The basic aim of the travel to Japan was the visit to EXPO 2005.

The Expos that take place every five years are major events for the world where architecture has a leading role. The hosting country needs to show the world that its modern architecture is promising and pioneering.

The designs of the Expos Pavilions are usually a study case for future architecture designs and constructions methods.

Urban planning is also significant due to the need to host thousands of people, usually under extreme weather conditions, and to be environmentally friendly.

81 people from Greece, most of them architects and students of architecture, traveled for 13 days in Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo.

Japan is a completely different country. No other place in the world can be compared with the Japanese cities andthe Japanese way of life.

Kyoto is the most traditional city that we visited, well organized and preserved with significant contemporary projects designed by great architects.

Osaka is a large city, with certain significant contemporary projects but no interest as an urban environment or a place to live in.

Tokyo is probably the most exciting city in the world. It is huge, with unnumbered high rise buildgins. On the same time the scale of the urban environment is unique. Walking withing the city streets (that are unfortunately not regulary numbered, so it it true that you are lost in the translation..) you can find out a tiny house designed by an unknown architect that is a masterpiece! There are so many significant contemporary projects designed by great architects that you can never claim that you have experienced the whole city.. The bridges are a unique phenomenon. Bridges of any type and scale, crossing one another going almost 6 floors high. The transportation system is very good and extremely large.

Japanese people are very proud, smart, humble and workaholic.. No one stares at you in this country. They ignore strangers, like they are invisible or one of them..

Any architect, or human in general, cannot claim that has traveled around the world if he has not visited Japan..

It is a lifetime journey that must be done by all travelers!..