How to Get to Osaka Expo 2025: Train, Bus, Bicycle, Car, Taxi, and Boat

The 2025 World Expo is being held in Osaka, Japan for 184 days between April 13th and October 13th. Around 160 countries and regions are taking part in the Expo which has a theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”

The Location

The venue for Expo 2025 is Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay on the west side of Osaka City. Yumeshima means “Dream Island” in Japanese. The island’s Expo venue has an area of 1.55 square kilometers, and is open to the sea on its southern side, with a “forest of tranquility” at its center.

The Expo venue is nearly 12 kilometers from JR Osaka Station, 14 kilometers from Shin-Osaka Station, and 27 kilometers from Kansai International Airport.

Road traffic can access the island via the Yumemai Bridge that connects Yumeshima to Maishima, another artificial island located to the north. There is also a rail link via the Yumesaki Tunnel that connects Yumeshima to Sakishima, another artificial island located to the east. The Osaka Metro Chuo Line was extended to make use of this tunnel and now terminates at Yumeshima Station, a new station that opened on January 19th, 2025.

Although most people will travel to the Expo by rail, there are a lot of other ways to get there that might suit you better. In this article we will look at all the options available for traveling to Osaka Expo 2025.

By Train

The railway is the simplest and most direct route into Yumeshima. Osaka Metro’s Chuo Line runs directly to Yumeshima Station, which is located by the East Gate entrance to the Expo venue. Below are the best train travel routes from Osaka’s major transport hubs.

If you are traveling from JR Osaka Station in Umeda (the northern “Kita” part of the city), you can take the Osaka Loop Line to Bentencho Station and then transfer to the Osaka Metro’s Chuo Line for Yumeshima. The journey should take around 27 minutes and cost 550 yen.

If you are traveling from Namba Subway Station in the southern “Minami” part of the city, you can take the Midosuji Subway Line to Hommachi Station and then transfer to the Chuo Subway Line for Yumeshima. The journey should take around 30 minutes and cost 430 yen.

If you are traveling from the Shinkansen terminal at Shin-Osaka Station, you can take the JR Kyoto Line to JR Osaka Station, transfer there to the Osaka Loop Line, take that to Bentencho Station and then change to the Chuo Subway Line for Yumeshima. The journey should take around 36 minutes and cost 570 yen.

From Osaka Kansai International Airport

If you are traveling from Kansai International Airport, there are two possible routes as there are two railway stations there: JR Kansai Airport Station and Nankai Kansai Airport Station.

From JR Kansai Airport Station, you can take a train that travels on the JR Kansai Airport Line to reach Tennoji Station, then transfer to the Osaka Loop Line and travel on Bentencho Station. At Bentencho Station transfer to the Chuo Subway Line for Yumeshima. The journey should take around 1 hour and 24 minutes and cost 1,590 yen.

From Nankai Kansai Airport Station, you can take a train that travels on the Nankai Airport Line to reach Namba Station, then transfer to the Osaka Midosuji Subway Line and travel on to Hommachi Station. At Hommachi Station, transfer to the Chuo Subway Line for Yumeshima. The journey should take around 1 hour and 19 minutes and cost 1,400 yen.

By Shuttle Bus

Shuttle buses are running to the Expo venue from many of the major stations in Osaka as well as from the neighboring cities of Sakai and Amagasaki.

In Osaka the shortest of the shuttle bus journeys is from Sakurajima Station on the JR Sakurajima Line. This station is close to the Universal Studios Japan (USJ) theme park. This bus should take around 15 minutes and cost 350 yen.

Below are the other main stations that shuttle buses are running from.

At Shin-Osaka Station shuttle buses run from bus stop 3 of the Hankyu Highway Bus Shin-Osaka Terminal. The bus should take around 30 minutes and cost 1,500 yen.

At JR Osaka Station shuttle buses run from two locations: Umekita Green Place and the Marubiru Expo Bus Terminal.

Umekita Green Place is a shopping mall on the north side of Osaka Station, which has a bus parking lot on the 1st floor. From Umekita Green Place the bus should take around 40 minutes and cost 2,000 yen.

The Marubiru Expo Bus Terminal is located on the south side of Osaka Station on the site previously occupied by the Marubiru building. From the Marubiru Expo Bus Terminal the bus should take around 30 minutes and cost 1,000 yen.

In Osaka’s Namba district, shuttle buses run from the Nankai Namba Highway Bus Terminal. From here the bus should take around 30 minutes. Between April 13 and July 18 the fare will be 1,300 yen, but from July 17 the fare will increase to 1,500 yen.

At Sakai Station in Sakai City, shuttle buses run from bus stop 3 in the bus terminal outside the station’s East Exit. The bus should take around 40 minutes for a fare of 1,300 yen.

In Amagasaki City shuttle buses run from two stations: JR Amagasaki Station and Hanshin Amagasaki Station.

From JR Amagasaki Station shuttle buses run from the airport limousine bus stop in the bus terminal on the south side of the station.The shuttle bus should take around 43 minutes to reach the Expo venue for a fare of 2,000 yen..

From Hanshin Amagasaki Station shuttle buses run from the airport limousine bus stop in the bus terminal on the south side of the station. The shuttle bus should take about 30 minutes to reach the Expo venue for a fare of 2,000 yen.

All shuttle bus services should be booked in advance using the Kansai Maas app. More information on these shuttle bus services and details of how to book them can be found on the official Osaka Expo website.

Airport Buses

Airport buses run from Osaka Itami Airport and Kansai International Airport to the Expo venue. Airport buses run directly to the Yumeshima Transportation Terminal 1 in front of the Expo venue’s West Gate Entrance.

Please note that large luggage cannot be brought to the Expo venue, so if you are traveling from overseas, you should leave your luggage at your hotel, or in a locker at a station or airport near your departure point.

By Car

As a general rule, private cars cannot enter the Osaka Expo venue and the organizers recommend that people use public transport to get there. However, if you must use a car, there are special Expo Park and Ride parking lots in Maishima, Sakai and Amagasaki. From these parking lots you can transfer to a shuttle bus that will take you to the West Gate entrance of the Expo venue. To use these parking lots you must make a reservation at least one day in advance and you must also pay in advance with a credit card.

Of these locations, Maishima is the closest to the venue. From here it should take about 15 minutes for the shuttle bus to reach the Expo venue.

From the Amagasaki Expo Park and Ride lot, the shuttle bus should take around 30 minutes and from the Sakai Expo Park and Ride lot, the shuttle bus should take around 35 minutes.

All three parking lots can be accessed via the Hanshin Expressway.

The designated exits for the Maishima parking lot are the Wangan Maishima Exit or the Yodogawa-sagan Maishima Exit. From those exits it is approximately 15 minutes’ drive to the Maishima parking lot.

The designated exit for the Amagasaki parking lot is the Amagasaki East Coast Exit. From there it is approximately 10 minutes’ drive to the parking lot.

The designated exit for the Sakai parking lot is the Sambo Exit. From there it is approximately 15 minutes’ drive to the parking lot.

The basic fee to use the Maishima parking lot is 6,500 yen and for the Amagasaki and Sakai parking lots it is 6,000 yen. However, if you use the designated exit on the Hanshin Expressway, you can get a 1,000 yen discount.

You may also be charged an extra fee of 500 yen if you use one of the parking lots during a busy season or at a busy time of day (between 8.00 and 10.00 am). On the other hand, using one of the parking lots during the off-season is 500 yen cheaper.

Please note that motorcycles can only be parked at the Maishima parking lot. The basic fee to park a motorcycle is 2,000 yen, with possible additional fees of 200 yen for busy seasons or times. During the off-season it will be 200 yen cheaper.

For more details of this system or to make a reservation, please see the official Expo Park and Ride reservation website.

There is a special parking lot at the Expo venue on Yumeshima which is dedicated for people with disabilities.

To reach the Yumeshima Accessible Parking Lot, take the Hanshin Expressway and exit at the Wangan Maishima Exit or the Yodogawa-sagan Maishima Exit. From there it is about 15 minutes’ drive to the parking lot. You can access Yumeshima via Maishima Island and the Yumemai Bridge. The Accessible Parking Lot is by the East Entrance to the Expo venue.

The basic fee to use this parking lot is 2,750, with possible additional fees of 250 yen for busy seasons or times. During the off-season it will be 250 yen cheaper.

By Bicycle

It is possible to cycle directly to the Expo venue on Yumeshima. The route follows the Yodogawa Riverside Cycle Line, crossing the Tsuneyoshi Bridge to Maishima Island and then the Yumemai Bridge to Yumeshima. When crossing the bridges though, you will need to walk and push your bicycle.

There are 600 places available for cyclists in the Yumeshima Bicycle Parking lot and these cost 500 yen. However, this parking lot must be reserved at least one day in advance. To make a reservation please visit the Expo Park and Ride reservation website.

Cyclists can also take the Yamatogawa Riverside Cycle Line and park their bicycles at the Sakishima Bicycle Parking lot near Cosmosquare Station. Cosmosquare Station is one stop from Yumeshima on the Chuo Subway Line. This parking lot is free and does not require a reservation, but there are only 130 places, so there is no guarantee it won’t be full when you arrive.

By Taxi

If you take a taxi to the venue, ask to be taken to Yumeshima Transportation Terminal 1, which is about 150 meters from the venue’s West Gate entrance.

The base fare for a standard-sized taxi in Osaka is 600 yen for the first 1,300 meters and then an additional 100 yen for every 260 meters after that. There is also a special additional fare that applies if the taxi gets stuck in heavy traffic. If the taxi is traveling at speeds under 10 kilometers per hour, 100 yen will be added for every 1 minute and 35 seconds.

However, taking a taxi is one of the most expensive ways of getting to the Expo venue and is probably only worth doing if you are traveling a short distance and can share the fare with other passengers.

From JR Osaka Station a taxi would take around 31 minutes and cost around 4,700 yen.

From Namba Station a taxi would take around 33 minutes for 5,200 yen.

From Shin-Osaka Station a taxi would take around 35 minutes and cost around 6,100 yen.

From Kansai Airport a taxi would take around 41 minutes and cost around 18,000 yen.

By Boat

There are passenger ships running to Yumeshima from Kobe, Awaji Island, central Osaka, and Sakai City. After arrival at the Yumeshima pier, a shuttle bus will carry passengers to the West Gate entrance of the Expo venue. Tickets for these services should be bought from the websites of individual passenger ship services.

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Article by Michael Lambe. Images courtesy of Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, Osaka Metro, MK Taxi, BATSUMARU/pixta. All rights reserved.