Last week went to see World Expo. It was 5 years from the previous one. This one was in China and the one before was in Japan, so you might think it would be good opportunity to make some comparisons. Not really.

True, the Shanghai World Expo together with the Beijing Olympics two years ago is China presenting itself to the world as the new rising power just like Japan did at the time. Except that those events in Japan were 1964 for the Tokyo Olympics and 1970 for the Osaka Expo. The Nagoya Expo in 2005 was something different, more like an old lady making her last try to pass as energetic young girl. Or, actually, it was world's new global No.1 automaker Toyota showing it's rich enough to arrange its own World Expo, something Japan itself could not and would not do any more. No, Nagoya 2005 is not the comparison, it's Osaka 1970. In fact, Osaka Expo was such big event that it still stands as No.1 in all Expo history with its 70 million visitors, something that only Shanghai Expo will now probably beat.

As I did not attend Osaka Expo then 40 years ago, I cannot compare Shanghai with it. But I did attend Nagoya, so allow me to make at least two comparisons. First, I think Nagoya was somehow more attractive. The theme was "Living in harmony with nature" that strikes closer to what most of us think we should be trying to do these days, not just build more highways, larger bridges and higher skyscrapers. Shanghai theme is "Better life, better city" and from what I saw it seems China's ideal future society is a place full of concrete, highways and subways crossing each other in multiple layers between forest of high rise towers - with somehow trees growing and birds flying in between. It's the old "doken kokka" or construction nation that Japan used to be. By 2005 it was already over.

Secondly, think that Nagoya was as much about foreign countries like Finland trying to show their best to the local people as about Japan's huge corporate behemots trying to show to all their latest achievements in technology, often related to environmental concerns. There was a Japan (government) pavilion, too, but it had a laid back, slow life, "harmony with nature" message. In contrast, in Shanghai the huge red China pavilion dominates the Expo so overwhelmingly that there is less space and interest left for the foreign pavilions. Maybe that's why some of them I saw were not inspiring in the least, more like obligatory participation in "the market place that you have to be today". Meanwhile, the China pavilion seems to have been built only to impress the locals about the huge progress that the nation has made over the past 30 years or so under the Communist Party leadership. It certainly seemed to be performing well for this obvious purpose.

As for Finland pavilion, if my memory serves me well, the joint Nordic pavilion in Nagoya was more attractive, better planned and designed with better contents displayed in more imaginative way. In fact, the Finnish pavilion in Shanghai was rather poor in content as was a few other European pavilions that I saw. Maybe some of them were even paid by the organizers to be there - like North Korea was. Of course, as UPM man, must say the outside cover material of Finland's "Kirnu", my company's new ecowood material, made for a good environmentally friendly message. If only anybody knew it was such.

Instead of Expo, think the power of China and beauty of Shanghai came best out on river cruise we took in the evening on the river surrounded by the ever growing forest of high rise buildings that were all spectacularly lighted. Even the few shipyards and factories with cranes, that were left between the mansion and office towers were colorfully lighted. The old Peace Hotel had just been finished with its renovations and shone out with new green lighted roof, too. Must say this is something that we don't have in Tokyo - the old Sumida River is much better today than what it used to be but it's still light years behind, So are its old boats with loudspeaker drills that remind you more of kindergarten or army rather than tourist entertainment. In contrast the Shanghai cruise boat was big and brassy with great dinner and colorful entertainment to go with the scenery.

Still, coming back home to Tokyo I somehow felt that our crazy old city is after all more human like and human size. The highrises are more numerous every year but still far away from Shanghai in numbers, the Rainbow Bridge still gives a nice view of the city and once they open up the new runway and international terminal in Haneda, we have a really practical and comfortable airport to serve us. The space reserved by Mayor Ishihara for the new Olympic stadium in Toyosu was still wide empty and I started thinking that maybe we don't need those second Olympics in Tokyo after all. Sure we can do it as good as Rio or any other exotic city that will be chosen next but Japan has nothing to prove to the world any more. Even the second Expo in Nagoya was rather unnecessary after all, however well it was done.

As for the cruise ships, however spectacular that show boat in Shanghai was, think I'll go for the little old "yakatabune" again this summer. Come to think of it, it's long time ago. Maybe I can still book a seat in one for the Tokyo Bay hanabi. Watching fireworks in yukata, munching yakitori and drinking beer is somehow, well, more human.

PS. While in Expo got the news that Hatoayama-san read my previous column and decided to heed advice (joke, joke). Now we have a new government led by Kan, no surprise. What is surprising though is that new PM popularity immediately hit the same high level and so did the DPJ party itself. Seems that after all, Japanese people believe that DPJ is their true choice and they are not going to change from it any time soon. The July election will soon tell. Even more surprising is that we now have a minister originating from China (Taiwan). Think it will take some time before China will have a Japanese born minister there.

Needless to say if Kan had chosen Marutei Tsurunen as minister we Finns would have happily accepted a Japanese born minister in Helsinki. At least if it was not Ozawa or Kamei.