Overview

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan was an exciting event, from crowds of people to the displays showing what the future might look like. I was proud to attend with my fellow interns during our post-graduation internship at Scaleout Inc. as part of the JICA Africa Business Education Scholarship program.

My self-introduction

My name is Ruyonga Daniel, my friends call me Ru, and in this post, I will share with you my experience at my first-ever world Expo. I am originally from Uganda, and as I write this, I’ve spent 2 years and a few months in Japan already. Living in Japan has gradually reshaped the way I view technology, society, and innovation. I am an entrepreneur and software engineer; my insights will be mostly through those two lenses. These perspectives naturally influenced how I engaged with the exhibits, conversations, and ideas presented.

In this article, I will also bring you what my fellow interns thought about the Osaka Expo. Their diverse backgrounds added depth to the experience and broadened my own understanding of the event.

At the Expo 2025

While at the Expo, I interacted with Scaleout’s initiative, working with Kobe University on Supporting ‘SDGs Future Business Student Project’. It was presented by a panel that introduced two innovative ideas for managing PET bottle waste. This session stood out to me as a clear example of how academic research, private-sector innovation, and global sustainability goals can intersect in practical and impactful ways.

Scaleout Team (from left to right): Oggy – Founder & CEO; Fetty – Energy/Data Science (Tanzania); Dorothy – Crop Protection Expert (Nigeria); Ahmed – Petroleum Engineer (Egypt); Chipo – Mathmatics/Energy; Emmanuel – Information Systems & Blockchain Expert (Uganda); and finally, me – Ruyonga.

Petty-Kun — PET Bottle Collector

To address the growing issue, raised by Scaleout, of plastic waste in urban areas of Africa, Japanese university students and a JICA intern proposed an environmentally friendly collection solution using AI-equipped robots. Highlighting peaceful problem-solving and international collaboration, the project was awarded the Second Prize at the “SDGs Future Business Student Contest 2024”. ~ https://scaleout.tv/en/post/2025-06-12-expo2025

At the Expo, Scaleout’s booth was located at Kobe University area in the Future Life Village pavilion and story being told is about a futuristic mobile robots that work together with people to collect plastic waste, powered by clean energy – Petty-Kun. This idea combines both human and technological interventions to solve the PET bottle collection from collection sites to recycling plants.

Petty-Kun is a drone, powered through solar panels, that carries a large container into which PET bottles from collection sites can be loaded, then compressed using a vacuum pump to create more space and then flown from one point to another.

While in the early ideation and conceptual stage, the team had a strong belief in the future of PET bottle waste collection being handed over to robots instead of human beings driving from point to point. This concept exhibition is based on an idea created by a team of students from Japan. Inspired by their fresh perspectives and optimism for the future, we were drawn to the creativity and openness that are unique to student-led ideas, and selected this concept as part of our exhibition.

Well Waste Way

While collecting waste in an innovative way is good, taking it a step further in a way that it saves the planet is better. During the presentation, Scaleout highlighted the steps from PET bottle collection up to the final products after recycling. The bottles collected by Petty-Kun must be washed and treated, then cut into small specks for palletization, and later threaded. After this, a fiber material is made, and material for creating products like backs, car seats, carpets, among others, is generated.

This is not just a concept, this is already a reality of Kojima Sangyo Co. Ltd. – makers of the FelLe brand bags and numerous materials and products from recycled PET bottles for industries like car manufacturers. We carried sample bags we received to highlight to the visitors of the booth. Many people were impressed by the excellent quality of the sample bags and asked a lot of questions about the process.

Beyond the projects displayed, we answered questions about Africa, our respective countries, and our personal careers, made great connections, and met amazing people at the event. Among the special guests were the mother of our company founder, who visited the booth while I was presenting, and later the president of Kojima, Hashimoto Shachou, among many other esteemed guests. I am proud to have met and presented to them.

Additionally, together with Kobe University, other projects that were presented included hydrogen production from decomposition of wood by termites, development of medical supplies from waste matter, a shirt designed to reduce itching caused by atopic dermatitis, and an SDGs-oriented coating developed using silicon nanoparticles.among others.

Emmanuel, also from Uganda, described the Osaka Expo as follows.

“A vibrant showcase of the future, where cutting-edge technology, culture, and sustainability from around the world came together in one place. Walking through the pavilions felt like traveling across the globe while glimpsing how humanity might live, connect, and innovate tomorrow. “

Chipo, a Zambian and a fellow intern at Scaleout said

“my visit to the Osaka Kansai Expo highlighted how powerfully design and shared vision can bring the world together in one space. The Future Life Village captured this perfectly, offering a glimpse into how communities might live and connect in the future through collaborative, cross-cultural ideas. I was especially impressed by the massive wooden ring structure; an architectural centerpiece that broke the Guinness World Record and set the tone for the Expo’s ambition and global unity.”

This then brings me to my five key takeaways from the entire Osaka Expo 2025:

Takeaways From Osaka Expo 2025

1. Planning and organizational.
   The Expo was detailed planned, to ensure safety of the attendance and efficiency of operation, large walk ways, seating and resting areas, outdoor cool steam funs to cab the high summer heats among other details that made attending the Expo an experience of a lifetime, especially the human traffic flow while entering and existing the Expo area.
   
   
2. Technology in Use.
   A combination of the latest and existing technology was applied at the Expo, to ensure proper operations and support the Expo Visitors throughout the different days. From a booking and scheduling app to the QR codes and face scans for access control, and of course, virtual reality to take you where you could not go directly.
   
   
3. Pavilions and Architecture
   While we did not get to enter the pavilions at the Expo due to being there in work capacity, the breathtaking external architecture of the pavilions and designs from different countries indeed displayed the uniqueness of each country’s culture and the future they envision.
   
   
4. Business and Entrepreneurship
   Many businesses had stalls at the Expo selling various products, including food, snacks, and country-specific souvenirs at the Expo. While such an event not only provides business opportunities within the expo area, it also supports businesses like hotels, tourism, and shopping across the region.
   
   
5. The Grand Ring around the Expo.
   A massive, circular timber canopy designed by architect Sou Fujimoto, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest wooden architectural structure, symbolizing “Unity in Diversity” with its nail-free, traditional Japanese joinery, encircling pavilions and offering a skywalk for visitors

The organizers not only put on an amazing Expo but also broke records. Now that is how you set a bar to challenge yourself.

Dorothy had this say about the Grand Ring – “They said it couldn’t be done. Then Japan built the largest wooden structure on Earth, and I walked through and on top of it. “61,035.55 square meters of wood beneath my feet. The waters of Osaka Bay, part of the Seto Inland Sea,  before my eyes. History in every traditional joint. Guinness World Record View Grand Ring, Expo 2025”

“Honored to be part of the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025, a global showcase of innovations advancing sustainability and the UN SDGs under the Future Life Village Pavilion” ~Fetty

Message from Oggy, our Founder & CEO

Scaleout Founder Oggy shared his heartfelt gratitude, stating:

“Developing the concept of “Sustainable Future” and bringing this exhibition to life has been an invaluable experience in shaping the vision and direction we aspire to as a company.

We were thrilled to welcome so many visitors during the exhibition and deeply appreciate everyone who took the time to engage with our message. The insights and connections gained through this project will serve as a strong foundation for future initiatives aimed at creating a better future.”

This achievement was made possible through the collaboration of many partners, including Kobe University, Japanese student teams, interns from Africa, Kojima Sangyo Co. Ltd., and JICA/JICE.

Conclusion

If I decide to write about all my experiences, I’d exhaust my limit on this page. However, here is how I intend to draw a curtain on all I have to say. Osaka Expo 2025 had a variety of experiences that suited different users’ individual interests and styles. Many people attended the Expo in millions on different days, with the total visitor count exceeding 25 million according to the official Expo website, and I was among those 25 million plus together with my fellow interns, something I will always be grateful for.

Before the presentation, we weren’t sure what to expect and had several concerns, with being able to speak Japanese being the highest on the list; however, through preparation (thanks to Oggy and the team effort), exchanging ideas, and constant feedback, we exceeded our own expectations of what we are capable of by growing through it one day at a time.

I am writing this article at least a month after the Expo has closed, together with my colleagues, to look back at how far we have come, the learnings we have gained, the bonds and connections we have made, and we can only be grateful and live to tell the stories and share experiences and knowledge when it comes to us supporting or leading such mega projects in our companies and countries.

To you who is reading this article, one day you may be presented with an opportunity to which you feel unable to execute; remember, it’s okay to feel that, but first grab that opportunity because opportunities are fleeting, and then find the support you need to learn and execute. Later, reflect and ask yourself, why was I afraid? Then grab the next opportunity.

If you also attend the Osaka Expo 2025, kindly share your experience and takeaways with us.

 

Written by: Daniel Bosco Ruyonga

Have a wonderful New Year!