Expo Legacy Mega-Project Launched: "Celebrating Life" (Jellyfish Festival) to be Held August 8-9

Expanding and connecting the spirit of global connection and co-creation born at the Expo into the future.

steAm Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Sachiko Nakajima) and the "Celebrating Life Executive Committee" will hold "Celebrating Life" (commonly known as "Jellyfish Festival"), an after-Expo event, for two days on August 8 (Sat.) and 9 (Sun.), 2026, at ATC Hall in Osaka's Sakishima area.

The "Celebrating Life Executive Committee" has been formed, chaired by Sachiko Nakajima, Representative Director of steAm Inc. and producer of the Osaka-Kansai Expo Signature Pavilion "Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion" (hereinafter referred to as "Jellyfish Pavilion"). The committee includes Kenji Yoshida, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the National Museum of Ethnology, along with researchers, cultural practitioners, educators, welfare and medical professionals, and manufacturing industry representatives from Japan and abroad.

This organization will inherit and expand the spirit of global connection and co-creation born at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo into the future, developing diverse projects that connect regional cultures, performing arts, knowledge, and skills from Japan and around the world. "Celebrating Life," to be held in August 2026, is the core large-scale event of this initiative.

steAm has previously undertaken various after-Expo projects both domestically and internationally, nurturing the international network created by the Expo while generating new opportunities for exchange and co-creation.

With the formation of the executive committee, these efforts will become more substantial and deepen. "Celebrating Life" will serve as an "Expo reunion" where global friends gather again, and simultaneously, a place where culture, performing arts, crafts, music, food, and learning intersect to co-create a new future.

This will be the largest multicultural event organized by the Jellyfish Pavilion entity since the Expo's closing.

We look forward to your participation.

The Journey of "Celebrating Life" Continues from the Osaka-Kansai Expo

The 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, themed "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," featured pavilions from Japan and abroad presenting exhibits that explored the concept of "life." "Celebrating Life" is a project that further deepens the global bonds formed at the Expo, while respecting and connecting regional cultures, performing arts, knowledge, and skills from Japan and around the world.

The Osaka-Kansai Expo Signature Pavilion "Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion," produced by steAm representative Sachiko Nakajima, welcomed millions of visitors. It fostered numerous cultural exchanges, including collaborations with international pavilions and artists, and approximately 250 workshops led by diverse creators.

Furthermore, in the "Celebrating Myself" area in the basement, in cooperation with institutions such as the National Museum of Ethnology, Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, an immersive space was created where visitors could experience ethnic masks from around the world and videos of 17 different festivals from Japan and abroad, accompanied by live music, fostering a "new festival" where visitors celebrated together.

Additionally, the "COMMONS" joint pavilion fostered deep cross-border exchanges, with participating countries gathering in Japan two years prior to the Expo and co-creating exhibits with Japanese experts, supported by JICA.

"Celebrating Life" inherits the legacy of the Expo and will expand into the future as a place for experiencing diverse cultures and co-creating, connecting various fields such as culture, education, arts, healthcare, welfare, and technology, as well as schools and local communities.

[Scenes from the Osaka-Kansai Expo Signature Pavilion "Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion"]

[Event Overview] After-Expo Jellyfish Festival "Celebrating Life"

[Date and Time] August 8, 2026 (Sat) Part 1: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM / Part 2: 4:30 PM - 8:30 PM

August 9, 2026 (Sun) Part 1: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM / Part 2: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

[Venue] ATC Hall (2-1-10 Minami-ko Kita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka City)

[Content] Live stage / Experience and workshop booths / Talk programs / Food trucks / Expo stamp rally, etc.

[Co-organized by] steAm Inc. / "Celebrating Life" Executive Committee

[Supported by] Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Japan *Further supporters will be announced sequentially.

[How to Participate] Advance registration required https://steam21.wufoo.com/forms/kuragefestival/

[Participation Fee] General: 4,000 yen / Junior high and high school students: 2,000 yen / Elementary school students and younger: 1,000 yen / Preschoolers: Free *Discounts are available for participating in two consecutive sessions.

▶Please check the following for reservations and event details.

https://expokurage-2025.com/after-expo/

[Event Details] After-Expo "Celebrating Life" (Jellyfish Festival)

Cultures from over 20 countries/regions worldwide and various parts of Japan will gather.

This event will feature traditional performing arts such as Noh, regional performing arts and crafts from various parts of Japan, and will leverage the international network created through the Expo. Participants are expected from over 20 countries and regions worldwide, including Italy, Jordan, Croatia, Canada, Lithuania, Serbia, Czech Republic, Senegal, Ethiopia, and more. In addition, various regions and companies from Japan and abroad will participate to explore future possibilities together through enjoyable experiences centered around the theme of "Celebrating Life."

[Participating Countries/Regions]

Italy / Jordan / Croatia / Canada / Lithuania / Serbia / Czech Republic / Senegal / Ethiopia / Ghana / Liberia / Zambia / Mali / United Kingdom / Netherlands / Switzerland / Portugal / Australia / Cambodia / Malaysia / Thailand / Indonesia / South Korea / Romania

*Please note that changes may occur as arrangements are currently underway.

Five Programs to Share "Sensitivity/Embodiment," "Experience," and "Knowledge"

Stage (Sharing Sensitivity and Embodiment)

Traditional performing arts, music, and physical expression have the power to connect people across words and borders. The stage will feature participatory live performances where Japanese and world cultures resonate, including KURAGE Band, Noh performances by Yamamoto Noh Theatre, SOROYURU fashion show, Awadomebako Mawashi, Mbira performances from Mozambique, and Hachinohe Enburi. Fun initiatives through technology and a recreation of the Jellyfish Pavilion's basement are also planned! *Stage content will be updated regularly.

Booth (Sharing Experiences)

The booth area is a place for sharing experiences, bringing together cultures, wisdom, technologies, and community activities from around the world. Through exhibitions and workshops in a wide range of fields, including traditional crafts, education, and art, we aim to create a space where diverse people can meet, learn from each other, and nurture seeds for new creativity.

Talk (Sharing Knowledge)

Talks will be held on topics such as the "Connecting the World Life Project" COMMONS + Network Forum, the appeal of intangible cultural assets like Japanese regional performing arts and crafts, and successful examples from the Prime Minister's Office's international exchange programs for the Expo. This will serve as an international gathering to share knowledge and experience gained from international collaboration at the Osaka-Kansai Expo and pass on best practices from various countries to the next generation.

Food (World Flavors)

A food area offering dishes and drinks from around the world, along with food trucks, is planned. This will promote international exchange through food culture.

Stamp (Inheriting the Expo Experience)

Continuing the popular stamp rally culture from the Expo. Stamp corners related to the Jellyfish Pavilion and various national and signature pavilions are planned.

"Celebrating Life Executive Committee" Composed of Diverse Experts and Practitioners

This project is driven by the "Celebrating Life Executive Committee," chaired by Sachiko Nakajima and composed of Kenji Yoshida, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the National Museum of Ethnology, along with researchers, cultural practitioners, and educators from Japan and abroad, in co-organization with steAm Inc.

[Key Executive Committee Members]

Other participating committee members include Ryosuke Nakanishi, Representative of the comprehensive welfare facility NO SIDE; Masaki Nima, Councilor of Shiroiwa Town and Representative of Blue Salmon; Edward Tulipkovic-Katayama, Government Representative for the Croatia Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo; Taizo Ota, CEO of Kinjo Gom Co., Ltd. and Executive Committee Chairman of FactorISM; and Koichi Wada, a blind accessibility analyst from the Digital Agency, among other distinguished individuals with diverse expertise.

[Message] Sachiko Nakajima, Jellyfish Pavilion Producer and Chair of the "Celebrating Life" Executive Committee (CEO of steAm)

At the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, people from all over the world gathered to share their cultures, arts, sciences, education, and wisdom from daily life, spending time contemplating "life" together.

The encounters and bonds formed at the Expo do not end with its closing. Rather, we are challenged to consider what kind of future we will create from them.

"Celebrating Life," the after-Expo event commonly known as the Jellyfish Festival, is a project that carries forward the global connections born at the Expo into the future, reconnecting the festivals, performing arts, crafts, and local cultures that thrive throughout Japan with the diverse cultures and wisdom of the world.

We believe that culture is not merely an object of appreciation, but a creative force that connects people, communities, and the world.

Through sound, physical expression, dialogue, food, crafts, and learning, we aim to foster a space where people from diverse backgrounds can meet, resonate with each other, and create new value. We wish to nurture such a space as the legacy of the Expo.

Furthermore, since the end of last year, I have traveled to Ghana, Jordan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Senegal, Italy, and Serbia, creating various collaborations to nurture the Expo's legacy. Next year, in parallel with the Gardening Expo, the 2027 Belgrade Expo will be held in Serbia. As the PR Ambassador for the Japan Pavilion at the Belgrade Expo, I hope to convey various aspects of Japanese culture to the world and create initiatives that fuse and connect diverse cultures.

Our goal is not "to relive that excitement," but "to go beyond that excitement."

We will expand the "Celebrating Life" project globally as a plaza for the co-creation of culture and technology, where diverse lives respect each other and build the future together. "Celebrating Life" (Jellyfish Festival) will not be a one-time event, but will move forward as a legacy project that continues to connect people, communities, and the world through culture and technology.

[Profile of Sachiko Nakajima]

Musician (pianist, composer), mathematician, STEAM educator. Representative Director of steAm Inc., Representative Director of General Incorporated Association steAm BAND. Producer of the theme project "Enhancing Life" for Expo 2025 Japan International Exposition. PR Ambassador for the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2027 Belgrade. Gold medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad. STEM Girls Ambassador for the Cabinet Office. Master of Arts in Media Arts from New York University Graduate School of Arts. Leader of KURAGE Band. Crossing music, mathematics, art, and technology, she promotes STEAM education that fosters creativity and the creation of collaborative spaces both in Japan and internationally, based on the philosophy of "democratizing creativity."

(Reference Photo 1) "EXPO2025 INOCHI Celebration" held at "Inochi Park" in the central area of the Expo on the final day (October 13, 2025).

Friends from around the world gathered, and cultures, performing arts, and "music" from Japan and abroad resonated, celebrating diverse "lives" with many people as the finale of the Expo. The taiko performing group "Kodo" also performed from Sado Island.

(Reference Photo 2) "After-Expo Jellyfish Festival" held at ATC, Sakishima, Osaka, on February 28, 2026, with the lingering atmosphere of the Expo.

Through music, regional performing arts, cultural experiences, and talk programs from around the world, the event created reunions and new exchanges within the network established at the Expo, attracting over 1,200 visitors.

[About Yamamoto Noh Theatre]

Founded in 1927 by Hiroyuki Yamamoto, a Noh actor of the Kanze school. It is the oldest Noh theatre in Osaka, with a history of approximately 100 years. The current facility, rebuilt in 1950, is a three-story wooden building. It was registered as a "National Registered Tangible Cultural Property" in 2006 as a Noh theatre with a traditional Noh stage, despite being located in an urban area.

The theatre is also committed to passing on Noh, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, as a "fascinating performing art for contemporary times" to future generations. It focuses on producing original performances incorporating modern perspectives, offering Noh experiences and backstage tours accessible to everyone, and holding numerous overseas performances. For many years, it has participated in projects by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, introducing the appeal of Noh to over 80,000 children. It has also contributed to the dissemination of Japanese culture and the promotion of international mutual understanding through performances and workshops in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

In recognition of these activities, it has received numerous awards, including the Osaka Cultural Prize, the Foreign Minister's Commendation, the Japan Foundation Prize for Global Citizenship, the Kansai Genki Culture Award, the Tiffany Foundation Japanese Culture Award, and the Good Design Award. In June 2026, it received a "Walk of Fame" award from the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania.

We look forward to meeting you all, both from Japan and abroad, at the major after-Expo event "Celebrating Life" (Jellyfish Festival) on August 8 and 9, 2026. This event is planned to be expanded and continued annually in Osaka.