EXPO 2025 in Osaka Just One Month Away: The Czech National Pavilion is awaiting its final inspection, and business, culture, artists, and the academic community are preparing for the journey to Osaka

“The concept of Czech participation at EXPO 2025 under the banner Talent and Creativity for Life is gradually filling and influencing all spheres impacted by these two human qualities – exactly as we planned. It is a very complex project that connects diverse initiatives across various industries, and I’m pleased that we are managing to bring them together meaningfully into one whole. The Czech National Pavilion at EXPO – through its permanent exhibition, program, and architecture – will appeal to everyone, young and old, Czechs, Japanese, and visitors from around the world. We will present both modern and traditional, innovative and classic. The pavilion will capture the heart, soul, and mind,” says Ondřej Soška, Commissioner General of Czechia’s participation at EXPO 2025.

Partners of Czech participation, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský, are preparing for the opening. Over the next six months, up to 100 Czech companies will rotate through Japan, including the National Partner CTP, a developer with Czech roots, which will launch its business program on April 14, 2025.

“At CTP, we love ambitious projects that push boundaries, and the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka is a great example. It combines innovation, sustainability, and modern architecture, and we are proud to be part of it as a national partner. A CTP Lounge is being created on the pavilion's roof, a space for networking with a view of the entire EXPO site. We aim to attract as many guests as possible and present Czechia as a modern and attractive destination for investors. The theme of EXPO 2025 – Designing Future Society for Our Lives – resonates with us at CTP, as our projects focus on sustainable industrial development, innovative approaches, and connecting technology with efficient business. Shortly after the EXPO opening, we will begin our presentation, which will include not only the presentation of our projects but also interactive case studies, expert discussions, and meetings with representatives of global business,” says Jakub Kodr, CEO of CTP Czech Republic.

Over the 26-week duration of the World EXPO, more than 200 artists will showcase over 30 musical, theatrical, and cross-genre projects. Among the successful projects to be presented at the World EXPO are not only well-established figures of Czech music but also representatives of progressive personalities and groups. The cultural program will also cater to the youngest visitors of EXPO, with puppet shows and children's music performances planned for them.

“Culture and artistic creation are unmistakable carriers of national values, historical traditions, and also the creative and innovative potential of society. I am very pleased and have no doubt that the genre-diverse cultural program at EXPO, with more than 210 participating artists, will be the largest showcase of Czech culture abroad this year. It has all the prerequisites to present Czechia as a modern, creative, and in many ways culturally inspiring country with significant not only historical but also contemporary cultural ties to Japanese society,” says Přemysl Pela, Program Director of the Czech National Pavilion.

The symbolic flagship of the Czech cultural program will be National Day on July 24, 2025, featuring a joint performance by Cirk La Putyka and the Czech Philharmonic, the Czech Radio Children’s Choir, and musician Aiko. The nearly final program of the Czech National Pavilion is available at this link.

The first artists are currently heading to Osaka, tasked with the creative process of the visitor journey, as well as the permanent exhibition for visitors of the Czech National Pavilion. The pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka will feature a unique multimedia installation created by a team of renowned visual artists. They are preparing a site-specific installation that flows through the organic spiral of the visitor path inside the glass pavilion designed by Apropos Architects. The first piece visitors will encounter is the monumental crystal sculpture "Trees Grow from the Sky" by Rony Plesl, which was first presented at the Venice Biennale in 2022. These clear crystal trunks, life-sized, are a true imprint of living trees. Along the path through the pavilion, visitors will encounter other glass artifacts by Plesl, which symbolically link the themes of nature and human existence.

A central feature, spanning the entire perimeter of the architecture, will be a more than 200-meter-long drawing-painting narrative by Jakub Matuška, aka Masker. This visual story metaphorically spirals out, commenting on human striving, from basic daily life and subjective perception to archetypal and historical connotations. Unifying the multimedia experience is the audiovisual installation by Lunchmeat Studio, which will create an immersive experience using a thirty-channel sound composition and commentary displayed on digital screens. Also along the visitor path, one will find a bronze statuette by Alphonse Mucha, "The Nude on the Rock," the glass mascot René, and the impressive installation "Herbarium" by Lasvit.

In the center of the Czech Pavilion's restaurant, visitors will be able to admire the Crystal Grid light installation by Preciosa, which is currently en route to Osaka and is expected to be installed in early April. The menu at the restaurant will offer Czech cuisine with an Asian twist. "The main feature of Czech cuisine will be dumplings, and Pilsner Prazdroj will be on tap. The restaurant aims to become the largest Czech restaurant in the world. At full capacity, we plan to serve up to 2,000 meals and 5,000 beers daily," comments Ondřej Soška, Commissioner General of the Czech participation at EXPO 2025.

The kitchen of the Czech National Pavilion will involve top chefs from the Czech Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs, including young talents and experienced masters of their craft. A unique feature of this project is the involvement of the "old guard" of chefs, whose traditions and recipes date back to the Czechoslovak Pavilion's menu at EXPO 1970 in Osaka.

The Czech EXPO organizers also prioritize science, research, and innovation. Charles University Innovations Prague (CUIP) will showcase the most interesting university spin-offs at EXPO 2025. The event, organized in cooperation with the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS), will involve around twenty Czech universities. EDU Day will take place on July 25, 2025, at the Czech National Pavilion.

Connecting Czech Talent and Creativity As part of preparations for Czech participation, organizers have gradually introduced several complementary yet equally important projects. These range from activating children and students to spark their talent, creativity, and desire to contribute to shaping the future, to the fusion of Czech and Japanese fashion through the uniforms of the Czech National Pavilion, designed by the award-winning Czech designer Jan Černý.

"The work on the uniforms for the entire Czech Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka is nearing completion, and I can’t wait to present them. For this special project, we decided to hold our own event to showcase the collection, which will take place at the end of March. I can already reveal that the collection merges Czech and Japanese workwear, which is iconic in Japan and has a strong influence on their fashion culture. In this collection, I compare Czech and Japanese tastes, and I believe it subtly and naturally connects both cultures, not in an obvious way but in a more refined manner," comments designer Jan Černý.

The figure of the official mascot of the Czech National Pavilion intertwines with many supporting projects of Czech participation at EXPO 2025. The mascot, an exponaut named René, hails from the "Czechia galaxy" and embodies the main theme of the Czech Pavilion: Talent and Creativity for Life. René, as a friend of the official Japanese mascot Myaku-Myaku, symbolizes the mutual cooperation between Czechia and Japan, while also recalling the historical legacy of the Czechoslovak Pavilion at EXPO 1970, which was also held in Osaka. The story of René was discovered by the Czech EXPO organizers in the Crystal Valley, the cradle of Czech crystal, at the studio of the famous Czech glass artist René Roubíček. Through the mascot, Roubíček symbolically returns to Osaka after 55 years, where he exhibited his glass sculpture Cloud at EXPO 1970. René, a glass mascot created in the 20th century, draws from the traditions of Czech glassmaking while bringing playfulness and originality, qualities for which Roubíček is renowned.

One of the projects where René appears is the first-ever song for the Czech participation at EXPO, performed by the children's music duo Karol & Kvído. In the music video for the catchy song "René and Karol are Going to EXPO", a plush version of the René mascot appears in a costume version, in a color referencing uranium glass, with which René Roubíček was one of the first to work in Czechia. Another similar project is a new educational program in creative education led by Petra Čiháková, the founder of the initiative Books a Little Different. This program connects schools across the country and inspires students with interactive activities focused on world expositions.

Czechia’s participation in EXPO 2025 is also commemorated by Czech Post in collaboration with the Mucha Foundation through a special stamp issue. Starting from April 16, two sets of stamps will be available—one dedicated to the Czech Pavilion with René, and the other to Alfons Mucha, whose work is highly appreciated in Japan.

About the Czech Pavilion at EXPO 2025 In December 2022, after more than twenty years, the Office of the Commissioner General announced an open, anonymous architectural competition to design the National Pavilion for EXPO 2025. Thirty-eight studios have participated, and in March 2023 a jury of experts led by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřičná selected the winning design: a glass spiral by Apropos Architects. The main structure of the building will be made of modern wood panels, while the façade will feature art glass, which has a centuries-old tradition in Czechia. The National Pavilion, which will be located on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay from April to October 2025, will provide a prestigious setting for Czech participation at EXPO 2025. The pavilion will house a permanent exhibition, a multifunctional auditorium, facilities for business meetings, restaurants, a CTP lounge, and a relaxation area overlooking the sea.

About the Czech participation at EXPO 2025 This will be the sixth time that Czechia has taken part in a world exhibition as an independent state. Ondřej Soška, who won the Ministry of Foreign Affairs selection process with his concept and theme "Talent and Creativity for Life", has been serving as Commissioner General since September 2022. Czechia aims to showcase not only what the Japanese already know and admire, such as Czech glass and classical music, but above all Czech innovations, nanotechnologies, promising start-ups and talent from the regions.