Since its opening in 2000, APU has held Multicultural Weeks on campus to introduce the languages and cultures of various countries and regions, providing students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community with opportunities to experience many different cultures. In order to give visitors to the Expo a sense of diversity and multiculturalism, APU student groups planned and organized their own Multicultural Show featuring dances and music from around the world.

On August 8, students from Japan and 14 other Asia Pacific countries and regions, including Thailand, Malaysia, Fiji, Taiwan, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Samoa, and Palau, performed. After an Okinawa Eisa dance, a Malaysian lion dance, a traditional dance from Indonesia, and a stage performance featuring countries from Oceania, there was a joint fashion show featuring the ethnic costumes of 12 countries, which both captivated the audience and got them involved in the action. On August 9, the students performed Aomori Prefecture’s traditional Arauma dance, traditional dances from Malaysia and Thailand, and held another fashion show.

In conjunction with the Multicultural Show, APU students from Thailand held a workshop at the Jellyfish Pavilion, one of the Expo’s Signature Pavilions, where visitors could experience Thai culture. They tried their hand at making traditional woven charms called pla taphian, took a quiz on Thai rituals, and tried on traditional costumes. The fish-shaped pla taphian, popular in Thailand since olden times, are hung over cribs and displayed in houses to pray for good health. One student from Bangkok who participated in the event said, "This is how we share a little happiness with others. Since you can color it how you like, you end up with a one-of-a-kind charm.”

The students used the quiz to introduce the rituals, festivals, and legends of Thailand, and the ethnic costume experience allowed female visitors to try on the Chut Thai, a traditional women's costume, along with accessories and take commemorative photos. Seemingly pleased with their interactions with the international students, a mother and daughter who participated said, "This was a good memory for us because you don't normally get the chance to try on these costumes even if you visit Thailand. Everyone was friendly, and we learned a lot about the occasions when Thai people wear this costume."

Students from Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School held an exhibit and workshop entitled “Tree of Life — To Feel, To Connect, To Shape Life” at Wasse, the Expo Exhibition Center. At the center of their exhibit stood a Tree of Life made from recycled cardboard and unused answer sheets, and numerous essays written by the students were on display throughout the hall. To ensure accessibility for those who have trouble reading text, the essays were accompanied by QR codes that linked to audio recordings of the essays read by avatars.

The essays explored themes such as life, what the students would like to protect, and their feelings toward their families. Visitors were invited to choose a colored sticker from those carried by the students—selecting the shade that best expressed the emotions they felt after reading an essay—and then post them on that essay. More than just an exhibit, this event is unique in that the booth and the Tree of Life will continue to “grow” as visitors affix stickers that best express their thoughts and feelings. “I enjoy watching the tree become more colorful as more people read the essays and post their stickers,” said one of the student organizers. Another organizer commented: “There is life in so many places. We hoped we could convey the importance of taking good care of things.” Going forward, the students plan to exhibit the Tree of Life at the school’s Culture Festival and at other events.

In cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Ritsumeikan Earth & Space Exploration Center (ESEC) held an exhibit on lunar exploration and space development along with a series of workshops for elementary, junior high school, and high school students. The exhibit showcased the numerous findings and cutting-edge technologies that ESEC has accumulated since its founding.

The booth displayed moon rocks (lunar meteorites), a 1/10 scale model and a life-size tapestry of JAXA's crewed pressurized rover whose development ESEC is cooperating with, and a ground training model of the Multi-Band Camera (MBC) that was equipped on the Small Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). There was also a driving simulator for the crewed pressurized rover, and over the course of two days, more than 180 visitors enjoyed a hands-on experience. Developed in Japan, SLIM was the first-ever lander in the world to successfully make a pinpoint landing on the Moon. Meanwhile, the MBC, a spectroscopic camera that captures light in the visible and near-infrared regions, is stored in ESEC's clean room and still used for experiments. The model on display underwent repeated operational training to ensure it could withstand vibrations during launch. This was the first time it has ever been exhibited to the public outside of the university.

In addition, the LUPEX lunar polar exploration mission that is being jointly developed by Japan and India was also showcases. The goal of LUPEX is to investigate the existence and potential use of water resources at the lunar South Pole, making it an extremely significant initiative for the future of space development ESEC researchers are responsible for developing the near-infrared imaging spectrometer that will be used in this mission.

Furthermore, two different workshops were held a total of four times: the Block Rover Workshop, where participants programmed and operated small planetary rovers, and the Lunar Lander Workshop, which addressed the many challenges of landing on the Moon, including fundraising. The workshops were so popular that every session was fully booked beforehand. They combined fun with serious effort and children could be seen enthusiastically asking questions.

ESEC Director Professor Kazuto Saiki, who was also on hand at the venue, commented: “This has been a wonderful opportunity to share our research with a broad audience. In recent years, there has been a global surge of interest in lunar exploration and space development. To achieve peaceful space development, it is important for Japan to strengthen its communication by way of research achievements. Japan’s technological level is already high, but we must continue advancing so as not to be caught up with or overtaken by other nations. We also feel a strong responsibility to ensure the success of the crewed pressurized rover whose development we are currently cooperating on.”

Ritsumeikan’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai continues with an All-Ritsumeikan Stage Performance on October 5. In this way, we will continue to take advantage of a wide range of opportunities to share our initiatives and research outcomes far and wide, and we will provide our affiliated school and university students with the support they need to learn and grow.