Izumi Shinya's methodology at the San'in Yumeminato Expo

Izumi Shinya (1930-2022) participated in all the international expos held in Japan from the 1970 Osaka Expo to the 2005 Aichi Expo in important positions, and in particular oversaw the entire project as general producer for the 1990 Osaka International Garden and Greenery Exposition and the Aichi Expo.

It is not easy to evaluate how producers conceived and realised a mega-event such as an international exposition. In this short report, I have taken a look at the concept of the San'in Yumeminato Expo held in Sakaiminato City in 1997, summarising its formulation process and uniqueness. In terms of the number of visitors, it was a regional exposition with around one-tenth the size of the Aichi Expo, but it clearly represents the methods used by Izumi and his team in order to realise expositions.

This exposition can be seen as a step in the development of Izumi's exposition production, which followed the 1996 Tokyo World City Exposition (cancelled), through the 2001 Kitakyushu Expo (Kita Kyushu Hakuran Sai), and on to the Aichi Expo.