People at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka have beaten the heat in conventional ways or with the help of the latest technology as the city's temperature rose higher than usual for this time of year.



Blue skies prevailed over Osaka on Thursday, allowing sunshine to pour over the Expo venue on the artificial island of Yumeshima. The daytime high in the western city was 24.3 degrees Celsius.



Many visitors cooled off on benches shaded by the Grand Ring, which serves as a symbol of the Expo as the world's largest wooden architectural structure.



People also gathered at water stations to top up their bottles. Families with children rested under misting systems.



Guide staff at a private-sector pavilion donned vests with cutting-edge solar cells on the back.



The cells using a material called perovskite are thin and light. They produce electricity for running fans worn around guides' necks.



The cells were specially designed for the Expo to generate electricity even under cloudy skies or room lights.



A guide said the system kept her cool and comfortable, and that she does not need to worry about its battery life as the cells can generate power constantly. She added that she wants to pitch the technology to visitors.