Kohei Inoue 
Restaurants at the Expo 2025 venue will have the option to use these pictograms on their menus. (©FOODPICT Inc & NDC Graphics)
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At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, restaurants will have the option to use pictograms to indicate the ingredients in their dishes. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition revealed this on March 13, one month before the event begins.
This initiative, led by the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), aims to accommodate the diverse dietary needs of international visitors, including Muslims and vegetarians.
Pictograms use images to convey information without relying on language. Their widespread recognition is believed to have started with their introduction at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
In 2021, Kankeiren launched the "Roundtable on Promoting Food Diversity" with representatives from the food service and travel industries. The goal was to create a dining environment where tourists with diverse beliefs and preferences could feel comfortable. The roundtable conducted several trials to evaluate how well inbound visitors recognized the pictograms. These efforts laid the groundwork for their introduction at the Expo.
Promoting Food Diversity
The Expo venue will feature 38 types of pictograms developed by FOODPICT, a Kobe-based company. Participating restaurants, including the pavilion of the Osaka Restaurant Management Association, will have the option to display these pictograms on their menus. The icons will indicate ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, shellfish, eggs, milk, and alcohol. These pictograms are already in use at hotels and other locations in Osaka ahead of the Expo.
A roundtable representative noted, "Compared to other countries, Japan is said to lack diversity in food options. We hope the Expo will serve as a catalyst to establish pictogram displays in Osaka, where inbound tourism is high."
The Expo will be held on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka, starting April 13. It will run for six months and is expected to attract around 28.2 million visitors, including approximately 3.5 million inbound tourists.
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Author: Kohei Inoue, The Sankei Shimbun
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