The Osaka-Kansai Expo Kyoto Promotion Committee will distribute a limited number of 5,000 sustainable fans at the Gion Festival to introduce the wide range of attractions of Kyoto.

The fans will help visitors to the Gion Festival from all over Kyoto Prefecture and the rest of Japan to learn about Expo related activities in Kyoto and to publicise related events taking place in the prefecture during the Expo period and in the lead-up to the Expo.

About the Sustainable Fans (designed to utilise the wide range of attractions of Kyoto)

The Sustainable Fans to be distributed are planned and distributed annually by Yomiuri Union Advertising, and are made using fan bones made from rice produced in Kyoto Prefecture (discarded rice) and base paper made from reeds from the Uji River. The front surface of the fan, which is an original design, features a design pattern of a maiko (apprentice geisha), one of the traditional images of Kyoto, introducing the natural, cultural and industrial attractions of various parts of the prefecture, based on the concept of ‘introducing Kyoto’s still unknown attractions’. The design on one side features a Japanese pattern drawn by students of Kyoto City University of Arts, who were selected from a public competition.

The above is a sustainable initiative in Kyoto Prefecture and an industry-academia collaboration in which students, one of Kyoto’s strengths, take the initiative, and as it is in line with the Osaka-Kansai Expo’s aims of “contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” and “a future society where life shines brightly”, we have decided to participate as a sponsor. The Sustainable Uchiwa is a fan that is used to promote the Osaka World Expo.

A limited number of 5,000 sustainable fans will be distributed at the Shijo-Karasuma intersection during the Gion Festival from 14-16 July.

About the Osaka-Kansai Expo Kyoto Promotion Committee

The Osaka-Kansai Expo Kyoto Promotion Committee was set up with the aim of using the Osaka-Kansai Expo as an opportunity to communicate the attractions of Kyoto to the world and to attract people and investment to various parts of the prefecture, thereby stimulating the economy and promoting regional development. The committee will promote exhibitions and events at the Expo site based on the basic concept, as well as building momentum in the prefectural area.

Various companies, organisations and local authorities in Kyoto Prefecture are implementing initiatives and events aimed at revitalising the prefecture, such as building momentum for the Expo and attracting visitors to various parts of Kyoto Prefecture from the Expo site.

In addition, a Kyoto booth will be exhibited in the Kansai Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which will be held from 13 April 2025. From time to time, we will promote the culture and traditions of Kyoto, which are already widely known, as well as the attractions of other parts of the prefecture that are not yet well-known.