Virtual tourism in Japan connecting Tokyo and Kumamoto

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd carried out a virtual tourism event for tourists in Tokyo in early November. The company utilized IoA Virtual Teleportation ® Technology to connect Marunouchi, Tokyo with Kumamoto, through a series of simulations, activities, and events.

Tourism is a growing industry in Japan. However, there are a disproportionate number of tourists visiting cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto, as opposed to the less popular cities of Japan, such as Kumamoto or Aoyama. Virtual tourism may overcome this issue.

So, what exactly is IoA? IoA stands for the Internet of Abilities. It is a field of study by Professor Junichi Rekimoto from the University of Tokyo. It looks into the augmentation of human abilities through the integration of humans with digital technology and AI.

The theme for this year’s virtual tourism event is Food from Japan. It was held at NIPPON GALLERY TABIDO MARUNOUCHI, a co-creation and communication space to promote tourism and regional revitalization in Japan. A series of activities were organized using IoA technology. Visitors could appreciate the spectacular views of Fukuda Farm’s mountains and sea that were shared through an HD 4K screen. There was also IoA Neck for remote tourism, where visitors could use to communicate with Kumamoto citizens. This real-time activity allowed tourists at Marunouchi to interact with the locals, tour the city together, learn about their culture, and even experience Mikan fruit picking with them! After all the virtual goodness, visitors were encouraged to visit the JAPAN HARVEST 2019 Marunouchi Farm Fair to taste and shop for local Kumamoto products such as Mikan juice.

In the future, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd plans to explore a wider range of themes such as traditional arts, crafts, culture, and nature, for their events. They also plan to extend their promotional activities to international tourists. By doing so, they hope to spread the charm and beauty of Japanese culture to the rest of the world. A deeper understanding of the culture of Japan would aid in the efforts toward regional revitalization.