Food and Fun Program Renamed "Wanpaku Treasure Island"

January 13, 2004
Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition

As a part of EXPO 2005 AICHI, JAPAN, the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition will conduct its own project under the theme of transmitting a message to the future. This project is Wanpaku Treasure Island, previously known by its provisional title, the Food and Fun Project. By combining the motif of food, which is something near and important to everyone, with a program of fun (which fosters humankind's enjoyment and zest for life and serves as the source of creativity), this project will be held with the goal of providing hints for ways of living in the twenty-first century to the adults and children who visit EXPO 2005.

The Association has decided that the formal pavilion name of the Food and Fun Program will be Wanpaku Treasure Island, and the mascot character of this program will be Gon. GON, THE STONE-AGE BOY is a long-running popular cartoon that is well-known to children and adults alike in Japan. The main character Gon is an active young boy who loves to eat and play. Because he fits the aims of the program so well, Gon was chosen to represent Wanpaku Treasure Island.

The first floor of the pavilion is where the theme of the program will be developed via a re-creation of the prehistoric world of Gon. The idea is to spark the consciousness of visitors by examining the connections between food and people and between food and nature in a fun way. The second floor will expand on these ideas through a zone that brings together food, fun, and sports. In addition to being able to experience food preparation, visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of different workshops, exhibitions, and events on such topics as crafts, cartoons, sports, and new forms of recreation. For more information on both these programs, please go here.

The programs at Wanpaku Treasure Island have new co-sponsors in JA (Japan Agricultural Co-operatives) Group and Yamazaki Baking Co.