A word of warning if you are planning to attend Expo Milano 2015: Bring water. The heat is punishing, there's not enough shade and you'll be doing a lot of lining up — at the entrance gates, waiting for the shuttle bus, at the food concessions and, as at any theme park, outside the most popular attractions.

Count the Japan pavilion as one of those. By mid-morning a queue has often formed along the pavilion's outside wall, giving visitors an extended opportunity to scrutinize, close-up, the 3-D crosshatched timber grid that forms the shell of architect Atsushi Kitagawara's distinctive design.

The wait, rarely less than an hour, is rewarded by one of the most impressive high-tech displays in the whole expo. You pass through a remarkable immersive projection-mapped space that creates the illusion of wading through lotus ponds, then gaze in wonder at a digital waterfall that reveals images and tidbits of information about Japanese food.