Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Shingo Kaneko) will open NIPPON GALLERY TABIDO MARUNOUCHI (NIPPON GALLERY), a new co-creation facility for disseminating information and creating value, on June 7, 2018. The facility will use leading-edge technologies to enable visitors to experience national treasures, cultural assets, historical sites, and tourism assets from every region of Japan.
Toppan intends to make use of NIPPON GALLERY to promote the appeal of Japanese culture globally in collaboration with government agencies, local governments, and tourism-related groups and businesses, and to contribute to regional revitalization and the establishment of Japan as a major tourist destination based on an increase in the number of foreign visitors to the country. Efforts will be focused on expanding related business to help achieve the Japanese government’s target of 60 million foreign visitors in 2030.
Background
As countries around the world implement various policies related to information, the preservation and utilization of cultural heritage, historical sites, and other culture-related information is garnering attention. The 2013 legal revision requiring the accessibility of digital archives of artifacts held at public cultural facilities in the EU is one notable example.
Japan boasts a history of more than 2,000 years and has 13,166 historical assets and sites designated as national treasures or important cultural properties (as of May 1, 2018). However, digital archives have not yet been created for many of these pieces of cultural heritage. In targeting an increase in foreign visitors through regional revitalization and the establishment of the country as a major tourist destination, Japan must not only address dining, accommodation, and other hospitality-related matters, but also explore ways to archive tangible and intangible cultural assets digitally and showcase them globally.
Toppan Printing has engaged in the development of Toppan VR since 1997, using virtual reality (VR) technology for the public display of digital archive data of cultural heritage. It has produced more than 50 pieces of VR content based on national treasures and other important cultural assets from Japan and overseas. In 2007, Toppan was prompt in developing and displaying ultra-high-definition 4K VR content, and in recent years has worked on next-generation VR technologies including 12K and head-mounted displays. The Toppan Group as a whole has been involved in the creation of over 350 pieces of content based on cultural and tourism assets from all over Japan.
Toppan has now brought together its experience and expertise to create NIPPON GALLERY as a facility for advancing the digital archiving of cultural content in Japan. It will contribute to regional revitalization and the establishment of Japan as a major tourist destination by promoting the appeal of Japanese culture to the world and facilitating a better understanding of it.
Objective of the establishment of NIPPON GALLERY TABIDO MARUNOUCHI
Toppan Printing will make use of the facility to co-create new businesses and projects.
(1) Through collaboration between industry, government, and academic institutions, an archive of cultural assets and tourism information will be created. This will be used to construct a database enabling the information to be provided globally.
(2) A high-definition LED wall, VR, 4K and 8K video, projection mapping, and other cutting-edge technologies will be used to enable digital experiences of cultural and tourism content from all over Japan.
(3) The facility will help shape the future of tourism and support the development of talent who will lead regional revitalization efforts.
About NIPPON GALLERY TABIDO MARUNOUCHI
As visitors enter the facility they are greeted by a 2.7 m by 10 m high-intensity, high-definition LED wall showing images of beautiful scenery from Japan. The area also includes a library containing photographic collections, books, and replicas related to the culture, tourism resources, and products specific to various regions of the country. Ultra-high-definition VR content is displayed on an 8K monitor installed on the bookshelf.
The Tourism Gallery presents ideas for tourism media that can be used in diverse regions of Japan. Information on tourism from all over the country has been consolidated into a database. Large digital signage enabling information to be searched and browsed, projection mapping, and other methods can be used to showcase the appeal of a region and make tourists want to visit it multiple times.
The VR Theater uses a three screen 4K curved display to provide visitors with a highly immersive and realistic experience of Japanese culture. Navigators guide viewers around virtual reality content based on Japanese cultural heritage while providing a live commentary.
This area presents the processes and digital archiving technologies employed to create the content shown in the VR Theater. It also shows how the techniques are applied for the production of high-quality replicas and other uses.
This room uses an 8K display comprised of sixteen 55-inch monitors to enable immersive, high-definition visual presentations of tangible and intangible tourism resources from all over Japan, including Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, areas of scenic beauty, natural heritage, traditional technologies, the techniques of masters, traditional arts, and more.
The Event Room is a space with a capacity of 100 people for seminars, symposiums, workshops, and a range of other events. It will be used as a base for exploring Japanese culture and creating new value for tourism content.
Overview of NIPPON GALLERY TABIDO MARUNOUCHI
| Name | NIPPON GALLERY TABIDO MARUNOUCHI |
|---|---|
| Location | 1F & 2F, Shin-Kokusai Building, 3-4-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Opening date | June 7, 2018 |
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* The information in this press release is current as of the date of publication and is subject to change without notice.