A Japanese monk (Left Photo) enters the Cambodian pavilion during a preview of the 2005 World Exposition in Nagakute, Aichi prefecture. The 185-day world expo will officially open March 25.

　　The 21st century’s first World Exposition opened in Japan with governments and companies showcasing technology and culture in a six-month event expected to draw 15 million visitors.

　　Humanoid robots walked, danced and played music alongside real humans who carried flags of 121 countries on a stage in Japan’s industrial heartland of Aichi some 250 kilometers (155 miles) west of Tokyo.

　　"I hope this exposition will become the starting point for us to think about coexistence of humans and nature," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told more than 2,000 invited guests at the forest park, which will open to the general public Friday.