Global travel, in one place
Subscribe
WorldTravelBrief
← Back to the front page
Destinations · Osaka · 24 Jun 2026 · 03:20 GMT+7

Osaka’s Expo legacy reshapes the Kansai itinerary

A year of investment has left western Japan with infrastructure that is redrawing how visitors move through the region.
NH
By Noor Haddad
Destinations desk · 24 Jun 2026
Share
Osaka
On the ground in Osaka
Key takeaways
The transport and venue investment behind last year’s Expo has outlasted the event, leaving Osaka and the wider Kansai region with links that are changing how visitors route through western Japan.
For travellers it means a smoother multi-city trip; for Kyoto and Nara it means shared demand.
+8%
Kansai arrivals
JNTO
3
new transit links
city data

The transport and venue investment behind last year’s Expo has outlasted the event, leaving Osaka and the wider Kansai region with links that are changing how visitors route through western Japan. Arrivals are up 8% with the crowds more evenly spread.

For travellers it means a smoother multi-city trip; for Kyoto and Nara it means shared demand. WorldTravelBrief tracks the regional flow.

Osaka
On the ground in Osaka
By Noor Haddad · WorldTravelBrief
More from the latest
BangkokThailand reopens its northern corridor as low-cost capacity returnsReykjavíkIceland lifts its ashfall advisory; Keflavík returns to scheduleTokyoFares to Tokyo fall for the first time since 2023
Related dispatches
Osaka’s Expo legacy reshapes the Kansai itinerary — WorldTravelBrief