OSAKA: While the Osaka-Kansai Expo has had a mixed reception, the food on offer has been a hit. Meanwhile, more water stations will be provided to counter the heat, and the price of parking has people leaving their cars at home, according to local media reports.

Food court proving popular

The price of food and drink at the Osaka Kansai Expo has been criticized on social media sites as being “too high,” but the average price is between 1,500 and 2,000 yen per meal, and many people seem to accept this as within the acceptable range for a global festival.

Many restaurants are thriving at the site. Twelve famous Osaka restaurants are available at the Expo food court, where local dishes such as takoyaki and kushikatsu are available. A seafood bowl can be had for 980 yen (less than $7) and boiled egg ramen is 1,400 yen (less than $10).

There are even some food items for just 100 yen(69 cents). Customers have commented that they were satisfied with the food, and items were not as expensive as they thought. The food court has been largely full on most days. 

Pricey parking

One way to access the Expo is to park your car in a designated parking lot and then take a free shuttle bus, but the number of users is low. People using the “Park & ​​Ride” during the Golden Week holidays have complained that the parking fee is “too expensive.” The basic fee is 5,500 yen ($38) and parking lots must be reserved.

This has prompted visitors to use the subway, but this is inconvenient for large families. The action plan drawn up by the Japan Association for the International Exposition, which manages the Expo, calls for the use of private cars to be restricted as much as possible and encourages the use of public transportation.

The slump in the number of “Park & ​​Ride” users seems to be spurring congestion at the East Gate, where people who use the subway enter. The initial estimate was that 60 percent of users would use the East Gate, and 40 percent would use the West Gate, but since the opening, there have been days when the East Gate was at 80 percent and the West Gate was 20 percent.

Governor YOSHIMURA Hirofumi of Osaka Prefecture admitted parking was an issue for the Expo and hinted that he wanted the organizers to review their policies and maybe reduce prices.

Water on tap

On May 5, the Japan Association for the International Exposition announced a plan to add about 30 more free water refill stations at the Osaka-Kansai Expo site. 

At present, there are 32 free water refill stations set up on the site, including under the large roof ring, but considering the high number of users, the decision has been made to add more.

This will double the number of water refill stations. As Japan transitions from winter to summer, the heat will increase rapidly, and summer temperatures could reach into the upper-30 C range.