Abstract
The reconstruction of urban areas following natural disasters and from wartime destruction experienced by modern Japan has frequently been spurred by the hosting of expositions. Osaka, which suffered catastrophic damage in the air raids of World War II, hosted a "Rehabilitation Exposition" in 1948 in the Yūhigaoka district of Tennōji-ku, an event that had great significance for the subsequent development of the city, including through tourism. The exposition featured 20 pavilions, including the Rehabilitation Pavilion, Tourism Pavilion, and Hygiene Pavilion. Eight of them were not temporary structures but designed as permanent buildings, which were sold to the city of Osaka following the exposition. The exposition helped advance the postwar reconstruction process, spearheading the physical rebuilding of the city and giving hope to residents who were emotionally decimated by wartime destruction.
