A man was acknowledged at the Japanese World Expo for using tickets from the 1940 Grand International Exposition in Japan.
The tickets for this grand international event in Tokyo were made available in 1938, but the exhibition was postponed indefinitely as Japan became involved in World War II.
Organizers of Expo 2025, set to take place in Osaka from April to mid-October, announced that they would allow ticket holders from the 1940 event to exchange their old tickets.
On Monday, they swapped two Expo 2025 passes for an old ticket, according to a statement.
Local news sources identified the holder of the 1940 ticket as 25-year-old Fumiya Takeawa, a Tokyo resident who was visiting her parents in Osaka.
Takeawa, who collects memorabilia from expositions, purchased the 1940 tickets online in March. Various outlets, like Mainichi Shimbun Daily, showcased a photo of him beaming while holding the ticket.
The World Expo, famous for introducing iconic structures like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, started with the Crystal Palace exhibition in London back in 1851 and now rotates locations every five years.
Previously, during other Expos in Japan, a similar approach was taken in Osaka in 1970 and again in 2005, where “invitation tickets” were given to those who had attended the 1940 event, the organizers of Expo 2025 noted.
Takeawa is said to enjoy the Tower of the Sun, the notable symbol from the 1970 Osaka Expo, which still stands in the metropolitan park.
