Beyond these immersive worlds, the pavilion also features a “cell” in which the brilliance of life is projected onto a giant screen over 4 meters high: The Window of the Universe. Ultra-high definition images of the Earth as seen on the same day from 36,000 km away are shown, as well as images of the Sun captured by SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), The Life Inside an Egg and the Diversity of the Sea at Yumeshima, in scales ranging from the macroscopic to the microscopic.

The Window of the Universe © Shoji Kawamori / Vector Vision

Also, LIVE EARTH JOURNEY holds a deep message, quietly crystallized in one symbolic form. Floating in front of the pavilion space, the Inochi-Dama (いのち球), or “Life Orb”, is Kawamori’s totemic expression of biodiversity and interdependence. A luminous sphere composed of countless elements from across Earth’s ecosystems, it serves as a visual and conceptual anchor. Its presence reminds us that life is not hierarchical, not a pyramid with humans at the top, but a complex, ever-shifting dance of transformation and mutual influence. In the Inochi-Dama, fish, birds, insects, fungi, even cosmic dust are all facets of the same brilliant whole.

Inochi-Dama © Shoji Kawamori / Vector Vision

This vision reflects Kawamori’s deep ecological concern and his sense of creative responsibility. At age eleven, his visit to Expo ’70 became, as he described in his signature phrase from Macross, a “deculture”, a supreme culture shock. The experience of witnessing technological wonders, meeting people from around the world, and tasting unfamiliar foods awakened in him the idea that creativity and diversity were inextricably linked. That encounter seeded a lifelong mission: to create works that bridge worlds and awaken consciousness. 55 years later, LIVE EARTH JOURNEY stands as his tribute to us all, and the culmination of his work. He said that “many of the technologies we dreamed of in 1970 have become reality. But conflict, division, and the burden on ecosystems have only grown”. In response, Kawamori calls for a shift in worldview, from a human-centered future to a life-centered one. The tools of tomorrow must serve not just efficiency or entertainment, but the luminous network of life to which we all belong.

© Shoji Kawamori / Vector Vision

This vision is powerfully encapsulated in Kawamori’s guiding mantra: “Life is gattai and henshin”, fusion and transformation. Through the food we eat, the air we breathe, the sunlight we absorb, we metamorphose into new forms daily by embodying the lives of other beings. When we eat fish, we are joined with the ocean. When we stand in the sun, our cells echo the light that traveled 499 seconds across the solar sea. Even our bodies, he reminds us, carry fragments of stardust, radiant with ancient light. Kawamori’s hope is that LIVE EARTH JOURNEY will spark “a chain of daily miracles” over the 180 days of the Expo, moments of renewed attention, of wonder, of gratitude. His wish is that this collective, intergenerational experience will co-create a truly “deculture” Expo, one that shocks us through beauty, interconnectedness, and soul.

As he said: “I want people to rediscover the multifaceted beauty of life, its irrationality, its poetry, its cycles of death and regeneration. My hope is that this pavilion doesn’t just deliver an impressive show, but sparks a shift in how we define intelligence, value, and life. It’s not about man against machine, or nature against technology. Those are false dichotomies. It’s about creating a new perspective, three-dimensional, inclusive, alive, where all forms of being are interconnected. If we can feel that even for a moment, then, LIVE EARTH JOURNEY has done its job”. After visiting and experiencing the various cells of this pavilion, the answer is clear: it sure has done its job.

EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
Date: April 13th – October 13th, 2025
Place: Yumeshima, Osaka
https://www.expo2025.or.jp