1.
Nagoya
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Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is Japans third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area and it is located on the Pacific coast on central Honshu. It is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japans major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba and it is also the center of Japans third-largest metropolitan region, known as the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area. As of 2015,2.28 million people lived in the city, the citys name was historically written as 那古野 or 名護屋. One possible origin is the adjective nagoyaka, meaning peaceful, the name Chūkyō is also used to refer to Nagoya. Notable examples of the use of the name Chūkyō include the Chūkyō Industrial Area, Chūkyō Metropolitan Area, Chūkyō Television Broadcasting, Chukyo University, oda Nobunaga and his protégés Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were powerful warlords based in the Nagoya area who gradually succeeded in unifying Japan. In 1610, Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital of Owari Province from Kiyosu, about seven kilometers away, during this period Nagoya Castle was constructed, built partly from materials taken from Kiyosu Castle. During the construction, the town around Kiyosu Castle, consisting of around 60,000 people. Around the same time, the nearby ancient Atsuta Shrine was designated as a waystation, called Miya, on the important Tōkaidō road, a town developed around the temple to support travelers. The castle and shrine towns formed the city, during the Meiji Restoration Japans provinces were restructured into prefectures and the government changed from family to bureaucratic rule. Nagoya was proclaimed a city on October 1,1889, and designated a city on September 1,1956, Nagoya became an industrial hub for the region. Its economic sphere included the famous pottery towns of Tokoname, Tajimi and Seto, as well as Okazaki, other industries included cotton and complex mechanical dolls called karakuri ningyō. Mitsubishi Aircraft Company was established in 1920 in Nagoya and became one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in Japan, the availability of space and the central location of the region and the well-established connectivity were some of the major factors that lead to the establishment of the aviation industry there. Nagoya was the target of US air raids during World War II, the population of Nagoya at this time was estimated to be 1.5 million, fourth among Japanese cities and one of the three largest centers of the Japanese aircraft industry. It was estimated that 25% of its workers were engaged in aircraft production, important Japanese aircraft targets were within the city itself, while others were to the north of Kagamigahara. It was estimated that produced between 40% and 50% of Japanese combat aircraft and engines, such as the vital Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. The Nagoya area also produced machine tools, bearings, railway equipment, metal alloys, tanks, motor vehicles, the bombing continued through the spring of 1945, and included large-scale firebombing. Nagoya was the target of two of Bomber Command’s attacks and these incendiary attacks, one by day and one by night, devastated 15.3 square kilometres
Nagoya
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The Great
Atsuta Shrine, which dates back to c. 100 CE and houses the holy sword
Kusanagi, one of the imperial regalia of Japan
Nagoya
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From top left:
Nagoya Port,
Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Central Nagoya,
Nagoya Castle,
Nagoya TV Tower
Nagoya
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Nagoya Castle was constructed as the seat of the
Owari branch of the ruling
Tokugawa clan.
Nagoya
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View of the Nōbi Plain,
Kiso Three Rivers and Nagoya from Mount Sanpo and Mount Yoro
2.
Bureau of International Expositions
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To February 4,2016,169 member countries have adhered to the BIE Convention. The BIE regulates two types of expositions, Registered Exhibitions and Recognized Exhibitions, Horticultural Exhibitions with an A1 grade, regulated by the International Association of Horticultural Producers, are recognized since 1960. The USA had its membership of the BIE withdrawn in June 2001, the cause was the non-allocation of funds by the U. S. Congress for two years. The United States Congress has not provided a reason for failing to pay membership. The BIE remains open to participation from the United States, in a letter from April 20,2006, the secretary-general said, As you are aware, the United States government withdrew from the BIE in June 2001. Citizens realize and would welcome the strong impact a worlds fair can have on their city, state and it would be wonderful to, once again, attend an exhibition in the United States. Participation in the BIE is controlled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, rydell said the 1982 fair was not as bad as many people make it out to be. Since the start of the 21st century, Universal Expositions may occur every five years, lasting six months, on 5 and 0 ending years, i. e. Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Expo 2015 in Milan, and so forth. Countries, international organizations, civil societies, and corporations are allowed to participate in Registered Expositions, the Plaza of Africa at Seville was constructed for the same purpose. Registered Expositions are also massive in scale, sometimes 300 or 400 hectares in size, montreals Expo 67 attracted 54 million visitors, Osakas Expo 70,64 million visitors, the Seville Expo 92,41 million visitors and Shanghais Expo 2010 attracted 70 million visitors. Countries, international organizations, civil societies, and corporations are allowed to participate, the pavilions are built by the hosts and not the participants, and there is no rent for pavilions. Nevertheless, the largest pavilion may be no larger than 1000 square meters, for this reason Recognized Expositions are cheaper to run than Registered Expositions, and more money is spent on content of the pavilion as opposed to its design. A nation or organization does not need to be a member of the B. I. E. to be represented at a B. I. E, the use of mascots in World Exposition began with the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. Seymore D. Fair, a 76 tall white pelican, was the mascot of the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition as well as the first mascot at any worlds fair. Seymore was seen as a way to highlight the water theme. Seymore D.9 in E Minor From the New World
Bureau of International Expositions
–
Bureau International des Expositions
Bureau of International Expositions
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Seymore D. Fair, first ever World Expo Mascot.
3.
ASIMO
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Honda began developing humanoid robots in the 1980s, including several prototypes that preceded ASIMO. It was the goal to create a walking robot. E0 was the first bipedal model produced as part of the Honda E series, ts created between 1986 and 1993. This was followed by the Honda P series of robots produced from 1993 through 1997, development began at Hondas Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center in Japan in 1999 and ASIMO was unveiled in October 2000. ASIMO stands 130 cm tall and weighs 54 kg, ASIMO is powered by a rechargeable 51.8 V lithium-ion battery with an operating time of one hour. Switching from a metal hydride in 2004 increased the amount of time ASIMO can operate before recharging. ASIMO has a computer processor that was created by Honda. The computer that controls ASIMOs movement is housed in the robots waist area and can be controlled by a PC, wireless controller, or voice commands. ASIMO has the ability to recognize moving objects, postures, gestures, its environment, sounds and faces. The robot can detect the movements of objects by using visual information captured by two camera eyes in its head and also determine distance and direction. This feature allows ASIMO to follow or face a person when approached, the robot interprets voice commands and human gestures, enabling it to recognize when a handshake is offered or when a person waves or points, and then respond accordingly. ASIMOs ability to distinguish between voices and other sounds allows it to identify its companions, ASIMO is able to respond to its name and recognizes sounds associated with a falling object or collision. This allows the robot to face a person when spoken to or look towards a sound, ASIMO responds to questions by nodding or providing a verbal answer in different languages and can recognize approximately 10 different faces and address them by name. There are sensors that assist in autonomous navigation, the two cameras inside the head are used as a visual sensor to detect obstacles. The lower portion of the torso has ground sensor which comprises one laser sensor, the laser sensor is used to detect ground surface. The infrared sensor with automatic shutter adjustment based on brightness is used to detect pairs of floor markings to confirm the navigable paths of the planned map, the pre-loaded map and the detection of floor markings help the robot to precisely identify its present location and continuously adjusting its position. There are front and rear ultrasonic sensors to sense the obstacles, the front sensor is located at the lower portion of the torso together with the ground sensor. The rear sensor is located at the bottom of the backpack, Hondas work with ASIMO led to further research on Walking Assist™ devices that resulted in innovations such as the Stride Management Assist and the Bodyweight Support Assist
ASIMO
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ASIMO (28 April 2011)
ASIMO
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P3 model (left) compared to ASIMO
ASIMO
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ASIMO environment identifying sensors which include visual, ground, and ultrasonic sensors
ASIMO
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Two cameras inside the black visor of ASIMO
4.
Lisbon
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Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with a population of 552,700 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km². Its urban area extends beyond the administrative limits with a population of around 2.7 million people. About 2.8 million people live in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and it is continental Europes westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean, the westernmost areas of its metro area is the westernmost point of Continental Europe. Lisbon is recognised as a city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education. It is one of the economic centres on the continent, with a growing financial sector. Humberto Delgado Airport serves over 20 million passengers annually, as of 2015, and the motorway network, the city is the 7th-most-visited city in Southern Europe, after Istanbul, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens and Milan, with 1,740,000 tourists in 2009. The Lisbon region contributes with a higher GDP PPP per capita than any region in Portugal. Its GDP amounts to 96.3 billion USD and thus $32,434 per capita, the city occupies 32nd place of highest gross earnings in the world. Most of the headquarters of multinationals in the country are located in the Lisbon area and it is also the political centre of the country, as its seat of Government and residence of the Head of State. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, in 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural centre of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbons status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or confirmed officially – by statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the Constitution of Portugal. It has one of the warmest winters of any metropolis in Europe, the typical summer season lasts about four months, from June to September, although also in April temperatures sometimes reach around 25 °C. Although modern archaeological excavations show a Phoenician presence at this location since 1200 BC, another conjecture based on ancient hydronymy suggests that the name of the settlement derived from the pre-Roman appellation for the Tagus, Lisso or Lucio. Lisbons name was written Ulyssippo in Latin by the geographer Pomponius Mela and it was later referred to as Olisippo by Pliny the Elder and by the Greeks as Olissipo or Olissipona. The Indo-European Celts invaded in the 1st millennium BC, mixing with the Pre-Indo-European population and this indigenous settlement maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, which would account for the recent findings of Phoenician pottery and other material objects
Lisbon
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Clockwise, from top:
Praça do Comércio,
Parque Eduardo VII,
Padrão dos Descobrimentos,
Torre de Belém, the
Sé de Lisboa, and
Parque das Nações.
Lisbon
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Phoenician archaeological dig in the
Lisbon Cathedral cloisters
Lisbon
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Section of the Cerca Velha (Old Wall) of Visigothic origin.
Lisbon
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São Jorge Castle and the surrounding areas of Castelo and Mouraria.
5.
Expo 2008
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Expo 2008 was an international exposition held from Saturday,14 June to Sunday,14 September 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain, with the theme of Water and Sustainable Development. The exposition was placed in a meander of the river Ebro and it was coordinated by the Bureau of International Expositions, the organization responsible for sanctioning Worlds Fairs. Zaragoza, host city for the International Exposition, is the administrative and financial capital of the community of Aragon. Zaragoza was elected the host city of Expo 2008 on 16 December 2004 by the BIE, beating Thessaloniki, the exposition site also hosted several events, including a daily parade by Cirque du Soleil called The Awakening of the Serpent. Aside from the countries, non-government organizations and private companies took part in Expo 2008, always with the idea of water, prior to the event, the Expo 2008 host committee estimated that the expo event could generate 135 million euros in receipts for admission to the exhibition centre. The Bridge Pavilion was one of the most emblematic buildings of Expo 2008, designed by Zaha Hadid, it was built in two levels with the shape of a gladiolus opening and closing. It joins the neighbourhood of La Almozara and the Expo site with an island in the river Ebro. The Water Tower was another building of Expo 2008 and its vertical icon. Designed by Enrique de Teresa, it is 76 metres high with 10,400 accessible square metres, on the top floor, there is a 720-square-metre panoramic bar with fantastic views over Zaragoza. Inside the tower there is a 23-metre-high sculpture called Splash, which represents a splash of water, the Splash sculpture, based on dynamic simulation systems, was designed by Mona Kim, Todd Palmer, Olga Subirós and Simon Taylor from Program Collective. The Water Tower hosted the exposition Water for life where audiovisual media and this thematic pavilion, which remained in operation after the expo, is the biggest freshwater aquarium in Europe, with 300 species of fauna from rivers around the world in 60 tanks or terrariums. Rivers represented are, The Nile, It contains species of the great African lakes and it also has crocodiles and an exhibition on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The Mekong, In this river visitors will find species of the Himalayas, gardens from the lower course. The Amazon river, It is divided three different areas. The first of them is the Amazon jungle with its trees and mangroves. The second area is about the Amazon forest while the area is the mangrove swamp with an exhibition on the Atlantic Ocean. The Murray-Darling river, This exhibition begins in the flooded regions and it finishes with a video exhibition about birds. The Ebro, It is also represented in two areas, the first area is a mountain cave and the second is the course of the river
Expo 2008
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General view of the Expo 2008 site
Expo 2008
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Expo 2008 official logo
Expo 2008
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View of Bridge Pavilion, inside.
Expo 2008
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Water Tower
6.
Zaragossa
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Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva, on 1 September 2010 the population of the city of Zaragoza was 701,090, within its administrative limits on a land area of 1,062.64 square kilometres, ranking fifth in Spain. It is the 32nd most populous municipality in the European Union, the population of the metropolitan area was estimated in 2006 at 783,763 inhabitants. The municipality is home to more than 50 percent of the Aragonese population, the city lies at an elevation of 199 metres above sea level. Zaragoza hosted Expo 2008 in the summer of 2008, a fair on water. It was also a candidate for the European Capital of Culture in 2012, the city is famous for its folklore, local gastronomy, and landmarks such as the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the Aljafería Palace. Together with La Seo and the Aljafería, several other buildings part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Fiestas del Pilar are among the most celebrated festivals in Spain, the city was called by the ancient Romans Caesaraugusta, from which the present name derives. The Iberian town that predated the Roman city was called Salduie, see also, Caesar Augusta The Sedetani, a tribe of ancient Iberians, populated a village called Salduie. Later on, Augustus founded a city called Caesaraugusta at the location to settle army veterans from the Cantabrian wars. The foundation date of Caesaraugusta has not been set with exact precision, the city did not suffer any decline during the last centuries of the Roman empire and was captured peacefully by the Goths in the fifth century AD. From 1018 to 1118, Zaragoza was one of the taifa kingdoms, during the first three decades of this period, 1018–1038, the city was ruled by the Banu Tujibi. After the death of El Cid his kingdom was overrun by the Almoravids, who, by 1100, had managed to cross the Ebro into Barbastro, the Banu Hud stubbornly resisted the Almoravids and ruled until they were eventually defeated by them in May 1110. On 18 December 1118, the Aragonese led by Alfonso I conquered the city from the Almoravids, after Alfonsos death without heirs in 1134, Zaragoza was swiftly occupied by Alfonso VII of León and Castile. The wedding never happened, as Petronila ended up marrying Ramon Berenguer IV, the marriage union was the origin of the Crown of Aragón. While the reality of the existence of Saint Dominguito del Val is questioned, despite a decline in the outlying rural economy, Zaragoza has continued to grow. The General Military Academy, a training center of the Spanish Army, was re-established on September 27,1940 by Minister of the Army José Enrique Varela Iglesias. During the second half of the 20th century, Zaragozas population boomed as a number of factories opened in the region, in 1979, the Hotel Corona de Aragón fire killed at least 80
Zaragossa
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Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and the
Ebro River
Zaragossa
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Roman theatre
Zaragossa
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Aljafería Palace (at night), built in the 11th century.
Zaragossa
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La Seo Cathedral
7.
Expo 2000
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Expo 2000 was a Worlds Fair held in Hanover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31,2000. It was located on the Hanover fairground, which is the largest exhibition ground in the world, the fairs masterplan was designed in a joint venture with Studio dArnaboldi / Cavadini, Locarno and AS&P. On June 14,1990, the worlds fair organization B. I. E. awarded Expo 2000 to Hannover. In 1992, the architects Studio Arnaboldi/Cavadini of Locarno won a design competition for the masterplan of the exhibition grounds. On June 12 of that year, a survey conducted by the city council was made public showing only 51. 5% of area residents supported hosting the expo. On May 5,1994, a new company was created by the government in Bonn, headed by chairman Helmut Werner, the company was responsible for the construction and management of the fair. In 1995, the board agreed on the concept for the thematics of the fair. Construction finally began on April 22,1996, unlike previous expos, which focused on present advances in science and technology, EXPO2000 focused more on developing and presenting solutions for the future. The fair opened to the public on Thursday, June 1,2000 and ran five months, ending on Tuesday, October 31. The Expo site was situated on the original 1,000,000 square meters of the Hanover fairground, some ten large McDonalds restaurants were also built, along with restaurants representing several of the exhibitor countries. Small retail locations were set up to supply Expo merchandise. The United States reversed its decision to part at a relatively late stage. 40,000,000 visitors were expected at Expo 2000 and this led to a financial deficit of about $600,000,000. With pre-ordered tickets priced at 69 DM, the fair seemed expensive compared to other days out, commentator Georg Giersberg wrote in the Frankfurter Allgemeine that entrance fees for Germanys 53 main theme parks cost on average less than half the price of the Expo. Other financial shortfalls came from a lack of sponsorship, since it cost US$4.8 million to be an official product supplier or US$14.5 million to become a world partner. Part of the failure of the Expo was a lack of perception of what to expect at Expo 2000. The German band Kraftwerk created a vocoded speech signature theme, Expo 2000, later, a remix single Expo Remix was released. The band was also paid US$190,000 for a five-second jingle, the western slope of Kronsberg emerged in the late 1990s in conjunction with the EXPO2000, established an environmental point of settlement at the Hannover Expo
Expo 2000
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German Expo 2000 landmark Pavilion of Hope
Expo 2000
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Expo 2000 logo
Expo 2000
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Monaco Pavilion by Architect Hans Ferdinand Degraeuwe
Expo 2000
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The Netherlands Pavilion at EXPO 2000
8.
Hannover
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At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the Electorate was enlarged to become a Kingdom with Hanover as its capital. From 1868 to 1946 Hanover was the capital of the Prussian Province of Hanover and it is now the capital of the Land of Lower Saxony. Since 2001 it has been part of the Hanover district, which is a body made up from the former district. With a population of 518,000, Hanover is a centre of Northern Germany. Hanover also hosts annual commercial trade fairs such as the Hanover Fair, every year Hanover hosts the Schützenfest Hannover, the worlds largest marksmens festival, and the Oktoberfest Hannover, the second largest such festival in Germany. In 2000, Hanover hosted the world fair Expo 2000, the Hanover fairground, due to numerous extensions, especially for the Expo 2000, is the largest in the world. Hanover is of importance because of its universities and medical school, its international airport. The city is also a crossing point of railway lines and highways. Hanover is the traditional English spelling, the German spelling is becoming more popular in English, recent editions of encyclopaedias prefer the German spelling, and the local government uses the German spelling on English websites. The traditional English spelling is used in historical contexts, especially when referring to the British House of Hanover. Hanover was founded in times on the east bank of the River Leine. Its original name Honovere may mean high bank, though this is debated, Hanover was a small village of ferrymen and fishermen that became a comparatively large town in the 13th century due to its position at a natural crossroads. As overland travel was difficult, its position on the upper navigable reaches of the river helped it to grow by increasing trade. In the 14th century the churches of Hanover were built. The beginning of industrialization in Germany led to trade in iron and silver from the northern Harz Mountains, in 1636 George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruler of the Brunswick-Lüneburg principality of Calenberg, moved his residence to Hanover. The Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg were elevated by the Holy Roman Emperor to the rank of Prince-Elector in 1692, thus the principality was upgraded to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, colloquially known as the Electorate of Hanover after Calenbergs capital. Its electors would later become monarchs of Great Britain, the first of these was George I Louis, who acceded to the British throne in 1714. The last British monarch who ruled in Hanover was William IV, semi-Salic law, which required succession by the male line if possible, forbade the accession of Queen Victoria in Hanover
Hannover
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New Town Hall, Hanover
Hannover
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Illustration of Hanover by
Matthäus Merian, 1654
Hannover
–
Am
Kröpcke, 1895
Hannover
–
Schloss
Herrenhausen, 1895
9.
Expo 2010
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Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE, in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the theme of the exposition was Better City – Better Life and signifies Shanghais new status in the 21st century as the next great world city. The Expo emblem features the Chinese character 世 modified to represent three people together with the 2010 date and it had the largest number of countries participating and was the most expensive Expo in the history of the worlds fairs. The Shanghai World Expo was also the largest Worlds Fair site ever at 5.28 square km, by the end of the expo, over 73 million people had visited – a record attendance – and 246 countries and international organizations had participated. On 16 October 2010, the set a single-day record of over 1.03 million visitors. Shanghai has been one of the main cities envisioned to host the expos for some time, many scholars have written about the possibility and made suggestions in books. Unofficial participation in fairs outside China have happened since 1851, in 1910, the Qing dynasty decided to host Chinas first fair with the 1910 Nanyang industrial exposition. Yeosu later won the bid to host Expo 2012, a three-month specialized world expo, in 2004, the Chinese central government established the Shanghai World Expo Organising Committee as the organization dedicated to host the event. The Organising Committee set up an Executive Committee which is responsible for the execution, besides, the Shanghai World Expo Coordination is founded for the daily affairs of the Executive Committee. The site of the event was the Nanpu Bridge–Lupu Bridge region in the center of Shanghai along both sides of the Huangpu River, the area of the Expo 2010 covers 5.28 km2. After winning the bid to host the Expo in 2002, Shanghai began a task to reshape the city. More than $48 billion was spent for the preparation, more than the cost of cleaning up Beijing in the preparations for the Olympics in 2008. Shanghai began clearing 2.6 square kilometres along the Huangpu River, that involved moving 18,000 families and 270 factories, including the Jiang Nan Shipyard, which employs 10,000 workers. During the expo, the site was crowded with national pavilions, sculpture gardens, shops. Shanghai trained more than 1.7 million volunteers and adopted Olympic-level security measures, adding metal detectors to subway entrances and screening cars entering the city. The Shanghai Expo also featured a version of the expo grounds featuring 3D renderings of the expo grounds. The Shanghai World Expo provided an opportunity for the tourism industry. During 2010’s Spring Festival, Shanghai received 2.79 million tourists, overall Shanghai’s tourism revenue achieved an increase of 13 percent year on year during Spring Festival, resulting in RMB2.1 billion in total revenue
Expo 2010
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Liang Qichao, one of the many scholars to write about the possibility of hosting an expo
Expo 2010
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Expo 2010 logo
Expo 2010
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Better City, Better Life, the theme of Expo 2010.
Expo 2010
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Flags of participating countries waving in front of the China pavilion.
10.
Shanghai
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Shanghai is the most populous city proper in the world, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2014. As one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of the Peoples Republic of China, it is a financial centre and transport hub. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits on the edge of the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the eastern Chinese coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, as a major administrative, shipping and trading city, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to trade and recognition of its favourable port location and economic potential. The city was one of five treaty ports forced open to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War, the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking and 1844 Treaty of Whampoa allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between China and other parts of the world, and became the financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, trade was limited to other socialist countries, and the citys global influence declined. In the 1990s, the reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance. The two Chinese characters in the name are 上 and 海, together meaning Upon-the-Sea. The earliest occurrence of this dates from the 11th-century Song Dynasty, at which time there was already a river confluence. There are disputes as to exactly how the name should be understood, Shanghai is officially abbreviated 沪 in Chinese, a contraction of 沪渎, a 4th- or 5th-century Jin name for the mouth of Suzhou Creek when it was the main conduit into the ocean. This character appears on all motor vehicle license plates issued in the municipality today, another alternative name for Shanghai is Shēn or Shēnchéng, from Lord Chunshen, a third-century BC nobleman and prime minister of the state of Chu, whose fief included modern Shanghai. Sports teams and newspapers in Shanghai often use Shen in their names, such as Shanghai Shenhua F. C. Huating was another early name for Shanghai. In AD751, during the dynasty, Huating County was established at modern-day Songjiang. Today, Huating appears as the name of a hotel in the city. The city also has various nicknames in English, including Pearl of the Orient, during the Spring and Autumn period, the Shanghai area belonged to the Kingdom of Wu, which was conquered by the Kingdom of Yue, which in turn was conquered by the Kingdom of Chu. During the Warring States period, Shanghai was part of the fief of Lord Chunshen of Chu and he ordered the excavation of the Huangpu River. Its former or poetic name, the Chunshen River, gave Shanghai its nickname of Shen, two important events helped promote Shanghais development in the Ming dynasty
Shanghai
–
Clockwise from top: A view of the
Pudong skyline,
Yu Garden,
China Pavilion along with the
Expo Axis, neon signs on
Nanjing Road, and
The Bund
Shanghai
–
The walled
Old City of Shanghai in the 17th century
Shanghai
–
Shanghai in the 1930s, with the
Shanghai International Settlement and
Shanghai French Concession
Shanghai
–
The Bund in 1928; the WWI monument in the foreground was destroyed by the Japanese during WWII
11.
2003 World Horticultural Exposition
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The 2003 World Horticultural Exposition was organized in the City of Rostock in Germany. It was the 17th World Horticultural Exposition recognized by the Bureau of International Expositions, the park was created in a derelict area around ruins of the former village of Schmar on the banks of the river Warnow. This made it possible to have a connection between water and gardens, the project was more than the World Horticultural Exposition. The preparation and furnishing of the terrain cost 62 million euros, the bills were paid by the City of Rostock, the State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the German federal government. 2.63 million people visited the exposition, the IGA2003 met expectations as an attraction for holiday makers and tourists. More than half of the came from outside Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and one third stayed in Rostock overnight. Despite this result the exposition closed with a deficit of 20 million euros due to lack of supervision by the authorities, during the IGA2003 a total of 17,000 visitors attended 275 different meetings and congresses. 32 countries were represented with their own gardens and 20 of them got extra attention on the Nationentage. Visitors liked the national gardens, the cable car, the floating garden. Several outdoor events, totalling 1361 on 171 days, were held in the park, the main contributors were the Rostocker Volkstheater with 50 events and the broadcaster NDR with their Open-Air-Veranstaltungen. An architectural experiment was the Willow Church constructed during the preparations for the IGA2003 and it was the biggest living building of the world. The dome was 15 meters high and the church was 52 meters long, the building was designed by architect Marcel Kalberer, who also led the construction. 650 volunteers from 13 countries started building in 2001,50 volunteers at the same time lived at a camp to knot and bundle the willow branches and set up the self-supporting construction. During the IGA an average of 300 visitors attended the mass on Sundays,250 services took place,3 of them marriages and 6 baptisms. All park facilities and a part of the gardens were retained. Access to the park however is restricted by a fence, its location outside the city, the stage in the park and the Willow Church are still in use. The trade fair appears to be a burden for the city that still has to pay for the losses
2003 World Horticultural Exposition
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The exhibition park IGA 2003
2003 World Horticultural Exposition
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Tradefair and Rotunda
2003 World Horticultural Exposition
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Willow church
2003 World Horticultural Exposition
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Concrete ship Capella at the Warnow's embankment
12.
Rostock
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Rostock is the largest city in the north German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Rostock is on the Warnow river, the district of Warnemünde 12 kilometres north of the city centre is directly on the Baltic Sea coast, Rostock is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Rostock, founded in 1419. The city territory of Rostock stretches for about 20 km along the Warnow to the Baltic Sea, the largest built-up area of Rostock is on the western side of the river. The eastern part of its territory is dominated by industrial estates, Rostock is considered as the only regiopolis in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc, the Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161. Afterwards the place was settled by German traders, initially there were three separate cities, Altstadt around the Alter Markt with St. Petri, Mittelstadt around the Neuer Markt with St. Marien and Neustadt around the Hopfenmarkt with St. Jakobi. In 1218, Rostock was granted Lübeck law city rights by Heinrich Borwin, during the first partition of Mecklenburg following the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg in 1226, Rostock became the seat of the Lordship of Rostock, which survived for almost a century. In 1251, the city became a member of the Hanseatic League, in the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town with 12,000 inhabitants and the biggest city of Mecklenburg. Ships for cruising the Baltic Sea were constructed in Rostock, the formerly independent fishing village of Warnemünde at the Baltic Sea became a part of Rostock in 1323, to secure the citys access to the Baltic Sea. In 1419, one of the earliest universities in Europe, the University of Rostock, was founded and they took advantage of a riot known as Domfehde, a failed uprising of the impoverished population. Subsequent quarrels with the dukes and persistent plundering led ultimately to a loss of economic, in 1565 there were further clashes with Schwerin that which had far-reaching consequences. Among other things, was the introduction of a beer excise that favoured the dukes. John Albert I advanced on the city with 500 horsemen, after Rostock had refused to take the oath of allegiance. The citizens slighted the fortress the following spring, from 1575 to 1577 the city walls were rebuilt, as was the Lagebusch tower and the Stein Gate in the Dutch Renaissance style. The inscription sit intra te concordia et publica felicitas, which can still be read on the gate, in 1584 it finally came to the Second Rostock Inheritance Agreement, which resulted in a further loss of former tax privileges. At the same time, these inheritance contracts put paid to Rostocks ambition of achieving imperial immediacy as Lübeck had done in 1226, the strategic location of Rostock provoked the envy of its rivals. Danes and Swedes occupied the city twice, first during the Thirty Years War, later, the French, under Napoleon, occupied the town for about a decade until 1813. In nearby Lübeck-Ratekau, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who was born in Rostock and this was only after furious street fighting in the Battle of Lübeck, in which he led some of the cavalry charges himself
Rostock
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Hanseatic City of Rostock with
St. Mary's Church
Rostock
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Warnemünde, Baltic seaside resort that is part of Rostock. The
Lighthouse and Teepott are its landmarks.
Rostock
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University of Rostock, one of the world's oldest universities, founded in 1419.
Rostock
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Rostock 1780-90
13.
Royal Flora Ratchaphruek
–
The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was a flower festival held 1 November 2006 to 31 January 2007 in the Thai city of Chiang Mai that drew 3,781,624 visitors. It was one of the celebrations being hosted by the Royal Thai Government in honor of King Bhumibol. The Ratchaphruek or golden shower tree is the de facto national flower of Thailand and its yellow blossoms correspond to Monday, the birthday of Bhumibol. It is also named Khun or Chaiyaphruek, the event was located on 80 hectares of land at the Royal Agricultural Research Center in the Mae Hia sub-district, Mueang district, Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand. The 92 days of the expo featured 30 international gardens reflecting nations such as Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Netherlands, South Africa, more than 2.5 million trees of 2,200 species of tropical plants and flowers were on display in this exhibition. The Association of International Horticultural Producers, gave this expo A1 status, such exhibitions occur only once a year throughout the world. In addition, a host country can hold one such exhibition once a decade. Ho Kham Royal Pavilion This building featured Lanna architecture, the style of northern Thailand, inside, visitors saw pictures of King Bhumibols works. Thai Tropical Garden The enormous 100, 000-square-meter garden showcased the diversity of tropical horticulture, fruit varieties, plants, flowers, herbs, expo Plaza This was the focus of the expositions fun-filled activities, amenities, and services. Visitors were able to purchase products from royal projects and authentic local products from Chiang Mai such as handicrafts, paper umbrellas, cultural shows A total of 45 cultural shows from various regions of Thailand were performed, including traditional music and dance. In addition, cultural performances from other nations were presented, the Thai government had expected an average of 20,000 visitors per day, with over 100,000 visitors on a crowded day, and 3 million visitors in total to attend the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006. At the expositions conclusion, organizers claimed that the exposition had injected 27 billion baht into the regional economy, the Thai government has proposed transforming the site of the exposition into a permanent training center. Despite some complaints of corruption and substandard facilities, organizers believed the exposition achieved its goals of promoting tourism, the park was open to the public in 2008 with many of the past highlights still very much in evidence, including the international exhibits. It is thought that it remain to stay open as a valued addition to things to do in Chiang Mai. The park receives around 500 visitors a day at the moment, mainly Thai
Royal Flora Ratchaphruek
–
Royal Pavilion
14.
Chiang Mai
–
Chiang Mai sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in Northern Thailand. It is 700 km north of Bangkok and is situated amongst the highest mountains in the country, the city sits astride the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River. Chiang Mai means new city and was so named because it became the new capital of the Lan Na kingdom when it was founded in 1296, succeeding Chiang Rai, the former capital founded in 1262. Chiang Mai gained prominence in the sphere in May 2006. Chiang Mai was one of three Thai cities contending for Thailands bid to host the World Expo 2020, ayutthaya, however, was the city ultimately chosen by the Thai Parliament to register for the international competition. Chiang Mai has positioned itself to become a Creative City and is considering applying for Creative City status with UNESCO, Chiang Mai was one of two tourist destinations in Thailand on TripAdvisors 2014 list of 25 Best Destinations in the World, where it stands at number 24. Chiang Mais historic importance is derived from its proximity to the Ping River. While officially the city of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 160,000, the Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of Chiang Mai Province. The city is subdivided into four wards, Nakhon Ping, Srivijaya, Mengrai, the first three are on the west bank of the Ping River, and Kawila is on the east bank. Nakhon Ping district comprises the part of the city. Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kawila consist of the west, south, the city center—within the city walls—is mostly within Srivijaya ward. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296 on the site of a city of the Lawa people called Wiang Nopburi. Chiang Mai succeeded Chiang Rai as the capital of the Lan Na kingdom, Pha Yu enlarged and fortified the city, and built Wat Phra Singh in honor of his father Kham Fu. The ruler was known as the chao, with the decline of the Lan Na Kingdom, the city lost importance and was occupied by the Burmese in 1556. Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1775 by an agreement with Chao Kavila, because of Burmese counterattacks, Chiang Mai was abandoned between 1776 and 1791. Lampang then served as the capital of what remained of Lan Na, Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading, and economic importance to its current status as the unofficial capital of Northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok. The modern municipality dates to a district that was created in 1915. It was upgraded to a municipality on 29 March 1935, as published in the Royal Gazette, first covering just 17.5 km2, the city was enlarged to 40.2 km2 on 5 April 1983
Chiang Mai
–
Wat Chiang Man, the oldest Buddhist temple in the city
Chiang Mai
–
Top left: East moat, Chiang Mai; top right: Chedi, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep; middle left: View from Doi Suthep of downtown Chiang Mai; middle right: Tha Phae Gate; bottom left: A songthaew shared taxi; bottom right: Wat Chiang Man
Chiang Mai
–
City wall, northwest corner
Chiang Mai
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Panorama, Chiang Mai during the rainy season, August 2014
15.
Aichi Prefecture
–
Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region and it is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area. Originally, the region was divided into the two provinces of Owari and Mikawa, after the Meiji Restoration, Owari and Mikawa were united into a single entity. Nagoya Prefecture was renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872, and was united with Nukata Prefecture on November 27 of the same year, the government of Aichi Prefecture is located in the Aichi Prefectural Government Office in Nagoya, which is the old capital of Owari. The Expo 2005 World Exposition was held in Seto and Nagakute, ayuchi is the original form of the name Aichi, and the Fujimae tidal flat is all that remains of the earlier Ayuchi-gata. It is now a protected area and it measures 106 km east to west and 94 km south to north and forms a major portion of the Nōbi Plain. With an area of 5,153.81 km2 it accounts for approximately 1. 36% of the surface area of Japan. The highest spot is Chausuyama at 1,415 m above sea level, due to its robust economy, for the period from October 2005 to October 2006, Aichi was the fastest growing prefecture in terms of population, beating Tokyo, at 7.4 per cent. Thirty-eight cities are located in Aichi Prefecture and these are the towns and villages in each district, Companies headquartered in Aichi include the following. Companies such as Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors, Pfizer, Sony, Suzuki, Bodycote, as of 2001, Aichi Prefectures population was 50. 03% male and 49. 97% female. 139,540 residents are of foreign nationality, the sports teams listed below are based in Aichi. Other popular sites in Aichi include the tour of the Toyota car factory in the city by the name, the monkey park in Inuyama, and the castles in Nagoya, Okazaki, Toyohashi. Most attractions are man-made destinations, dealing with the history or modern marvels. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Aichi travel guide from Wikivoyage Official website Aichi Now-Official Site for Tourism Aichi Aichi, HOME of the Samurai Spirit Oda, Nobunaga Tokugawa, Ieyasu
Aichi Prefecture
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Satellite photo of Mikawa Bay
Aichi Prefecture
–
Aichi Prefecture 愛知県
Aichi Prefecture
–
Nagoya
Aichi Prefecture
–
Inuyama
16.
Aichi
–
Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region and it is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area. Originally, the region was divided into the two provinces of Owari and Mikawa, after the Meiji Restoration, Owari and Mikawa were united into a single entity. Nagoya Prefecture was renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872, and was united with Nukata Prefecture on November 27 of the same year, the government of Aichi Prefecture is located in the Aichi Prefectural Government Office in Nagoya, which is the old capital of Owari. The Expo 2005 World Exposition was held in Seto and Nagakute, ayuchi is the original form of the name Aichi, and the Fujimae tidal flat is all that remains of the earlier Ayuchi-gata. It is now a protected area and it measures 106 km east to west and 94 km south to north and forms a major portion of the Nōbi Plain. With an area of 5,153.81 km2 it accounts for approximately 1. 36% of the surface area of Japan. The highest spot is Chausuyama at 1,415 m above sea level, due to its robust economy, for the period from October 2005 to October 2006, Aichi was the fastest growing prefecture in terms of population, beating Tokyo, at 7.4 per cent. Thirty-eight cities are located in Aichi Prefecture and these are the towns and villages in each district, Companies headquartered in Aichi include the following. Companies such as Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors, Pfizer, Sony, Suzuki, Bodycote, as of 2001, Aichi Prefectures population was 50. 03% male and 49. 97% female. 139,540 residents are of foreign nationality, the sports teams listed below are based in Aichi. Other popular sites in Aichi include the tour of the Toyota car factory in the city by the name, the monkey park in Inuyama, and the castles in Nagoya, Okazaki, Toyohashi. Most attractions are man-made destinations, dealing with the history or modern marvels. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Aichi travel guide from Wikivoyage Official website Aichi Now-Official Site for Tourism Aichi Aichi, HOME of the Samurai Spirit Oda, Nobunaga Tokugawa, Ieyasu
Aichi
–
Satellite photo of Mikawa Bay
Aichi
–
Symbol of Aichi Prefecture
Aichi
–
Nagoya
Aichi
–
Inuyama
17.
Nagakute, Aichi
–
Nagakute is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2015, the city has an population of 57,764. The total area was 21.55 square kilometres, Nagakute is located the flatlands of central Aichi Prefecture, and is bordered by the metropolis of Nagoya to the west. Nagoya Toyota Seto Nisshin Owariasahi During the Sengoku period, the Battle of Komaki, during the Edo period area of modern Nagakute was part of the holdings of Owari Domain. Nagakute Village was established within Aichi District on May 10,1906 through the merger of the hamlets of Nagakute, Kamigō, Nagakute was elevated to town status on April 1,1971. Expo 2005 was a major boost to the economy, and led to the construction of the Linimo. Nagakute was elevated to city status on January 4,2012
Nagakute, Aichi
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Site of Expo 2005
Nagakute, Aichi
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Seal
Nagakute, Aichi
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Iroganeyama Historical park
18.
Gondola lift
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A gondola lift, as opposed to a cable car, is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor. They are often considered continuous systems since they feature a haul rope which moves and circulates around two terminal stations. Depending on the combination of cables used for support and/or haulage and the type of grip, the capacity, cost, because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alpine regions of Europe, the French language name of Télécabine is also used in an English language context. Gondola lifts should not be confused with cable cars or the US aerial tramways as the latter solely operates with fixed grips and simply shuttles back and forth between two end terminals. In some systems the passenger cabins, which can hold between two and 8 people, are connected to the cable by means of spring-loaded grips. These grips allow the cabin to be detached from the cable and slowed down in the terminals, to allow passengers to board. Doors are almost always automatic and controlled by a lever on the roof or on the undercarriage that is pushed up or down, cabins are driven through the terminals either by rotating tires, or by a chain system. To be accelerated to and decelerated from line speed, cabins are driven along by progressively swifter rotating tires until they reach line or terminal speed, on older installations, gondolas are accelerated manually by an operator. Gondola lifts can have intermediate stops that allow for uploading and downloading on the lift, examples of a lift with three stops instead of the standard two are the Village Gondola and the Excalibur Gondolas at Whistler Blackcomb. In 1986, Doppelmayr built the worlds first eight-passenger gondola at Steamboat Ski Resort, such a system is called Pulse Cabin because usually more than one cabin are loaded at a time before the trip begins. Another type of lift is the bi-cable gondola, which has one other stationary cable, besides the main haul rope. One of the famous examples of this type of lift include the Ngong Ping Cable Car in Hong Kong, the Singapore Cable Car. This system has the advantage that the stationary cables strength and properties can be tailored to each span, there are also tri-cable gondolas that have two stationary cables that support the cabins. They differ from cable cars in that the latter consist only of one or two usually larger cabins, moving up and down, not circulating, bi and tri cable systems provide greater lateral stability allowing the system to operate in higher cross-winds. Open-air gondolas, or cabriolet as commonly called, are uncommon and are quite primitive because they are exposed to the elements. Their cabins are usually hollow cylinder, open from chest height up, with a floor and they are usually used as village gondolas and for short distances
Gondola lift
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Genting Skyway in
Genting Highlands,
Malaysia.
Gondola lift
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London 's
Air Line over
River Thames
Gondola lift
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Metrocable gondola lift system in
Medellin,
Colombia. First gondola lift used for
mass transportation purposes.
Gondola lift
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The téléphérique in
Jounieh,
Lebanon takes passenger to the
Our Lady of Lebanon shrine
19.
Seto, Aichi
–
Seto is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2015, the city had an population of 129,976. The total area was 111.61 square kilometres and it is located about 35 minutes from Nagoya by way of the Meitetsu Seto Line. Seto is located in the northern region of Aichi Prefecture. In English, the name of Seto translates to the place where the runs quickly. However, while there is a river in Seto, it is significantly large nor quick-moving. The city of Seto is famous for its pottery and ceramics, the main street along the river is lined with dozens of pottery shops. Every third Saturday and Sunday in September, there is a large pottery festival called Setomono Matsuri This festival attracts about 20,000 visitors from around Japan. Aichi Prefecture Moriyama-ku, Nagoya Kasugai Owariasahi Toyota Nagakute Gifu Prefecture Toki Tajimi During the Edo period, the area had been famous for its ceramics production since at least the Kamakura period. During the Meiji period, Seto village was organized in 1888, after annexing the neighboring village of Akatsu in 1925, Seto was raised to city status on October 1,1929. Much of the city was destroyed in 1945 during World War II, in the postwar period, the city grew as a bedroom community for Nagoya and as a tourist designation. On March 25,2005, Expo 2005 opened with its site being in Nagakute. The expo continued until September 25,2005
Seto, Aichi
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Jōkō-ji temple in Seto
Seto, Aichi
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Seal
Seto, Aichi
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City hall.
Seto, Aichi
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Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
20.
Toyota, Aichi
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Toyota is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2015, the city had an population of 420,076. The total area was 918.32 square kilometres and it is located about 35 minutes from Nagoya by way of the Meitetsu Toyota Line. Several of Toyota Motor Corporations manufacturing plants, including the Tsutsumi plant, are located here, the longstanding ties between the Toyota Motor Corporation and the town of Toyota-shi, formerly known as Koromo, gave the town its current name. Toyota is located in north-central Aichi Prefecture, and is the largest city in the prefecture in terms of area, the city area is mountainous to the north, with peaks averaging around 1000 meters in height along its northern border with Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. Much of the northern portion of the city is within the Aichi Kōgen Quasi-National Park. The central and southern portions of the city have rolling hills, Toyota is within a one-hour drive of Nagoya. In early proto-historic times, the area was under the control of the Mononobe clan, the local place name “Koromo” is mentioned in the Kojiki and other early Japanese documents. The village of “Tokugawa”, from which Tokugawa Ieyasu took his name, was located within what is now the city of Toyota. After the Meiji restoration, the area was organized into the towns of Asuke and Koromo and numerous villages under Higashikamo District, the area was a major producer of silk and prospered from the Meiji period through the Taishō periods. As the demand for raw silk declined in Japan and abroad, the decline encouraged Kiichiro Toyoda, cousin of Eiji Toyoda, to look for alternatives to the familys automatic loom manufacturing business. The search led to the founding of what became the Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota built the first manufacturing facility, known as Toyota Honsha plant in November 1938, breaking ground in December 1935. On March 1,1951, Koromo gained city status, due to the fame and economic importance of its major employer, the city of Koromo changed its name to Toyota on January 1,1959. Toyota became a city with Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1960. It continued to expand by annexing the towns of Kamigo on March 1,1964, and Takaoka on September 1,1965, and Sanage on April 1,1967, as well as the village of Matsudaira on April 1,1970. In 1979 the Nagoya Railroad opened the Toyota New Line, and in 1988, The Aichi Loop Line was opened, Toyota became a Core City in 1998, with increased local autonomy. On March 25,2005, Expo 2005 opened with its site in Nagakute and additional activity in Seto. The Expo continued until September 25,2005, on April 1,2005, Toyota absorbed the town of Fujioka, the village of Obara, the towns of Asuke, Asahi and Inabu, and the village of Shimoyama to create the new and expanded city of Toyota
Toyota, Aichi
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Toyota Stadium
Toyota, Aichi
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Toyota City Hall
Toyota, Aichi
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Principal headquarters building of
Toyota
Toyota, Aichi
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Koran Valley
21.
Nagoya Subway
–
The Nagoya Municipal Subway is a subway system in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The subway system covers 93.3 kilometers of route, serving 87 stations, like other large Japanese cities, Greater Nagoyas subways are heavily complemented by suburban rail, forming an extensive network of 47 lines rivaling cities such as New York City and London. The Nagoya Municipal Subway represents 38% of Greater Nagoyas total rail ridership of 3 million passengers a day and it is operated by Transportation Bureau City of Nagoya. It has six lines, and approximately 90% of the track length is underground. In 2002, the system introduced Hatchii as its official character, tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines in stations. An integrated ticketing system, Tranpass, was available, which could also be used at all municipal subway stations. On February 11,2011, a fare card called Manaca was introduced to replace Tranpass. net
Nagoya Subway
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Platform of Shiyakusho Station
Nagoya Subway
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Nagoya Municipal Subway Logo
Nagoya Subway
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Entrance to Shiyakusho Station
Nagoya Subway
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Ticket gates
22.
Linimo
–
Linimo, formally the Aichi High-Speed Transit Tobu Kyuryo Line is a magnetic levitation train line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, near the city of Nagoya. While primarily built to serve the Expo 2005 fair site, the line now operates to serve the local community, Linimo is owned and operated by Aichi Rapid Transit Co. Ltd. and is the first commercial maglev in Japan to use the High Speed Surface Transport type technology. It is also the worlds first unmanned commercial urban maglev, the line has nine stations and is 8.9 kilometres long, with a minimum operating radius of 75 metres and a maximum gradient of 6%. The line uses Automatic train control and Automatic train operation, construction of the track cost ¥60 billion while the Linimo trains themselves, built by Nippon Sharyo, cost ¥40.5 billion. The construction cost came to roughly $65 million per km without rolling stock, the trains for the line were designed by the Chubu HSST Development Corporation, which also operates a test track in Nagoya. They were built by Nippon Sharyo, cost ¥40.5 billion, the trains are fixed 3-car train sets. The end cars are 14.0 metres long and the middle car 13.5 metres, the cars are 2.6 metres wide. The Mc car has a capacity of 34 seated and 46 standing, the cars have a semi-monocoque construction of welded aluminum, with two emergency doors at each car end and two 1, 200-millimetre doors per side. On March 19,2005 and again on March 24, the number of people inside the trains exceeded the capacity of 244 passengers. The line also has to be shut down for safety reasons when wind speed exceeds 25 m/s, a relatively common occurrence in the area. During the Expo, the line carried an average of 31,000 passengers per day, but ridership dropped to only 12,000 in the first six months after the Expo, and the line lost over ¥3 billion in 2006. While ridership gradually increased to 16,500 passengers per day in 2008, the line was later cancelled in 2007. Expo 2005 High Speed Surface Transport Official website The International Maglevboard
Linimo
–
Linimo train approaching Banpaku Kinen Koen, towards Fujigaoka Station
23.
Magnetic levitation train
–
Maglev is a transport method that uses magnetic levitation to move vehicles without making contact with the ground. With maglev, a vehicle travels along a guideway using magnets to create lift and propulsion, thereby reducing friction by a great extent and allowing very high speeds. In itself, maglev technology includes no moving parts, Maglev trains move more smoothly and more quietly than wheeled mass transit systems. The power needed for levitation is not a large percentage of its overall energy consumption, most goes to overcome drag. Maglev trains hold the record for trains. Compared to conventional trains, differences in construction affect the economics of maglev trains, for high-speed trains with wheels, wear and tear from friction from wheels on rails accelerates equipment wear and prevents high speeds. Conversely, maglev systems have much more expensive to construct. Despite decades of research and development, maglev systems are in operation in just three countries. In April 2004, Shanghais Transrapid system began commercial operations, in March 2005, Japan began operation of its relatively low-speed HSST Linimo line in time for the 2005 World Expo. In its first three months, the Linimo line carried over 10 million passengers, South Korea became the worlds fourth country to succeed in implementing maglev technology with the Incheon Airport Maglev beginning regular operation on February 3,2016. In Japan a new high speed line, the Chuo Shinkansen is planned to become operational in 2027. In the late 1940s, the British electrical engineer Eric Laithwaite and he became professor of heavy electrical engineering at Imperial College in 1964, where he continued his successful development of the linear motor. Since linear motors do not require physical contact between the vehicle and guideway, they became a fixture on advanced transportation systems in the 1960s and 70s. Laithwaite joined one such project, the hovercraft, although the project was cancelled in 1973. The linear motor was naturally suited to use with maglev systems as well, working at the British Rail Research Division in Derby, along with teams at several civil engineering firms, the transverse-flux system was developed into a working system. The first commercial maglev people mover was simply called MAGLEV and officially opened in 1984 near Birmingham and it operated on an elevated 600-metre section of monorail track between Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway station, running at speeds up to 42 km/h. The system was closed in 1995 due to reliability problems, High-speed transportation patents were granted to various inventors throughout the world. Early United States patents for a linear motor propelled train were awarded to German inventor Alfred Zehden, in 1907, another early electromagnetic transportation system was developed by F. S. Smith
Magnetic levitation train
–
SCMaglev test track in the
Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Magnetic levitation train
–
Transrapid 09 at the
Emsland test facility in Germany
Magnetic levitation train
–
The Birmingham International Maglev shuttle
Magnetic levitation train
–
Transrapid at the
Emsland test facility
24.
Hayao Miyazaki
–
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. Born in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Miyazaki began his career in 1963 when he joined Toei Animation. From there, Miyazaki worked as an in-between artist for Gullivers Travels Beyond the Moon, Hayao Miyazaki was also associated with Tokyo Movie Shinsha. He co-directed Lupin III with Isao Takahata, provided the screenplay and he continued to work in various roles in the animation industry with various studios until he directed his first feature film, The Castle of Cagliostro, a Lupin the Third story, released in 1979. After the success of his film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, he co-founded Studio Ghibli. While Miyazakis films have enjoyed both commercial and critical success in Japan, he remained largely unknown to the West until Miramax Films released Princess Mononoke in 1997. Miyazakis next film, Spirited Away, won Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards, Miyazakis films often contain recurrent themes, like humanitys relationship with nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. His films protagonists are often strong girls or young women, Miyazakis newest film The Wind Rises was released on July 20,2013 and screened internationally in February 2014. The film would go on to him his third American Academy Award nomination. Miyazaki announced on September 1,2013 that The Wind Rises would be his final feature-length movie, in November 2014, Miyazaki was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for his impact on animation and cinema. He is the second Japanese filmmaker to win this award, after Akira Kurosawa in 1990, in 2002, American film critic Roger Ebert suggested that Miyazaki may be the best animation filmmaker in history, praising the depth and artistry of his films. Miyazaki was born in the town of Akebono-cho in Bunkyō, Tokyo and his father was director of Miyazaki Airplane, which made rudders for A6M Zero fighter planes during World War II. During the war, when Miyazaki was only three old, the family evacuated to Utsunomiya and later to Kanuma in Tochigi Prefecture where the Miyazaki Airplane factory was located. For fifth grade, he went to the new Eifuku Elementary School, Miyazaki graduated from Eifuku and attended Omiya Junior High. During this time, Miyazakis mother suffered from tuberculosis and was bedridden from 1947 until 1955. She spent the first few years mostly in the hospital, but was able to be nursed from home. Miyazaki aspired to become an author from an early age. He read the stories in boys magazines and acknowledges the influences of creative artists of the medium, such as Tetsuji Fukushima, Soji Yamakawa
Hayao Miyazaki
–
Miyazaki at the 2008 Venice Film Festival
25.
My Neighbor Totoro
–
My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award and it also received the Special Award at the Blue Ribbon Awards in the same year. In 1989, Streamline Pictures produced a dub for use on transpacific flights by Japan Airlines. Troma Films, under their 50th St. Films banner, distributed the dub of the film co-produced by Jerry Beck and this dub was released on VHS and laserdisc in the United States by Fox Video in 1993 and on DVD in 2002. The rights to this dub expired in 2004 and so, was re-released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on March 7,2006 with a new dub cast. This version was released in Australia by Madman on March 15,2006. The movie and its character, Totoro, have become cultural icons. My Neighbor Totoro ranked 41st in Empire magazines The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema in 2010, a list of the greatest animated films compiled by Terry Gilliam in Time Out ranked the film number 1. A similar list compiled by the editors of Time Out ranked the film number 3, the character made multiple cameo appearances in a number of Studio Ghibli films and video games and is recognized as one of the most popular characters in Japanese animation. Totoro was ranked 24th on IGNs top 25 anime characters, Satsuki and Mei find that the house is inhabited by tiny animated dust creatures called susuwatari –- small, dark, dust-like house spirits seen when moving from light to dark places. When the girls become comfortable in their new house and laugh with their father and it is implied that they are going to find another empty house –- their natural habitat. One day, Mei sees two white, rabbit-like ears in the grass and follows the ears under the house and she discovers two small spirits who lead her through a briar patch and into the hollow of a large camphor tree. She meets and befriends a larger version of the kind of spirit. She falls asleep atop the large totoro, but when Satsuki finds her, despite her many attempts, Mei is unable to show her family Totoros tree. Her father comforts her by telling her that this is the keeper of the forest, one rainy night, the girls are waiting for their fathers bus and grow worried when he doesnt arrive on the bus they expect him on. As they wait, Mei eventually falls asleep on Satsukis back and Totoro appears beside them and he only has a leaf on his head for protection against the rain, so Satsuki offers him the umbrella she had taken along for her father. Totoro is delighted at both the shelter and the sounds made upon it by falling raindrops, in return, he gives her a bundle of nuts and seeds. A bus-shaped giant cat halts at the stop, and Totoro boards it, shortly after, their fathers bus arrives
My Neighbor Totoro
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Japanese theatrical poster for My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro
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Satsuki and Mei's house (ja:サツキとメイの家) at the
Expo 2005 site.
My Neighbor Totoro
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Closeup view of Satsuki and Mei's house
My Neighbor Totoro
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Eoperipatus totoro – a
velvet worm from
Vietnam
26.
Honda
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Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, aircraft, motorcycles, and power equipment. Honda became the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer in 2001, Honda was the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in the world behind General Motors, Volkswagen Group, Toyota, Hyundai Motor Group, Ford, Nissan, and PSA Peugeot Citroën in 2011. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a luxury brand, Acura. Aside from their automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and they have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 HondaJet, which began production in 2012. Honda has three joint-ventures in China, in 2013, Honda invested about 5. 7% of its revenues in research and development. Also in 2013, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to be a net exporter from the United States, exporting 108,705 Honda and Acura models, throughout his life, Hondas founder, Soichiro Honda had an interest in automobiles. He worked as a mechanic at the Art Shokai garage, where he tuned cars, in 1937, with financing from his acquaintance Kato Shichirō, Honda founded Tōkai Seiki to make piston rings working out of the Art Shokai garage. After initial failures, Tōkai Seiki won a contract to supply piston rings to Toyota, Honda also aided the war effort by assisting other companies in automating the production of military aircraft propellers. The relationships Honda cultivated with personnel at Toyota, Nakajima Aircraft Company, with a staff of 12 men working in a 16 m2 shack, they built and sold improvised motorized bicycles, using a supply of 500 two-stroke 50 cc Tohatsu war surplus radio generator engines. When the engines ran out, Honda began building their own copy of the Tohatsu engine and this was the Honda A-Type, nicknamed the Bata Bata for the sound the engine made. In 1949, the Honda Technical Research Institute was liquidated for ¥1,000,000, or about US$5,000 today, at about the same time Honda hired engineer Kihachiro Kawashima, and Takeo Fujisawa who provided indispensable business and marketing expertise to complement Soichiro Hondas technical bent. The close partnership between Soichiro Honda and Fujisawa lasted until they stepped down together in October 1973, the first complete motorcycle, with both the frame and engine made by Honda, was the 1949 D-Type, the first Honda to go by the name Dream. Honda Motor Company grew in a time to become the worlds largest manufacturer of motorcycles by 1964. The first production automobile from Honda was the T360 mini pick-up truck, powered by a small 356-cc straight-4 gasoline engine, it was classified under the cheaper Kei car tax bracket. The first production car from Honda was the S500 sports car and its chain-driven rear wheels pointed to Hondas motorcycle origins. Over the next few decades, Honda worked to expand its line and expanded operations. In 1986, Honda introduced the successful Acura brand to the American market in an attempt to ground in the luxury vehicle market
Honda
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Honda Headquarters
Honda
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Honda headquarters building in
Minato, Tokyo
Honda
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2008
Honda Accord (USA-Canada)
Honda
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Ninth Generation
Honda Civic (Asian Version)
27.
Toyota Partner Robot
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The Toyota Partner Robots are a series of humanoid robots developed by Toyota. They debuted playing music on drums and trumpets at the 2005 World EXPO in Aichi, there are 5 robots in all, most of which have different movement systems. The 5 robots are, Version 1, Version 2, Version 3, Version 4, in July 2009, Toyota released a video of the running and standing skills of their partner robot. The robot reaches 7 km/hour, however walking and running can only be achieved on flat surfaces
Toyota Partner Robot
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The walking type playing the
trumpet.
Toyota Partner Robot
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The wire type.
Toyota Partner Robot
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The i-Foot.
Toyota Partner Robot
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TPR-ROBINA.
28.
Tree shaping
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Tree shaping uses living trees and other woody plants as the medium to create structures and art. Most artists use grafting to deliberately induce the inosculation of living trunks, branches, Tree shaping has been practiced for at least several hundred years, as demonstrated by the living root bridges built and maintained by the Khasi people of India. Early 20th century practitioners and artisans included banker John Krubsack, Axel Erlandson with his famous circus trees, contemporary designers include Pooktre artists Peter Cook and Becky Northey, arborsculpture artist Richard Reames, and furniture designer Dr Chris Cattle, who grows grownup furniture. Some species of trees exhibit a phenomenon known as inosculation. Trees exhibiting this behavior are called inosculate trees, the living root bridges of Cherrapunji, Laitkynsew, and Nongriat, in the present-day Meghalaya state of northeast India. These suspension bridges are handmade from the roots of living banyan fig trees. The pliable tree roots are gradually trained to grow across a gap, weaving in sticks, stones and this process can take up to fifteen years to complete. There are specimens spanning over 100 feet, some can hold up to the weight of 50 people, the useful lifespan of the bridges, once complete, is thought to be 500–600 years. They are naturally self-renewing and self-strengthening as the component roots grow thicker, Living trees were used to create garden houses in the Middle East, a practice which later spread to Europe. In Cobham, Kent there are accounts of a house that could hold 50 people. Pleaching is a used in the very old horticultural practice of hedge laying. Pleaching consists of first plashing living branches and twigs and then weaving them together to promote their inosculation and it is most commonly used to train trees into raised hedges, though other shapes are easily developed. Useful implementations include fences, lattices, roofs, and walls, some of the outcomes of pleaching can be considered an early form of what is known today as tree shaping. When the trees branches in this grid met those of neighboring trees, once the network of joints were of substantial size, builders laid planks across the grid, upon which they built huts to live in, thus keeping the human settlement safe in times of annual flooding. Wooden dancing platforms were built and the living tree branch grid bore the weight of the platform. In late medieval European gardens through the 18th century, pleached allées, there are various methods of shaping a tree. Some of these processes are still experimental, whereas others are still in the research stage and these methods use a variety of horticultural and arboricultural techniques to achieve an intended design. Chairs, tables, living spaces and art may be shaped from growing trees, some techniques used are unique to a particular practice, whereas other techniques are common to all, though the implementation may be for different reasons
Tree shaping
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Needle & Thread Tree by
Axel Erlandson
Tree shaping
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Artist Peter Cook seated in a living garden chair grown via the Pooktre method
Tree shaping
–
Living
root bridges in
Nongriat village,
Meghalaya
Tree shaping
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Chair created using
aeroponic root shaping
29.
Bob Rogers (designer)
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Bob Rogers is founder and chairman of BRC Imagination Arts, an experience design agency. In 1998 Newsweek magazine described him as the theme-park industrys resident futurist and he is on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bob Rogers began his involvement in themed entertainment in 1968 with the Walt Disney Company, in 1980, he co-wrote and co-produced the parody short film Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind. In 2010, Rogers was inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame, in his induction by IAAPA, Rogers company was referred to as one of the worlds leading creators of content-based visitor experiences for museums, cultural centers and theme parks. In 1984, Rogers was elected into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in 2014 he was elected to serve on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rogers is also a board member of Ryman Arts, a non-profit which provides recognition. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration invited Rogers to help develop its master plan for the exploration of Mars as part of their Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, in September 2002, Rogers was awarded one of NASA’s highest civilian honors, the NASA Public Service Medal. In 2009 Rogers received the Order of Lincoln Medal in recognition of his and BRCs work creating the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Newsweek has called him the industry’s resident futurist. Rogers is a writer and popular speaker on the subject of content-based themed entertainment and is recognized among industry peers and the press as an expert in his field. Rogers has been quoted and interviewed in a range of media such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, Fast Company, Popular Science. He has been a featured guest on National Public Radio’s program, in 2007 Rogers received the Thea Award for Lifetime Achievement. Each year one such award is given to an individual who is recognized, industry-wide, for their key contributions to the evolution of themed design, past recipients have included film innovator Don Iwerks and Walt Disney Imagineers Marty Sklar, Tony Baxter and John Hench. Rogers holds two patents in theater entertainment technologies and he is the inventor of the “Holavision” Theater, a special effect technique, which pairs live performances with “floating” aerial image illusions. In 2012, Rogers and BRC revealed plans for The Vomit Comet, history with Special Effects, Is it Museum or Haunted Mansion. Los Angeles Times Decker, John D, exhibition Reviews, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Strumming the Mystic Chords of Memory, with Smoke and Cannons, Museum Brings Lincoln to Life. Lincoln’s Spirit Lives in New Museum, the Real Lincoln – Special Report. Empire State Building to Update it’s Tourist Experience, when the Factory is a Theme Park, Business Week
Bob Rogers (designer)
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Bob Rogers interacts with a ghostly Abraham Lincoln.
30.
Yoshiki (musician)
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Yoshiki Hayashi, better known by his stage name Yoshiki, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He achieved international fame as the leader and a co-founder of the metal band X Japan, for which he is the drummer, pianist. The band achieved success in the late 1980s, besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label. The group is credited as one of the pioneers of the visual kei movement. Though the band disbanded in 1997, they reunited in 2007, in 2000 and 2007, Yoshiki formed his solo musical project Violet UK and the Japanese rock supergroup S. K. I. N. Yoshikis solo career includes two classical studio albums—Eternal Melody, produced by George Martin and Eternal Melody II —and the classical compilation Yoshiki Classical and he has collaborated and played with Tetsuya Komuro and Roger Taylor. In 1999, at the request of the Japanese government, he composed and performed a song at a celebration in honor of the tenth anniversary of Emperor Akihitos enthronement. For the 69th Golden Globe Awards, the original musical theme was composed by Yoshiki and became available for digital download on iTunes. Yoshiki was born on November 20,1965 in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Japan and his father was a tap dancer and jazz pianist, his mother played the shamisen, while his aunt played the koto. He began taking lessons and music theory at age four. He then became interested in works by Ludwig van Beethoven. In elementary school, he played the trumpet in the brass band and this period was a decisive point in his life. He was 11 years old when his father committed suicide, he found relief in rock music, after discovering the music of American hard rock band Kiss, he started learning to play drums and guitar. Yoshiki was also influenced by works from Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Queen, The Beatles, Charged GBH, soon with his childhood friend Toshi formed a band called Dynamite in 1977. Dynamite changed its name to Noise a year later, when Noise disbanded in 1982, Yoshiki and Toshi formed a new band, which they named X while they tried to think of another name, but the name stuck. In 1986, Yoshiki founded his own independent record label, Extasy Records, on December 26,1987, the band participated in an audition held by CBS/Sony which led to a recording contract in August of the following year. The bands breakthrough came in 1989 with the release of their second, and major debut, album Blue Blood, in 1990, the band received the Grand Prix New Artist of the Year award at the 4th Japan Gold Disc Awards. In 1991 they released their hit million-selling album Jealousy, and were the first Japanese metal band to perform in Japans largest indoor concert venue, the Tokyo Dome
Yoshiki (musician)
–
Yoshiki in 2014
Yoshiki (musician)
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Yoshiki playing the piano with X Japan at the concert in Brasil 2011, after the bands reunion in 2007.
Yoshiki (musician)
–
Yoshiki playing the piano at
the Grammy Museum in 2013.
Yoshiki (musician)
–
Yoshiki at his drum kit during a 2011 X Japan concert in
São Paulo.
Expo 2005 travel guide from Wikivoyage
