Japan had an anime film about water use traditions in that country, the best thing was that the screens could move and the end was kind of spectacular. After that there we some multimedia maps about droughts and floods in the world and an exhibition of Japanese photographers. Something else really cool was that the pavilion featured Morizo and Kikoro, the mascots from Aichi 2005, this gives continuity to the legacy of former expos and fosters a culture of its own in Expos.
Germany's highlight was a Disneyland-style ride, with boats taking you on a journey whose theme is water conservation. The germans achieved good by being able to build the ride within the prefabricated cubic modules. At the end there was a display with interactive stuff about the proper use of "Wasser"
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At an end of the national pavilions building, and with the theme "Somos Agua" (We are Water), there was the Mexican Pavilion. This pavilion was among the most alternative and innovative in the Expo, also it was one of the few with two floors. The idea was to break the traditional stereotypes and offer a modern image. So, there no sombreros or fiesta caliente.
The journey started with a roof screen showing the many natural beauties of Mexico. Then there was a tunnel with artistic projections that led to the main room, where multimedia stuff showcased a contemporary and progressive view of Mexico. There was also a Promexico Business Center and Contramar seafood restaurant. As an adtional fact, the opening day of the Expo was also the Day of Mexico, it featured the visit of Felipe Calderon (Mexican President) and singers from that country.
France had a relatively simple pavilion but with a highly attractive proposal. The façade was a collection of water themed pictures from all over the world. Inside there were some interactive displays and they offered water tasting (like with wines, but from different types of water). Another interesting point was some space dedicated to Midi - Pyrénées, the French department that borders Aragon, and some other French departments. This drew my attention because countries seldom give space to their own regions/states.
It's also worth mentioning:
Russia: They had one of the best documentaries of all shown in Expo, they talked about the fundamental nature of water and its omnipresence in our lives, mentioning even is mystic - religious side. Also, there was a children's simulator of a submarine and displays promoting the natural resources of the world's largest country.
United Arab Emirates: It began with computers showing pictures and doing trivia about this Gulf Monarchy. Its movie was worthy because it showed the big effort that Dubai has made to progress and the value of water within this process. Paradoxically, this is among the countries with the highest water consume levels globally.
Kuwait: Another of the Gulf Monarchies surprised by offering a well structured pavilion. Besides the regular displays, pictured down, there was a 3D simulator; it was a fun way to show their nature, heritage and proposals.
South Korea: The organizer of Expo 2012 decide to repeat the formula of Aichi 2005 and have an animated film as main attraction. The movie is very nice and besides, the pavilion had drum-shaped multimedia displays and a desk for the promotion of Korean literature.
Austria: They had one of the best graphic designs of the Expo, actually in the store they even sold stuff with the logo of the pavililion. The main attraction was a Walts performing show inside a giant bubble. As a matter of fact, I took part on it. The Austrian staff was very friendly.
Other pavilions worthy pointing out for their quality for showing a message were Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Mauritania and Lithuania. Countries like Portugal or Poland paid a lot of attention to their graphic design, particularly to their stamp. Actually, one of the main attractives is to buy the Expo passport and get all the stamps from the participant countries. There is even who take very personal the stamp thing and get them in the skin.
There were also countries with insipid pavilions offering only a handcraft flea market and a small food stand, like Yemen, Pakistan, Nepal or India.
The countries that "shined because of their absence" (I'm translating some idiom from Spanish) were US, Canada, UK and Australia.
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