World Expo celebrates future and past, but present butts in

Agence France Presse — English
March 27, 2005 Sunday 1:15 AM GMT

NAGAKUTE, Japan March 27 — The World Exposition that opened here last
week for a six-month run is a celebration of the glories of the past
and the promise of the future, but that has not stopped the realities
of the present from butting in.

After billions of dollars in investment and preparation, including a
new international airport, the first two days of the Expo were marred
by rain and snow which helped to make attendance below expected.

Crowds still had to wait for over an hour though to visit the main
attractions at the 21st century’s first World Exposition, which
organizers hope will draw 15 million visitors.

The longest lines included those to see a frozen mammoth dug up
in Siberia and humanoid robots and virtual reality shows put on by
Japanese companies.

Some guests found the robots were not to their tastes.

Four-year-old Kyoko Shimaya was approached by a neon light-beaming
security robot while she strolled their Expo ground with her mother
and friends on opening day Friday.

The bulky robot with an interactive, touch-panel display monitor —
developed by Sohgo Security Services — works as a tour guide by day
and at night searches for intruders.

“I like robots, but not this one,” she told the security robot,
while Sohgo officials looked on, managing to keep their grins.

For some of the Japanese media, one of the main attractions was the
South Korean pavilion where reporters spotted a map showing a small
island chain as belonging to South Korea. Japan also claims ownership
of the land in what has become an escalating dispute.

But, in a sign of what little attention Japan has paid to the island
row, most Japanese visitors did not notice the map and were more
interested in photos of hugely popular South Korean soap opera actor
Bae Yong-Joon.

“Oh, here is Yon-sama, here is Yon-sama,” a middle-age Japanese woman
said to her friends, using Bae’s nickname in Japan.

Today’s world showed up in a different way at the French site, where
a short film was projected on the walls and the ceiling of a large,
square room.

The audience was bombarded with images of poverty, pollution and
child labour, with the film ending in a message to think about future
generations.

“We wanted to show what was wrong, the ugly side of our world, and
later show what we can do to change,” said Kevin Berthon, a staff
member at the French display.

Current events also crept up for exhibitors from Kyrgyzstan, where
opposition protesters overran the hardline regime of Askar Akayev
one day before the opening of the Expo.

The Kyrgyz display was empty on opening day, with a simple note posted
reading that the exhibit would open soon.

Young Armenian economist Hasmik Muradyan was surprised by the reality
of the cost of living in Japan.

“Yesterday I went to a supermarket. One apple was 200 yen (nearly
two dollars). For that money, you can buy five kilograms (11 pounds)
of apples in my country,” said the 26-year-old, who works as a cashier
at a gift shop of the joint pavilion of the Caucasus countries Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia.

One preoccupation commonly shared, especially for participants from
warm countries, was the weather of central Japan, where occasional
light snow whirled in strong winds.

“One minute, it’s sunny. One minute, it’s snowing. The changing
weather is unique at this Expo,” said Isahk Yeop, secretary general
of the Malaysian ministry of natural resources and environment.

“It’s not like this in Malaysia,” he said.