San Franscico - Expo Osaka 1970
A cosmopolitan city of all races and cultures, San Francisco exemplifies the greatness of America.
Few visitors can ever forget their first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge, rising out of the mist, the exotic flavor of a walk through Chinatown, or the excitement of the colorful pier area. These and many other attractions have inspired the popular melancholy refrain, "I left my heart in San Francisco".
What sets San Francisco apart from any other city in the world are the trams that run up and down the sloping streets lined with Victorian houses and shops. In 1873, San Francisco became the first city in the world to operate trams for public transportation. Although overtaken today by the extensive use of automobiles and rapid transit, the trams, still in operation, have been immortalized as a national monument.
Honouring the relationship with its sister city that has flourished for over a decade between Osaka and America's famous "Gateway to the Orient", the pavilion complex translates into the city of San Francisco.
One of the picturesque buildings serves as a "terminal" for the fleet of legendary San Francisco trams that transport visitors free of charge through Expoland.
Inspired by the grandeur of the parks in front of San Francisco Bay, this group of buildings offers a variety of attractions that evoke the early history of California and the internationally renowned metropolis that is San Francisco.
In the San Francisco Pavilion, located in the northeast sector of Expoland, there is an art gallery, an exhibition of historic buildings and a tram waiting at the station. There is also a restaurant serving delicious food typical of sunny California.