Jamaica Celebrates International Reggae Day at Expo 2025 in Japan

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, came alive with the pulsating sound of reggae music on July 1, in celebration of International Reggae Day.

International Reggae Day is the 24-hour celebration of the culture, legacy and sound that originated in Kingston.

Commissioner General of Section, Jamaica Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Maureen Smith, told JIS News that Jamaica’s participation at the Expo provided a great opportunity to celebrate International Reggae Day in Japan.

“Osaka, in particular, is a huge consumer of our culture and of reggae, and we thought it was just appropriate for us to celebrate,” said Ms. Smith.

She informed that two activities were hosted on the day – an all-day reggae experience featuring nine sound systems and one nyabingi group, as well as a special video presentation and quiz by Universal Music.

The video was a two-hour presentation about Bob Marley and Reggae music, which was looped throughout the day, while the quiz asked questions about Jamaica’s pavilion.

“Having those two things on the day was very special because it brought attention to what we’re doing at the Expo as well as it created a space for people to enjoy reggae,” Ms. Smith said.

The Commissioner General of Section further indicated that a standout element of the celebration was that all performers on the day were Japanese, a testament to the international reach of Jamaica’s music.

Participating under the Expo’s theme, ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’, Jamaica is featured in the ‘Connecting Lives’ sub-theme with its Pavilion titled ‘Out of Many, One People: Let’s Link Up’.

“Link up we did because we were able to connect with these Japanese artistes and they did extremely well,” said Ms. Smith.

She further informed that the country’s pavilion has been attracting thousands of visitors since the expo started in April.

“We’ve been averaging 10,000 persons per day, which is far more than we had anticipated. So, it has been a good experience and yesterday (July 1) proved that as well – the love for the music and for Jamaica,” said Ms. Smith.

The Jamaica pavilion features statues of Bob Marley and Usain Bolt, on loan from the S Hotel, and a training sled, also on loan, from the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.

Other elements of the pavilion include a colourful mural by Nala Creative Studio in Osaka, a ‘music wall’ honouring dancehall and sound clash culture, a tribute to Jamaican sports icons, a display of Dunn’s River Falls, and screens showcasing Jamaica’s progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Jerk chicken is also featured as one of the foods that are iconic to Jamaica.

Expo 2025 Osaka will run until October 13, 2025. Persons interested in getting updates on Jamaica’s participation are invited to follow @expo2025jamaica on Instagram.