They Said It With Flowers in Japan

By Awake! correspondent in Japan

EVER since the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, world’s fairs have always highlighted the progress of industry and technology. Nature, however, was center stage at the expo held in Osaka, Japan, through the past summer months. It reversed the trend and put flowers and greenery to the fore.

Featuring the theme “Coexistence Between Nature and Mankind,” the beautiful gardens on the grounds of the so-called Flower Expo testified to mankind’s potential to live in harmony with nature. At the same time, warnings were sounded of global environmental crises.

The grounds covered 350 acres [140 ha] and were divided into four sections around a central body of water named the Sea of Life. To the right of the main gate was the Mountain Area, with its rolling hills. The Field Area opened up to the left. Beyond the Field Area, roads led to the City Area, the site of various pavilions. The Magical Crossroads, an amusement park, lay at the far end of the grounds.

A leisurely walk through the Field Area, the Mountain Area, and the international gardens made us feel totally immersed in the flower aspect of the Expo. Fields of flowers of yellow, purple, lavender, and many other colors refreshed both the eyes and the spirit. Gentle breezes, scented by roses blooming in red, white, and yellow, added to the relaxed atmosphere. The quaint Valley of Flowers with its Japanese flavor gave its special touch. All of this indicates that men were made to live in gardenlike surroundings.

Wandering among the international gardens, our attention was drawn to Israel’s Bible Garden, which focused on old olive trees and stone walls. Displays of quotations from the Song of Solomon and other Bible books helped to recreate the atmosphere of a garden in Bible times.

Another display that brought to mind a Bible account was a dynamic demonstration of the parting of the waters of the Sea of Life. “Pumping 600 tons of water in four minutes makes it possible,” explained an official at the site. As the sea gradually opened up, six fountains of different designs danced to music accompanying the pageant. If human technology can accomplish this, surely the almighty Creator was able to part the Red Sea.​—Exodus 14:21-28.

High-Tech Pavilions

In spite of the long waiting time, large crowds were drawn to the exhibits in the many pavilions. One pavilion featured a “magic carpet” on which we were given a butterfly’s-eye view of the migratory path of a monarch butterfly. Seated on the “magic carpet,” a transparent plate of tempered glass, beautiful scenery unfolded beneath us. We felt as if we were flying with the monarch. When an alligator snapped at the butterfly, we too experienced the terror of escaping by the skin of our teeth.

Entering another pavilion, we were given a special pair of glasses to see a three-dimensional movie entitled The Last Buffalo. We could almost reach out and touch a grizzly bear catching a salmon, a cougar jumping toward a rock, and a pair of buffalo trying to protect their calf from enemies!

Rare Flowers and Unique Displays

Pavilions featuring gardens and greenery also attracted many visitors. The world’s largest flower, the rafflesia from Indonesia, was one such attraction. Measuring about 40 inches [1 m] across and weighing some 15 pounds [7 kg], this parasitic plant flourishes without roots or leaves. After thriving on the host for some 30 months, a grotesque flower blooms and lasts only four days.

In the Great Conservatory, a huge greenhouse, 15,000 plants of 2,600 species native to lands from the tropics to the polar regions were on display. A network of pipes, which heated or cooled the soil, and air curtains, which divided off the spaces, combined to maintain eight different climatic zones within the conservatory. With such technology, tropical plants and desert cacti, as well as Alpine plants like the rare Himalayan blue poppies, can bloom, serene and dignified.

Warning of Ecological Crises

As if deliberately to mar all the peace and beauty, warnings of ecological crises facing mankind today were seen throughout the grounds. For instance, messages and pictures with such titles as “Destruction of Ozone Layer,” “Global Warming,” “Acid Rain/​Acid Fog,” “Disappearance of Tropical Forests,” and “The Earth Is Becoming More Desertlike” were prominently displayed in the pavilions and gardens of the Japanese Government Garden.

What, though, is the cause of such ruination? “Humans​—Victims of Our Own Destruction,” a display at the exit of the Great Conservatory, indicted the culprit. “Men have sacrificed many of earth’s natural resources for their own profit. . . . As a result, we are now faced with the consequences of our actions.”

Even behind ecological crises that are thought to be the work of nature, we see the shadow of human hands. A plaque in the UN Peace Garden alerted us to the fact that desertification threatens one third of the earth’s land, affecting nearly a hundred countries. “Desertification may be accelerated by drought, but it is rarely caused by it,” it explained. “Major causes are man-made and can be controlled and cured by human action.”

Earth-Wide Gardenlike Home​—How?

The grounds on which the Flower Expo’s gardens and flower beds stood was once a garbage dump for Osaka. This testifies to man’s ability to change a wasteland into a paradise. However, even though many large corporations put on these beautiful shows, they are “being criticized for their environmental record in other parts of Japan and the rest of the world,” said Japan Quarterly. In fact, instead of using his talents and abilities to transform the earth into a paradise, man​—through his greed and selfishness—​is destroying the earth’s ecological balance.

Is there any hope for transforming the ruined earth into a paradise? The Bible provides hope with these words: “The wilderness and the waterless region will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron.” But how will this come about? Isaiah provides the answer: “There will be those who will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1, 2) Yes, under the rule of God’s Kingdom by Christ, human efforts to harmonize man’s progress with nature will have certain success. The earth will be transformed into a global paradise, to man’s eternal blessing and to God’s glory and praise.