Aichi Expo crowded on day before conclusion

About 34,500 people were lined up at the gates of the 2005 World Exposition in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture on Saturday when it opened in the morning, one day before it ends.

Other lines have already started forming as people are waiting to visit the expo before its six-month run ends on Sunday.

"I have visited the expo for five times since its public open in March. I entered the site as the third visitor on the first day, " said Yoriko Kuboda, 38, from Tokyo. "I also want to be among the first group of its last day visitors."

Saturday is the second day of a three-day weekend as Friday was a national holiday to mark the Autumn Equinox in Japan.

At some of the most popular corporate-sponsored pavilions, many of which showcased humanoid robots and advanced computer graphics, queues are expected to be as long as five to eight hours today.

According to a recent Kyodo News survey, almost three quarters, or 72.4 percent, of 29 major corporations and organizations involved in the event, felt that visitors had to wait in line too long to get into pavilions.

Source: Xinhua