The Expo Experience Finally Comes to Tokyo: Hiroshi Ishiguro's 'Future of Life+' to be Held from July 25, 2026

MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives (located in Minato-ku, Tokyo, operated by the JR East Cultural Creation Foundation) will hold 'Future of Life+ (pronounced: Inochi no Mirai Plus)' as its opening commemorative program. This is an updated version of 'Future of Life', the highly acclaimed signature pavilion of the Osaka-Kansai Expo produced by Hiroshi Ishiguro. Under the supervision of Hiroshi Ishiguro (Professor at Osaka University / Visiting Director of ATR Future of Life Research Institute), a leading figure in robotics and android research, this project retains the profound emotion that captivated many at the Expo while restructuring the content to fit the MoN Takanawa venue. Furthermore, a new scenario has been added that encourages visitors to confront 'choices for the future of life', updating the experience to prompt deeper reflection.

This exhibition, which poses the fundamental questions of 'What is a human being?' and 'What is life?', deeply resonates with the museum's seasonal theme, 'Life as Culture', which posits that daily activities and living itself create culture. By bridging science and the humanities, this project offers an intellectual experience that shakes the very roots of life, appealing to people of all generations.

■ [Event Overview] Future of Life+

Period: Saturday, July 25, 2026 – Friday, September 25, 2026 (First session period) Closed on August 3 (Monday)

*Closed days may be subject to change or addition. Please check the official website for details.

Venue: MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives (Box1000)

Organizers: Future of Life Research Institute (ATR | Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International), MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, PARCO Co., Ltd.

Co-organizer: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition

Special Support: Kyoto Prefecture

Technical Cooperation: Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, Department of Systems Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University; Interaction Technology Bank, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International; Moonshot Research and Development Program Goal 1 Avatar Symbiotic Society Project; RIKEN

Exhibition Cooperation: Japan Association of Care Service Providers Expo Consortium 2025, Sysmex Corporation, Nishogakusha University

Exhibition Official Website: https://montakanawa.jp/programs/future_of_life/

MoN Takanawa X: https://x.com/montakanawa

Ticket Information

Sales Period: Phase 1 (Target period: July 25 (Sat) – August 17 (Mon)) On sale from June 12 (Fri)
Phase 2 (Target period: August 19 (Wed) – September 7 (Mon)) On sale from August 4 (Tue)
Phase 3 (Target period: September 9 (Wed) – September 25 (Fri)) On sale from August 27 (Thu)

Ticket Purchase: MoN Takanawa Ticket (members only), MoN Takanawa Official Ticket Agent Fever (guest sales), eplus

Ticket Types (tax included):

General: Advance ticket Weekday ¥3,500 / Weekend & Holiday ¥4,000, Same-day ticket Weekday ¥4,000 / Weekend & Holiday ¥4,500

U25: ¥2,500 (Weekdays, weekends, and holidays)

Junior high school students and younger: ¥1,500 (Weekdays, weekends, and holidays)

*Designated time slots every 30 minutes. *Advance tickets can be purchased until 11:59 PM the day before your visit.

*August 13 (Thu) and 14 (Fri), which fall during the Obon period, will be charged at weekend/holiday rates.

*Visitor benefits are planned for each sales period.

A set ticket with the 'Guruguru Exhibition - The Ever-Evolving Story of Humanity' is also planned for sale.

Please come with your family and friends.

*Please check the official website and ticket agents for details.

*Exhibition content, program details, and various services are subject to change.

We can live the life we want to live.

- Exhibition Highlights -

· Relive the Emotion of the Expo

Using cutting-edge android technology to explore the question 'What is life?', the future story that captivated so many at the Expo is recreated with state-of-the-art theatrical staging and space. Science and philosophy blend through interaction, creating a memorable experience full of questions.

· [New] A New Scenario Depicting the Future 50 Years From Now

A new scenario about 'choices for the future of life' is added to the story of 2075 depicted at the Expo. A dialogue between androids unfolds.

· [New] Interactive Experience with Androids (Planned)

A new experience allowing visitors to converse with AI-powered androids has been added. Enjoy realistic, two-way communication with androids. *This is planned as an off-exhibition event. A separate dedicated ticket purchase is required.

· Significantly Expanded Original Merchandise, a Popular Request from the Expo

In addition to re-releasing some popular items sold at the Future of Life pavilion during the Expo, new original goods will be sold.

■ Comment from Hiroshi Ishiguro (Professor at Osaka University / Visiting Director of ATR Future of Life Research Institute)

The Osaka-Kansai Expo signature pavilion 'Future of Life' received high praise and empathy from many visitors during the event, including dignitaries, researchers, artists, and Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. Being able to restage that pavilion in Tokyo brings us immense joy.

The pavilion aimed to encourage people to think about how they will choose new technologies and how they will confront their own lives in the future. I hope that at MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, it will also provide an opportunity for many to reflect on their own 'future of life'.

We, who possess advanced technology in the modern era, have the responsibility not only to receive the future but also to design and create it ourselves.

■ Scenes from the Osaka-Kansai Expo Signature Pavilion 'Future of Life'

©FUTURE OF LIFE

Hiroshi Ishiguro

■ About the Future of Life Research Institute (ATR | Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International)

The Future of Life Research Institute conducts research activities to carry forward the initiatives and part of the research from the 'Future of Life' signature pavilion of the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 as a legacy. It also engages in activities (such as android exhibitions) to help people broadly develop independent thoughts about coexistence with androids and the future of life.

◾️ An Experimental Museum of Culture, from Tradition to Manga, Music, and Space
About MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives

The acronym 'MoN' in The Museum of Narratives carries two meanings: a 'gate' (門) to a new world where one encounters a new self, and a 'question' (問) for thinking about and creating the future.