energy consuming...

You know what? A big part of the staff of the Belgian pavilion will come together next weekend (February, 10-12) in Theux, a small village in the east of Belgium. It's an event we planned about three months ago, and I really think it's gonna be cool to see everybody again. By the way, if other international folks who are by hazard in Belgium at that period, just give me a buzz, and we will make it possible that you also join the party... :)

Be sure that I will post the weekend pictures on this blog!

Foreign visitors hit record number in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 04:58:41 PST

The Japan Times Online: " The number of foreign visitors in 2005 hit a record 7.45 million, up 10.3 percent from the previous record of 6.76 million in 2004 and topping the 7 million mark for the first time ever, according to preliminary Justice Ministry figures.

The 2005 World Expo in Aichi Prefecture was a big part of the boost, officials of the ministry's Immigration Bureau said."

I was one of them. Yeah...

Why Japanese want their robots to act more like humans

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 03:06:28 PST

The Christmas issue of Economist has an interesting article on 'why the Japanese want their robots to act more like humans'. The article says how people in japan are accepting robots into their daily life, more so than accepting other people. From the article: 'What seems to set Japan apart from other countries is that few Japanese are all that worried about the effects that hordes of robots might have on its citizens. Nobody seems prepared to ask awkward questions about how it might turn out. If this bold social experiment produces lots of isolated people, there will of course be an outlet for their loneliness: they can confide in their robot pets and partners. Only in Japan could this be thought less risky than having a compassionate Filipina drop by for a chat.'"

And mentioning the world expo: 'The country showed off its newest robots at a world exposition this summer in Aichi prefecture. More than 22m visitors came, 95% of them Japanese. The robots stole the show, from the nanny robot that babysits to a Toyota that plays a trumpet.'
For more info about those robots at the expo, see also my video footage and my visit at the Prototype Robot Exhibition.

I certainly enjoyed it wachting all those robots at the expo, but can also confirm that people in the West are much less "in love" with robots. It often has been a mystery for me why, but I think it could be two factors.
1. More inclined to adopt new technologies and technical inprovements, Japanese people understand 'what robots are' better than the general populace of Europe/the States. People tend to be less afraid of what they understand.
2. The "looking in the eyes of others" thing. A robot isn't a human, it doesn't have emotions, so it won't get pissed off if you insult it/don't remember its birthday/whatever. I think Japanese people like that a lot. People from the West are more inclined to like discussions, conflicting situations, etc..

Just my two cents on a great article. What do you think?

Merry Christmas to all of you!!!

Silly video parody about eating sushi

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 08:09:18 PST

In the mood for a good laugh, then watch this silly video parody about eating sushi. It is funny as hell. The video is a Namakibashi Production, you can find a list of some of the other stuff they have done.
For those who didn't spend any time in Japan, part of the humor of the first half of the video is how "true" everything is, although the guys are just acting kinda silly and overdoing it for effect.

Post Expo2005 Forum - expo2005.forumup.com

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:03:01 PST

I guess a lot of us folks are still thinking a lot about the Aichi World Expo. Remember the great Swiss, French, Belgian parties? Remember the huge queues? Remember Morizzo and Kiccoro? Remember the different Futsal tournaments and the fun we had? Remember those cultural exchanges with Japanese people, with colleagues from other countries/other pavilions? Remember the good food we ate? I still do, and am thinking a lot about it. But those thoughts don't have to only stay memories, we can still talk about it. In real time when we see some friends back. But also through the internet. I told you already about Skype as a free communication channel. Another good initiative in that regard is the newly created Post-Expo2005 Forum, where we still can share our lives (and also pins maybe), our new experiences and all kind of post-expo stuff. It's a great initiative. Please go and visit the site and leave a message!

Post-Expo 2005 Aichi Japan Forum

About an online world exposition...

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 08:08:25 PST

After several weeks of travelling in Asia (Thailand and Japan), I went back to Belgium at the end of October. Back to normal life, I guess. The past weeks, I have been trying to organise again my life. Looking for a job, looking for an appartment/a house, meeting again friends and family, taking care of stuff that needed to be taken care of, making a citytrip to Marrakesh (I still have the travel flue, that's for sure ;)...you know, the usual things you do after a long and pleasant journey abroad. A lot of people asked me if I will keep this site now the Expo is over. Yes, as a matter of fact, I will, and I even hope to still find the courage and time to continue updating it in the future. Because I think it still can be useful as a way to keep the connections and relationships alive, and inform people about some Expo related news. Above that, the free internet calling service Skype is certainly a good way to keep in touch with people all over the world. By the way, my Skype name is "ikkekrikke", so please add me to your buddy list if you want me to stay in touch with you...

This part for the short personal news. There is also other interesting news about the expo from a virtual point of view. ABC News brings the news that "Sweden aims to offer an internet version of World Expo for Younger People, Those Who Can't Travel".

The Swedish government and the organization responsible for running the World Expo want to attract younger people and those who cannot travel. Officials say they hope to have the virtual expo operational in three years, two years ahead of the next physical world gathering. Organizers envision virtual pavilions from more than 100 countries. "The site will be an encyclopedia of different countries, their cultures, traditions and music," said project leader Staffan Bjorck at the Swedish Foreign Ministry. Major World Expos are typically arranged every five years and last about six months. Some 22 million people visited the Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. The next will be held in Shanghai, China, in 2010. The Internet World Expo would complement the physical fair, but would run continuously and be updated with new themes.

I like the idea. What do you think?

The world expo is over - what about post-expo?

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 04:45:26 PDT

The World Expo in Aichi is over, but probably I will soon publish more about post-expo activities and related news on this weblog. On a last personal note about the expo, I really had a great time, met a lot of terrific people, made new friends and will never forget this great Japanese experience... I am sure a lot of people will look back at this period in a few weeks with a lot of "nostalgia"...
So, maybe let's think about a post-expo event somewhere in the world? I will for sure try to organise something like that at least for the Belgian staff...

But until then, I am on holidays in Thailand until the 20th of October. After that, one more week Japan is planned before I definitely leave Asia on the 29th of October.

If you're interested, I am publishing pictures about our trip to Thailand on my Flickr photo page. After three days Thailand, I can already come to a conclusion: this country is really really nice...

Expo links for the (last) week of 24 September

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 04:44:42 PDT

One day before this world exposition comes to an end, here are some last good links about the expo in Aichi.

- Japan Today - Expo crowded with one day to go

About 34,500 people were lined up at the gates of the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture on Saturday when it opened in the morning, one day before it ends.

Lately, some people stayed over the whole night, to be sure to be first to enter the expo in the morning...

- Kyodo News - Aichi Expo deserves 'passing grade' despite long waits: expo chief

The World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture, set to end Sunday after a 185-day run, has been successful without any major incidents and deserves "a passing grade of at least 60 points out of 100," the chief of the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition said Saturday.

But Nakamura also admits some mistakes.

"We were inexperienced and lacked the know-how on how to handle the crowds swiftly and this is an area for improvement," Nakamura said. "We hope to be able to pass on our experience to the next expo to be held in Shanghai five years later."

- People's Daily Online - Feature: Countries serve up scrumptious world feast at Aichi Expo

From Azerbaijani kebabs to Nepalese dumplings, from Belgian beer to Costa Rican coffee, the Aichi Expo is proving to be not only an exhibition of robots and advanced technology but also a tempting world food fair.

-Daily Yomiuri Online - French expo expert gives Aichi 10 out of 10 points

French Pavilion General Commissioner Bernard Testu, who has experienced two previous expositions in Europe, said looking back at the six-month-long international event, he would definitely give 10 points out of 10 to 2005 World Exposition Aichi.

To me it sounds strange to read in the article that one would give it a 10 out of 10, but also call it "not an unqualified success".

"Transportation [to the exposition sites] is not as efficient as it should be. It could have been better, particularly in a country like this, which is so well organized," he said. Testu also said the capacity of the mag-lev Linimo line, the main transportation system to the sites, was too small. In this closing month, it is not unusual for visitors to wait for an hour to get onto Linimo trains.

Maybe then better give it a 7 out of 10, no?

-Kyodo News - Aichi Expo to end with 10 billion yen profit and lessons for future

With the visitor count topping 21 million, ticket sales have surpassed initial expectations of 15 billion yen, and the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition is expected to register almost 10 billion yen in profit.

Not bad at all!

While some critics remain skeptical of how successful the Aichi Expo was in raising visitors' awareness of ecology, expo officials claim the world fair has fulfilled its role in environmental education. Citing an Internet survey the association conducted, the officials said 70 percent of the people polled after going to the expo said that they would actively take part in reducing and recycling garbage, more than double that of the 32 percent who said so before visiting.

Also interesting:

Poor access to the expo sites, located some 20 kilometers east of Nagoya, and the high prices of goods sold at the world fair were also problems cited by 31 percent, respectively, of the respondents. Almost half of the surveyed companies and groups said they plan to relocate the pavilions or part of their exhibits to other places so that the expo will not end as just a short-lived event.

The next expo will be held in Shanghai in 2010. I'm sure it will be bigger...and hope the organisers will more focus on promoting it to an international/global audience. And from a communication perspective I would clearly advise to also invest big time in "citizen journalism". In 2010, our society will be totally different, and mainstream media will not exist in its actual form anymore...

Pictures from our "Goodbye Expo2005" Staff Dinner-Party

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 04:05:07 PDT

Pictures from yesterday's Belgian "Expo2005 Goodbye" Staff Dinner-Party in Nagakute. It was a lot of fun... The Expo ends for almost all our staff tomorrow September, 25. Most of the people then fly back to Belgium a few days later to continue their studies or find a new job. Some others, like myself, stay longer and will first travel around in China, Vietnam or Thailand, to finally go back to Belgium at the end of October. A last group is determined to stay at least for several more months in Japan. Japan, and the expo...it was a cool adventure. For sure, we will miss it!

Expo almost over = queuing ! (updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 04:58:15 PDT

With less than ~~two weeks~~ one week remaining before the 2005 World Exposition Aichi wraps up, I guess a lot of people who didn't make it at this expo in the past months, are trying to catch up now. A daunting task in this still very hot climate. And what a queues! I won't repeat what I expressed in my "Open Letter to the Expo visitor". But here are some pictures in front of the Belgian pavilion. To show you how bad it is. And remember that the Belgian pavilion was basically conceived to have no queues... in contrary to a lot of other pavilions where queueing was part of the attraction and/or the promotion strategy.

By the way, do you think that with this combination of "really long queues" and hot weather, people in Belgium, other parts of Europe or elsewhere would stay so civilised and calm? I can hardly imagine that!

Update 19/09 - The Japan Times has an article today, "Jammed expo makes visitors wait" on those queues.
The number of visitors topped 280,000 by 7 p.m., the biggest turnout yet. The number exceeded the cutoff point of 170,000 and entrance restrictions were invoked starting at 12:50 p.m., according to the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition.
I remain with my opinion that this isn't good management. The capacity of the Expo is about 170.000 visitors, and allowing that many more people is only causing danger, disappointment and frustration...

Expo links for the week of 14 september

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 00:22:24 PDT

- Thomas Daily Post from Japan - "Expo2005"

"Here's something else about the Expo: many pavilions, both national and corporate, have huge queues - lines that stretch for thousands of miles, out of Japan, across the ocean on specially designed floating bridges, through China, and back again. The most heavily packed queues are usually "The World of Tomorrow"-esque corporate pavilions like Toyota, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi, and cultural giants like the U.S., England, and Australia. Pavilions serving beer are also very popular ("You want to wait how long to see Belgium?")."

I wouldn't want to wait, Thomas, but who am I? NHK and other Japanese media did apparently a great job in promoting our 26 different beers to a large Japanese audience. It amazes me every day that people want to wait more than an hour for a waffle, a Belgian beer or Belgian fries...

- Japan Times - Quiet women's rights event draws full house

"Active Women of the World," a joint seminar by the United Nations and Saudi Arabia pavilions -- two small venues with only a few events -- was an opportunity for women from around the world to talk about the different experiences and common efforts of women trying to achieve empowerment and independence.

- Japan Today - Most foreign visitors to Aichi Expo had good impressions
I published this link more for the comments that followed this short article...

- Mainichi Daily News - Exhibitionist film makers 'Expo-se' World Fair from Ferris wheel

Police said the five were arrested for allowing the actress to remove her clothes while riding a Ferris wheel at the Aichi Expo and, for the following minute, allowed a young man to knead her breasts while being filmed. Footage of the incident was later screened on an adult cable TV channel. One viewer was shocked and alerted Aichi Expo organizers, who contacted the police, which led to the arrests.

Too funny, this story!

And with that news, I leave the Expo and Japan for a few days. See you back after a short trip to Guam!

Belgian Staff Dinner Party pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:30:12 PDT

Pictures from yesterday's Belgian Staff Dinner Party in the Belgian Pavilion.

Third Expo2005 Futsal tournament - kickoff August 28

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 20:37:55 PDT

Expo staff gets a last chance to score a goal for their country Sunday 28 August with the kickoff of the third Expo Futsal Championship at the Aichi Futsal Club at 2005 World Exposition Aichi. 58 teams--42 men's and 16 women's--are taking part in the third event at the venue.

The tournament is this time organised by the Expo Association who for the occasion created an Expo 2005 Futsal Tournament Secretariat, building further on the work Croatia (Bero Paitz) did in organising the previous two Futsal tournaments.

Participating countries for the women are Nippon, Belgium, Aichi, Expo United, Nedo, Saudi Arabia, Earth Tower, Global House, Association, Mitsui-Toshiba, Spain, JR Central, Wonder circus, Satsuki&Mei's House, Growing Village and the Nordic Countries. Croatia, the winner of the previous women tournament, preferred not to defend its title. A pitty!

Participating countries for the men are Croatia, Belgium, Mexico, USA, Poland, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Italy, Laos, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Spain, Nordic Countries, Austria, Africa and Korea. 24 non-official participants' teams have to first play qualification rounds to later be added to the official participants' groups. The 6 teams who come in first place of each league and two additional teams with the highest winning points will move on to the final rounds.

Belgium Men share Group C with Poland and Saudi Arabia. Belgium Women share Group α with Saudi Arabia, Expo United and Aichi. They play their first game on Sunday August 28. Duration of the games during the qualification rounds equals two periods of ten minuts.

This is the program of the two Belgian teams.

Belgium Men - Group C
Monday 29/08: 23.00 - 23.25 Belgium - Poland (court B)
Wednesday 31/08: 22.30 - 22.55 Belgium - Saudi Arabia (court A)
Sunday 04/09: 22.00 – 22.25 Belgium - ???? (court B)

Belgium Women- Group α
Sunday 28/08: 22.00 – 22.25 Belgium – Saudi Arabia (court D)
Tuesday 30/08: 22.00 – 22.25 Belgium – Expo United (court A)
Thursday 1/9: 21.30 – 21.55 Belgium – Aichi (court B)

Both men and women finals are planned on September 7.
Follow this thread on the Expo2005 staff forum if you're interested in news and updates about this tournament.

Videoblog: Tsukiji fish market Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 02:53:02 PDT

Tokyo. Big metropolitan. Since my arrival on Japanese ground in March of this year, I was three times in Tokyo. First a week to prepare a press conference for the Belgian pavilion, and recently two times just for fun. I hope I'll get the chance to post more often video material about this great city in the future.

My first entry is this videoblog of the Tsukiji fish market - a must-see if you visit Tokyo. The video is actually mostly meant for all those people who didn't have the opportunity yet to visit Tokyo or who can't wake up between four and six in the morning to visit the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. Just stay in bed, and watch it on the web then. But you won't have the smell!

Video (8,4 MB - 2:29) :"Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo" (This video is not for sensitive people!)

Expo links for the week of 5 August

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 04:52:04 PDT

- Jackson firm's work host to millions
"2005 World Expo Aichi is the "greenest" in terms of impact on Earth with recyclable cups and biodegradable plastics. And Japan's a very clean country, with 17 different classifications of garbage. David Ford would get a Coke and candy bar, then fret "OK, how am I going to throw this away?" Often as not, he'd pack in his laptop bag, back to his hotel room, "where there's only one trash can."
Yep, welcome in Japan. :)

- Canadian Architect, O (No) Canada!
"Despite its agenda of diversity, the lack of poetic imagination in Expo 2005's Canadian pavilion severely disappoints."
"In contrast to the blandness of Canadian pavilion, the Spanish and Croatian pavilions offer delight to the eye and to the senses."
One of the rare really well-written articles about this world expo, written from an architectorial point of view. I might make an overview of my best Expo articles one of these days...

- Yuki's Aichi Expo 2005 Review
"If you are planning to go, it is definitely worth it to go for the smell. Each pavillion smells differently: some are scented, some smell like wood, others plastic, some smell like digital machineries, like rotten water, the smells left by people, smell of nan and curry rice, and all the other different kinds. It'll be nice to discover their scents first hand."

This 19-year old Japanese girl spend one day (the typhoon day) at the expo, but put a hell of a job ("just for the record.. it took me several hours to write this post! longest time ever for a blog entry.") later in giving her short honest comments on all the pavilions she saw that day.
"Pakistan Pavilion - There was a statue of a starving Buddha, which I like for some reason. The nan-baking guy was very flirty."
"Korea Pavilion - Too crowded so I passed."
"United States of America Pavilion - Too crowded. Bad exterior design = not really alluring."

And look at the huge number of pictures she took. A remarkable piece of work.

Those personal blogging initiatives reinforce my idea that future world expositions (any bigger events by the way) should do a lot more with 'citizen journalists' (folks out there who are willing to share and publish online their opinions). A one way multilingual website is clearly not engaging enough anymore. Zaragoza? Shanghai? Old official "press release" PR might be dead when your event starts. Focus more on the bloggers in your communication strategy. Bloggers should be your future embassadors...Unbiased and honest voices... Free publicity...Think about it.

Pictures of the second Belgian Beer Party

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 01:55:05 PDT

Pictures of the second Belgian Beer Party on August 4 are now online.

Funny learning Dutch

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 22:47:18 PDT

This videoblog of a guy learning some Dutch phrases, is way too funny. Actually, it has not immediately anything to do with the theme of this blog, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. Since a world expo is also about learning new people, new languages. And at Expo parties, or in the pavilion, it is very common to exchange some important key phrases in all kind of different languages...

This, for instance, is my knowledge of "I love you": je t'aime (French), ik hou van jou (Dutch), ich liebe Dich (German), Jeg elsker dig (Danish), Volim te (Kroatian), s'agapo (Greek), Kimi o ai shiteru (Japanese), ti amo (Italian), Te quiero (Spanish). Not that I need it in all those languages at the same time, of course! :)

This videoblog (Quicktime, 2.6 min 11 MB) is funny and instructive at the same time. Watch and learn, and come with your knowledge later too me...

Waar is het toilet aub?

Second Belgian Beer party

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 04:03:04 PDT

Tomorrow evening, Thursday August 4, it's again party time at our cafe-restaurant and outside in front of the Belgian pavilion. This time, in contrast to the first Belgian party no New-Orleans TRAIN Jazz band to light the fire, but for sure good music and dito beer... There will also be a little game, called ‘Matching Numbers’. At the entrance every boy takes a green paper with a number and every girl a pink one. During the night, people have to look for the boy or girl with the same number and when finding each other, they can go to the bar together for a free drink. Yep, that's how we try to promote international exchange of ideas... :)

Everybody's welcome after 21.30, and you can stay as long as you want!

[Pictures of the First Belgian Party - May 17th]

Join hands for world peace on the Global Loop

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 18:29:20 PDT

Monday 8 August at 19.30, participants, made of visitors and staff members of the Expo2005, will join by hands and make a prayer for world peace on the Global Loop. The goal of this initiative is to form with LED lights a huge ring for world peace.

Today, the world is still troubled by many social conflicts like wars and terrorism. One month ago, when people were celebrating the traditional Tanabata festival with wishing for peace, we heard the news of subway terrorist attack in London and were greatly shocked.

From discussions at the NGO Global Village (grouping 30 NPO's/NGO's worldwide), an idea to fight back for peace came out. We, now at this world expo, regardless of origin, religion and age, will be united by holding hands on the Global Loop, forming a big ring. Staff members and visitors can equally participate in this event and pray for peace in its own way. With illumination (LED light), this human ring will be a symbolic, strong message to the entire world for world peace. (Source: Peace Ring 2005 Committee)

The program. From 19.00, participants on the Global Loop will be given instructions from staff members of the Peace Ring Committee, wearing a special t-shirt. Half an hour later, everybody will hold hands together, with stick-type LED-ligths, to make a huge circle in the shapeof the Global Loop (2,600 meter). Then we pray for peace in silence for 2 to 3 minutes.

It's surely a nice intiative!

Expo links for the week of 29 July

noreply@blogger.com (Christophe) — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:32:25 PDT

Before heading to Tokyo, let me inform you about some interesting and recent Expo-related articles/blog posts.

Kyodo News - FOCUS: World Expo, new airport give momentum to Aichi Prefecture

The six-month expo, which runs until Sept. 25, and the opening of Centrair (Central Japan International Airport) on Feb. l are giving a boost to the economy in the prefecture. But the region, which includes Nagoya, does not have enough workers. The problem is not only affecting Toyota, Japan's top automaker, but also companies in the service sector like department stores. Personnel departments are stressed out over the problem and they have their eyes set on the about as 10,000 people who may be looking for new jobs after the expo ends.

It's true. Everybody has to find a new challenge after the Expo. I'm in the same boat. But I hope most of us can first take one month of travelling and relaxing... :) And then probably back to a more normal life style, no?

Trenton from The 6 Billionth Voice reports on his weblog about one day expo. It is fun to read!

Before I left I decided just to take a look in the gift shop. It was bedlam. I am used to crowding in Japan. On the trains you are sometimes chest to back with other people, and it is not really a problem because if you push a little eventually you will get through. But this gift shop was just as crowded, just with children half my size. I didn’t want to push because I was afraid of crushing one of them. At the same time, old grandmothers were pushing me from behind. It was stressful, to say the least.

Another weblogger, Noomai, was also at the expo, and wrote therefore Aichi Expo part 1. More parts will probably follow later.

The US one was quite inspiring drawing its theme upon the discovery of Benjamin Flankin. I like his saying 'I was born too soon (to see the magnificant world of change).' It must be very stunning for those born a couple of hundred years ago to see how the world is now.

Next post will probably be from Tokyo. Hasta luego!