The World Expo 2025 held in Osaka, Japan, is one of the world’s biggest and most visionary events - and absolutely worth a visit for vegans! It’s centered around the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives" with a strong focus on circularity, sustainability, and innovation.
The visual motif - “The Ring” - stands for unity and interconnectedness (and the Expo grounds are encapsulated by a massive ring - the world's largest wooden structure). Even the mascot, Myaku-Myaku, represents the spirit of life and water, tying into themes of health, evolution, and coexistence.
While the theme and values seem very vegan-friendly, it might still be difficult for visitors to find the best eats (or any!) among the 150 pavilions created by countries, organizations, and corporations. But our guest blogger Anita Dollar, the Osaka vegan, is ready to share her tried and tested vegan-friendly Expo eats.
Best Vegan Food at Osaka World Expo 2025
Here’s a peek at some of the best vegan-friendly food at Japan’s World Expo you won’t want to miss - the mentioned eateries were visited by Anita 3 days after opening, but should all be available throughout the entire duration of the event.
QBB Diversity Diner @ Healthcare Pavilion
This fully vegan restaurant by a vegan cheese manufacturer boasts a plethora of creative dishes - from katsu (Japanese pork cutlet - or Schnitzel as we would say it in Germany) sandwiches to eel rice bowls, all the way to creative drinks and delicious cheesecake. It’s great that the name of the restaurant highlights that plant-based cuisine is diversity friendly (after all, animal-free food is halal and kosher by default)!
Nissei Vegan Soft Serve Ice Cream
And while you're in the Healthcare Pavilion, don't miss out on Nissei which is located just opposite of QBB. They offer a range of vegan soft serve ice cream including these flavours: Espresso, strawberry, vanilla, matcha, and earl grey. Perfect if you are looking for something sweet.
Kappan Ramen Honpo
Delicious plant-based ramen in a restaurant that takes you to Japanese school days with its quirky interior - the shop is equipped with nostalgic desks and blackboards as their interior. You get one free ramen refill with your purchase (self-serve!) - and they also sell 3 special edition cookies made by Osaka’s own Naki Vegan Sweets.
NATUREVERSE Kitchen by PASONA
A highlight of the West Gate, PASONA’s concept kitchen focuses on sustainable innovation - think vegan burgers, fries, and botanical gelato in a futuristic atmosphere. Fun fact: PASONA is connected to Awajishima near Osaka and also manages Japan's vegan Hello Kitty Showbox there. The pavilion also sells adorable vegan cookies shaped like Awajishima and onions.
Dutch Pavilion - Dutch x Japanese Onigiri
Minimalist yet hearty: the Dutch pavilion had a nice vegan message on the inside, and offers two vegan-friendly onigiri that are labeled as vegetarian: the one I tried is called bitterbal, which is a Dutch kind of meatball, made with vegan meat from Dutch company “The Vegetarian Butcher”. I liked the concept of this snack a lot, and the taste left nothing to be desired either!
Top Tip: Italian pavilion’s Illy Gelato & Pinsa
A hidden gem offering creamy vegan gelato in very unique olive oil with sea salt, and tomato with arnica flavours - which you can also get as an affogato version. Their neighboring truck also offers thin-crust Roman-style pinsa (just double-check ingredients of the espresso cookie put on top of the ice cream).
Navigating the Expo (& Finding All the Vegan Spots!)
The Expo can be… well, a lot. So here’s the simplified way to get in and make the most of it:
Basic Entry Flow to the Expo
- Create an account on the official Expo app or website.
- Buy your ticket (day passes or multi-day).
- Reserve the day and time slot you plan to enter — East Gate is most convenient by train.
- Reserve pavilions (optional but useful; they book fast!).
Pro Tips for Your Osaka World Expo Visit
- Avoid weekends and Japanese public holidays to skip the worst crowds.
- Pavilion reservations are competitive—pick two max to fight for, and spend the rest of the day exploring, rather than trying to wrangle with the app. Some pavilions might let you queue on the spot too, especially in the later hours of the day.
- The Commons Halls pack lots of experiences together, I especially recommend visiting Ukrainian and Croatian stalls!
- If you’re only going to choose one pavilion, make it PASONA's NATUREVERSE, both for its food and circularity-focused exhibits. They are a great company for the vegan scene and connected to Awajishima - the island famous for its big onion statue and vegan Hello Kitty Showbox experience.
Want photos of menus, maps, and an overview over ALL vegan options at the Expo?
👉 Download Anita's FREE vegan World Expo 2025 guide!
