Virtual Shibuya readies for launch with Ghost in the Shell event

Virtual Shibuya readies for launch with Ghost in the Shell event photo

Tokyo’s popular entertainment and commercial district Shibuya is set to go virtual in May welcoming visitors as avatars to an online opening event at its famous “scramble” crossing.

Online entertainment venue and digital content platform “Virtual Shibuya” is set to launch on May 19, offering what platform creators are calling the “Mirror World,” a digital twin to the Japanese capital’s pop cultural hub.

The platform comes out of the “Shibuya 5G Entertainment Project” which launched in January this year. Some 50 companies and organizations, including mobile carrier KDDI Corp. and the Shibuya City Tourism Association, are collaborating on the project which aims to explore the possibilities of the 5G wireless network to promote Shibuya as a creative and cultural hub.

“Virtual Shibuya” will allow would-be visitors to the city to enjoy the area’s culture from the comfort of their home, combining advanced technology and entertainment content to create a virtual event space which will host live performances, exhibitions and talk events.

Visitors at home will be able to move freely around the virtual event spaces in the form of avatars where they can interact with other event spectators via their smartphones, PCs and VR devices.

The platform will also enable visitors to explore the city’s digital twin by enjoying extended reality (XR) content such as art installations deployed in the same spot in both the real and virtual Shibuya. Confused? Don’t worry, you’re probably not the only one!

The opening of “Virtual Shibuya” kicks off with “Shibuya Ghost NIGHT” (#渋谷攻殻 NIGHT by au5G) an event which brings the world of the Netflix original anime series Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 to the iconic scramble crossing in the city’s digital twin.

Virtual Shibuya readies for launch with Ghost in the Shell event photo

Special guests set to appear as avatars at the opening event include DJ Love from Japanese pop group Sekai no Owari, entertainer and designer Chinatsu Wakatuski, and virtual YouTuber Ange Katrina. All are said to be fans of the Ghost in the Shell world and will gather at the crossing for a talk event based around Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 which is now available worldwide exclusively on Netflix.

The launch of “Virtual Shibuya” comes as the rate of daily infections of the new coronavirus in Japan continues to decrease, although Tokyo and seven other regions of the country remain in a state of emergency and restrictions continue for entertainment spots such as live houses and nightclubs.

“Due to the spread of the new coronavirus many people and businesses have been living with social and economic restraint. Real entertainment gives people the joy and motivation to live and enriches their daily lives,” said Shinko Osada from Future Design Shibuya, one of the companies involved in the Shibuya 5G project.

“As a city aiming to be a hub of creative culture, it’s significant that we continue to connect people to Shibuya and disseminate cultural activities at this time.”

Those wishing to join the virtual crowds at the opening event of “Virtual Shibuya” can do so via the Cluster app. The event will also be streamed on YouTube Live.

Platform creators are planning to offer “Virtual Shibuya” as an online venue for future events and plan to expand the platform to include more parts of the city.

“In these circumstances what we need are solutions and actions in keeping with the spirit of Shibuya,” said the city’s mayor, Ken Hasebe.

“It’s time to work together with various companies and people to do things that could not be achieved by the local government alone. The second Shibuya, this ‘Virtual Shibuya,’ I think has infinite possibilities.”

#渋谷攻殻 NIGHT by au5G will be held on May 19 from 19:00 to 19:45.

Join the event via cluster (Japanese): https://cluster.mu/e/bee95acc-5c7f-4ebb-b08a-606348747487

YouTube Live：https://youtu.be/MO7gqj2LEjs