Konnichiwa Bahrain

Bahrain celebrates the groundbreaking ceremony for its national pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025, emphasizing its rich maritime heritage and sustainable design.

Bahrain is still thrilled over the groundbreaking ceremony that was held for its national pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025.

The Expo will be held in the Osaka-Kansai region of Japan from April 13 to October 13, under the theme ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’.

The official ceremony took place at the pavilion's construction site and was attended by His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Commissioner-General of the Kingdom's pavilion at the Expo. He was present alongside Ahmed Mohammed Al Doseri, Bahrain's Ambassador to Japan, and several Expo Osaka officials and representatives from the consultant’s team.

"With the groundbreaking ceremony for Bahrain's pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025, we have taken a significant and important step towards our participation in this international event,” said Shaikh Khalifa. “We are honoured to take on the responsibility of showcasing the kingdom at the Expo, and we will ensure that this opportunity highlights our culture, creativity, and ability to address global challenges with our national spirit of innovation."

Bahrain's pavilion will be in the "Empowering Lives" area facing the sea, designed by the Lebanese French architect Lina Ghotmeh with her Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture.

The design highlights the rich history of traditional Bahraini boats and the deep relationship of Bahraini society with the sea. It draws inspiration from Bahrain's maritime heritage and Japanese woodwork traditions, evoking images of ancient ships that once sailed along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

The pavilion is also inspired by traditional Bahraini crafts, blending them with Japanese craftsmanship in the use of wood. Therefore, the pavilion is entirely made of wood with an outer structure of aluminum, in line with the Kingdom's vision to promote sustainability, and will be fully recycled after the Expo.

The interior design and exhibition will be led by the Bahraini design studio, Shepherd Studio, which will offer an immersive experience for visitors highlighting Bahrain’s rich maritime, logistical and natural resources.

Additionally, Bahrain's participation in the Expo will include a dedicated business space to promote Bahrain's competitiveness regionally and globally. 

The Expo has three sub-themes as well called ‘Saving Lives’, ‘Empowering Lives’, and ‘Connecting Lives’. Organisers expect more than 28 million visitors to explore contributions from around 150 countries.

There will also be various events throughout the Expo.