“Virtual Akihabara” and “Kanda Myojin Shrine High-Definition CG” will open in the spring of 2022 with the support of AKIBA Tourism Council and Dai Nippon Printing Chiyoda Ward, and with the official approval of Kanda Myojin.

-Promoting regional co-creation type XR town development by fusing real and virtual-

AKIBA Tourism Council * 1 is working with Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. to develop the Akihabara area as a regional co-creation type XR town development aimed at revitalizing the Akihabara area in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, with the aim of opening in the spring of 2022. To proceed.

AKIBA Tourism Council (CEO: Tomio Izumi) * 1 is a regional co-creation type that aims to revitalize the Akihabara area in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, with the aim of opening in the spring of 2022, together with Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. We will promote the development of the Akihabara area as an XR town development.
XR (Extended Reality) is a general term for AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), etc. We are promoting the XR communication business * 2 that creates new value in the region by developing virtual towns and facilities that are parallel to the town of. This time, the AKIBA Tourism Council, together with DNP, will provide various services both domestically and internationally through a virtual space linked to the real city of Akihabara. In addition to traditional Japanese culture, we will disseminate Japanese culture such as contents such as anime, comics, and games to revitalize the Akihabara region. In addition, we will establish the "Virtual Akihabara" Committee as an organization to promote this activity, and will widely invite the participation of groups and companies.
■ Click here for the official website: http://www.virtual-akihabara.com

・ Image of "Virtual Akihabara" by Keigo Inoue

■ Click here for the preview video

[Background of "Virtual Akihabara" development]
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, where Akihabara is located, is the "AKIBA Safety and Security Project" and "Tourism Information" to realize "the easiest child-rearing and long-term care in Japan" and "a richer life in the environment, culture and sports". We are promoting various initiatives such as "enhancement of transmission / event functions" and "like sports Chiyoda". In addition, DNP is promoting an XR communication business that expands the value and functions of real areas and facilities through the fusion of real and virtual, provides consumers with new experience value, and leads to regional revitalization.
This time, the AKIBA Tourism Council and DNP will develop "Virtual Akihabara" with the image of the near future including Kanda Myojin, with the support of Chiyoda Ward and the official approval of Kanda Myojin, a famous place in the area. We will promote the revitalization of the Akihabara area and the creation of new communication through various initiatives that link real and virtual public spaces.

[Points of "Virtual Akihabara"]

1. Providing various safe and secure official services with the support of Chiyoda Ward and the official approval of Kanda Myojin
2. Providing new charm of Akihabara that fuses real and virtual to domestic and foreign users
3. Providing a world where fans around the world can touch "likes" and be happy with their friends by creating points of contact with content

We will build an "XR space" where reality and cyber feeling coexist for "Chuo-dori", the main street of Akihabara, and "Kanda Myojin", which has a culture and history of 1,300 years. Consumers can access this space with their smartphones or PCs, and through avatars, they can explore new towns and facilities with their friends, and participate in events and live concerts. Local governments and participating companies can sell various products and provide services, display content works by creators, and carry out sales promotion activities for consumers gathering from home and abroad. The distribution platform will be distributed via DNP "PARALLEL SITE" * 3 and DMM.com "Connect Chat" * 4. * Scheduled to be expanded in the future

Virtual Akihabara, Kanda Myojin's real space (under development)

[Comments from related parties]

■ Chiyoda City Tourism Association: Hiroyuki Matsumoto Managing Director / Secretary-General
Akihabara is a city with a history of major changes in business format in response to the demands of the world. And now it is one of the leading cultural centers in Japan, and its name is a city that is roaring all over the world. We hope that the "Virtual Akihabara" will shed new light on this Akihabara, further enhance the charm of Akihabara, and that more people will visit this area.

■ Kanda Shrine (Kanda Myojin): Yoshihiko Shimizu Miyaji
Myojin Kanda is loved by many as the god of Akihabara and the god of IT protection. In "Virtual Akihabara", you can see the high-definition CG of Kanda Myojin's nationally registered tangible cultural property shrine and many Ukiyoe paintings in the online museum, and people all over the world can see the new culture of Akihabara through the digital virtual space on the Internet. We sincerely hope that you will be exposed to the traditional culture of Kanda Myojin and will be a valuable opportunity to create new culture and promote exchanges between people.

■ AKIBA Tourism Council: Tomio Izumi, CEO
The AKIBA Tourism Council is promoting business with local businesses and governments under the concept of "taking the city and culture of Akihabara to the next stage with you." Through the efforts of "Virtual Akihabara", we would like to work together to become a place to solve the issues of Chiyoda Ward and Akihabara area, such as creating a safe and secure environment, reviving inbound tourism, and revitalizing e-sports. increase.

■ Virtual Akihabara Committee: Chairman Shusuke Kaga / Officer of AKIBA Tourism Council
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the efforts of the AKIBA Tourism Council and various collaborators to welcome us today. This project is open to various shops and companies inside and outside Akihabara, and we aim to expand it to the world as a metaverse infrastructure that can be used by all who love Akiba culture. There will be a lot of surprising news next year, so please look forward to it.

【the next deployment】
The AKIBA Tourism Council and DNP will strive to revitalize the "Virtual Akihabara" Committee. We will solicit participation from companies and organizations in this committee, deepen cooperation with each participant, and carry out various projects utilizing "Virtual Akihabara". We aim to further revitalize the region by increasing access to the Akihabara region in both real and virtual spaces.

[Various links]
・ Official website: https://www.virtual-akihabara.com
・ Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmudojeCPl1xbsgy05IFcDA
・ Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Virtual_Akiba
・ Official Instaragam: https://www.instagram.com/virtual_akiba/

* 1 About the AKIBA Tourism Council → https://organization.akihabara-japan.com/
* 2 Release of DNP's "Regional Co-creation XR Town Development PARALLEL CITY"
・ About "XR Communication Business" → https://www.dnp.co.jp/news/detail/10159352_1587.html
・ About "Shibuya Ward Miyashita Park Powered by PARALLEL SITE" → https://www.dnp.co.jp/news/detail/10161109_1587.html
・ About "PARALLEL SAPPORO KITA3JO" → https://www.dnp.co.jp/news/detail/10160809_1587.html
* 3 About DNP "PARALLEL SITE" → https://www.dnp.co.jp/biz/solution/products/detail/10159318_1567.html
* 4 About DMM / com "Connect Chat" → https://store.steampowered.com/app/1424930/Connect_Chat
* About Keigo Inoue → https://www.keigo-inoue.com/

* Company names and product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.
* The contents of the news release are as of the date of the announcement. Please note that it is subject to change without notice.

[Contact]
Virtual Akihabara Committee Secretariat
Chairman: To Kaga
TEL: 03-6206-0175
E-Mail: info@virtual-akihabara.com