One of Japan’s oldest museums offers VR visitor experience during coronavirus closure

From Friday exhibits at facilities of the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo were opened to 3D and virtual reality visits as museum curators look to keep people educated and entertained from the comfort of their homes amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The National Museum of Nature and Science, one of Japan’s oldest museums, closed its Japan Gallery and Global Gallery exhibition spaces, both in Ueno Park in Tokyo’s Taito Ward, in March as authorities in the Japanese capital ramped up efforts to tackle the outbreak of the new coronavirus. 

With Golden Week fast approaching and requests for people to stay indoors as much as possible remaining in place through May 6, museum curators have teamed up with the Tokyo-based Virtual Reality Innovation Organization to create a 3D / VR experience of the museum’s galleries for visitors to enjoy without leaving home. 

Via smartphone or PC screens visitors can tour all floors of both the museum’s Japan Gallery and Global Gallery, high-resolution images of which cover the entirety of the exhibition spaces and allow visitors to get close enough to read the exhibit explanations. On-screen options also enable visitors to switch between floor plan and doll house views for easier navigation. Floors can also be selected or skipped at the click of a mouse button, should a visitor not want to take the stairs!

Construction of the museum’s (now) Japan Gallery facility was completed in September 1931 in the shape of an airplane -- a symbol of the state-of-the-art technology of the early Showa Era, the period during which the building was constructed. Visitors to the facility today can trace the history and nature of the Japanese islands under the gallery’s theme of “The Environment on the Japanese Islands.” It’s here that they can ogle (on screen) the huge replica Futabasaurus, a large reptile believed to have lived in Japan. The museum’s Japan Gallery is also the final resting place, of a kind, for Japan’s most famous canine, Hachiko.

The (now) Global Gallery facility got its grand opening in 2004 and assumed its current moniker in 2006. The gallery is home to exhibits that explore the coevolution of the earth and its inhabitants. Sections here are bold enough to take on themes that include the history of the universe, life and humankind, covering nearly 14 billion years in the process. 

The 3D / VR experience of the National Museum of Nature and Science can be accessed via the museum’s homepage (Japanese). Visitors will need their headsets to enjoy the museum experience in VR (compatible with Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard). 

Established in 1877 the activities of the National Museum of Nature and Science center on the operational principles of research, collection, exhibition and education. As well as galleries in Ueno Park, the museum has facilities in Shirokanedai, Tokyo, and the city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture. 

The Virtual Reality Innovation Organization (VRIO) is an association of street view / drone photographers, VR web creators and others established in 2018 with the goal of spreading and supporting social contribution through VR.   

National Museum of Nature and Science homepage (Jp):  https://www.kahaku.go.jp/

Experience at home, Kahaku VR (site): https://www.kahaku.go.jp/VR/

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