Past International Garden and Greenery Expositions have drawn loyal following to different cities all over the world. Stressing the time-honoured art of landscaping and horticulture, the expositions have been showcases for local gardening specialities wherever they have been held.

This year the organizers are even more ambitiuos. Without sacrificing any ornamental trappings, the show is emphasizing an environmental theme-the need for man to exist in harmony with nature. Recast on global scale as Expo'90, the 13th INternational garden and Greenery Exposition features a blend of natural and man-made wonders, from open-air theathers and vast international gardens to futuristic cityscapes where industry and nature are neatly intergrated into urban life.

Laid out over 350 rolling acres on the eastern edge of Osaka, japan's second largest city, the show is the biggest international horticultural exposition ever. Expo opened in April and will run until Sept. 30, with 14 countries and dozens of organizations and corporations exhibiting. Some 20 million visitors from around the world are expected to attend.

"Plants and flowers are at the core of ecology," says Yasuyuki Aoki, general manager of the Japan Association for the Exposition. "Expo '90 is dedicated to rasing awareness about what they can contribute to our world, and helping people see that each of us has an important role in protecting them."

Eishiro Saito, chairman of the Japn Association for the Exposition, echoes these thoughts ."Faced with the spread of urbanization, the rapid destrction of the natural environment and the devastation of green resources," he says," the world has an overwhelming need to address a fundamental issue: How can man coexist with nature, while still maintaining an affluent society? Since ancient times, the Japanese poeple have beleived in living in harmony with nature, and we want to share this culture heritage with others."

However serious the messgae, the presentation is razzled-dazzle. State-of-the-artcomputer graphics exhibits, innovative acrhitecture, light shows and stylized "green" amusement park share the limelight with reconstrcted wilderness areas, as well as displays of nursery art.

For example, at the Suntory Pavilion, run by Suntory Limited, the main attraction is a 3-D theater. The feature film, entitled "The Last Buffalo," tells the story of a bison cow and calf and thier strugglefor survival in foorhills of the Canadian Rockies. The American bison, the largest animal in North America continent, was once pushed to the brink of extinction through indiscriminate hunting and destruction of the prarie environment. But fortunately, steps were taken to save the bison, including laws forbidding thier slaughter and the creation  of bison preserves. Man, the exhibit suggest, can do much to protect endangered species around the globe.

Mitsubishi has created a large, spherical theater to exhibit a stunning interactive film entitled, "JOurney of Flowers, Earth and DReams." People viewing the film feel as if they are literally sitting in the middle of the scenic habitats featured in the movie.

Fianlly, the city of osaka is sponsoring a munumantal greenhouse called Sakuya Konohan kan, or the Great Conservatory. The greenhouse contains 15000 plants representing 2600 species from all over the world, including the tropics, the alphine forest and even the vicinity of the North Pole.

"Our objective is to provide valuable food for thought about steps that must be taken to ensure a healthy and prosoerous future." says Expo cimmisioner general Seiya Nishida. "We're calling on the people of the world to strive together towards a 21st century that will be enriched more than ever by flowers and greenery."

Charles Whipple

Source : Newsweek 21 May 1990

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