Journey back to 1970. The Osaka World Expo was in full swing. Today we spotlight the \u96fb\u6c17\u901a\u4fe1\u9928. It was a telecommunications pavilion.
\u96fb\u6c17\u901a\u4fe1\u9928 was more than just a building. It was a vision of the future. NTT, then Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, created it. The theme was humans and communication.
Picture a long yellow tent. It stretches out like a snake. This was the waiting deck. It led to the entrance space. The structure included a triangular plaza. There was also a wireless telephone room. A technology exhibition room completed the picture.
Visitors entered through the waiting deck. Escalators carried them to the entrance. They walked along a 180-meter passage. It featured spaces like the “Red Hill Space”. Another space was the “Calling Space”. These showed the future of communication. They showed humans in the information age.
The triangular plaza held 1200 square meters. It could hold about 800 people. Three large screens showed different scenes. The technology exhibition room faced a garden. It had a pond and plants. Glass walls enclosed the building.
Inside, the “Red Hill Space” displayed the world’s races. Two hundred color Braun tubes showed their expressions. Sounds of voices and cries filled the air. It represented humanity’s most primitive communication.
Next, in the “Calling Space”, voices echoed. About 16000 speakers hung overhead. They broadcast greetings in many languages. Lights and sounds created a dreamlike atmosphere. The “Exchange Machine Forest” featured many machines. Their sounds created a lively samba rhythm. This showed how machines mediated modern communication.
The “Triangular Plaza” had three Eidophor screens. These projected images from Tokyo, Kyushu and Kyoto. It was a live three-point broadcast. Visitors experienced mass communication. They felt excitement and a sense of realism.
The \u96fb\u6c17\u901a\u4fe1\u9928 even displayed wireless telephones. NTT called them “future telephones”. These phones weighed about 700 grams. They allowed calls within the venue. They also connected to domestic lines. Visitors could check weather forecasts. They could also get Expo information. They even had telephone calculator functions.
Around 650000 people visited the \u96fb\u6c17\u901a\u4fe1\u9928. Many experienced the “future telephone”. Even Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun visited. They viewed the wireless telephone.
Observations of visitors’ use of the wireless phones influenced later designs. Engineers noted how people pressed buttons. This feedback helped develop car phones and portable phones.
Today the site of the \u96fb\u6c17\u901a\u4fe1\u9928 is the East Plaza. It is a large lawn. People use it for sports and events.
NTT continues to innovate. It will present the NTT Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. This pavilion will explore future communication. It will use spatial transfer technology. This shows how NTT continues to connect people. It spans time. It bridges distances.