New UAE job, residency, first Ramadan – How UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka changed her life

At the UAE Pavilion during Expo 2025 Osaka, a vibrant group of Youth Ambassadors introduced visitors to Emirati culture. For 27-year-old Akari Okita, one of the Japanese team members, the experience proved life-changing. Months after the Expo, she arrived in the UAE – not as a visitor, but to begin a new chapter in Abu Dhabi. Fellow ambassador Takeru Hayashi, meanwhile, left with admiration and a promise to return.

For Okita, working as a Youth Ambassador at the UAE Pavilion was more than a professional assignment.

“It was not just a job experience, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that truly changed my life,” she said. “If I had not become a Youth Ambassador, I don’t think I would be living in the UAE today.”

After the Expo, Okita made the bold decision to relocate to the Emirates. Today, she works as a chef at a restaurant in a five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi – a move she describes as following “the natural flow of life.”

Since her university days, she has interacted with people from the Arab world, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. She had visited the UAE previously as a tourist and for Pavilion training. “In a way, it feels like returning to a second home,” she noted.

One of her biggest takeaways from representing the Pavilion was the deep sense of national pride among Emiratis.

“As I learned more about the UAE, I felt strongly that people here have great pride and love for their country, culture and traditions,” she said, crediting the vision of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the country’s leadership for shaping that spirit.
“Even as a foreigner, I have come to deeply respect and admire them.”

Four months into life in the UAE, Okita said she has not felt homesick.

“I honestly don’t feel like I am living abroad. Even though everything should be different from Japan, my mind somehow feels the same as when I was living there,” the new UAE resident reflected.

“The UAE is a very comfortable and welcoming place to live.”

Finding work was eased by contacts she already had in the country.

“Many people supported me before I secured my current position. I am truly grateful,” she said.

This Ramadan marks another milestone – her first in the UAE. Okita converted to Islam three years ago and recalled struggling physically during her first attempt at fasting. Now observing her second proper Ramadan while working in a professional kitchen, she admitted it comes with challenges.

“Since I work in a kitchen, I felt especially anxious about fasting. Thanks to the support of those around me, I am managing well. Still, there are moments when I accidentally forget I’m fasting and almost taste the food.”

For other expats hoping to build a life in the UAE, her advice is simple: trust your strengths, build networks and keep challenging yourself.

“It’s a country where people from diverse backgrounds pursue their dreams. The environment is full of opportunity.”

For fellow Youth Ambassador Takeru Hayashi, the UAE Pavilion at the Expo deepened an already existing connection with the UAE.

“It was an amazing experience that allowed me to deepen my knowledge about the country,” he said. Although he had lived in the UAE before, working at the Pavilion changed his perspective.

“Originally, I imagined the UAE simply as a very modern and developed country. But I learned that behind this development lies deep history and strong traditions.”

 Curious to see the country again after the Expo, Hayashi travelled to the UAE to reconnect with friends and experience it afresh. One symbolic moment stood out. At the Pavilion, ambassadors displayed red sand from the Emirates. He was amazed to find that the sand was “truly red”.

He draws parallels between Japan and the UAE, noting the warmth and hospitality of the people in both countries.

“I sometimes feel that the UAE is ‘hot’ not only because of the weather, but because of the warmth of its people,” he laughed.

His message to friends back home is enthusiastic: “Even if you don’t speak Arabic, it’s okay. There are many people from all over the world, and everyone is very kind. Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are great, but you should also visit the desert and the mosques. Karak tea is delicious, you must try it,” he added, with a promise to visit the UAE again.