Explore Tokyo Using the Metaverse and AR

Step into the metaverse to enjoy a new kind of tourism experience for Tokyo in the 21st century. The VR world “HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS” and the web app "TOKYO HUNT!” will help you plan your visit to Tokyo, and enhance your experience once you arrive. They allow you to make friends and interact with other visitors and locals, which will enrich your sightseeing experience and make your time in the capital even more enjoyable.

Making friends in Tokyo

HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS is a VR world based on the popular Roblox platform. It provides a space where people who are interested in Tokyo can connect and interact. Prospective visitors can make friends with local people who will be able to share their expertise about the capital.

Start your journey in the lobby of the TOKYO SKYTREE, with tutorials and "Tourist Spot Information" where you can learn more about the tourist attractions of Tokyo. You can also play a variety of games that will help you get to know the city. In ”Treasure Hunt,” for example, you can talk to a multitude of NPCs, who will help you with your missions, and share information and trivia about Tokyo.

The charm of Tokyo, as a city of both tradition and innovation, can be explored in a number of areas spread over different time periods.

The Modern Area is a virtual reproduction of various sightseeing areas and landmarks of the capital, including Tokyo Tower, Toyosu Market, Akihabara, and Odaiba Marine Park. Take a walk across Shibuya Scramble Crossing and hang out by the Hachiko Statue. There’s also a game called “Sushi Showdown” to enjoy.

The Edo Area, which opens in March, will allow you to step back in time into the bustling streets of Edo, and visit Edo Castle, the Nihonbashi area, Sensoji Temple, and an Edo-period playhouse. You will be able to dance in the “Bon Odori Zone,” and try to set a high score on the game "Edo Dash” with its multiplayer competitive obstacle course.

Further areas will open in the future.

Finding treasures in Tokyo

TOKYO HUNT! is a web app which you can use before and during your visit to Tokyo. It provides a new way to experience Tokyo that combines the real and virtual. An AR camera function allows you to take commemorative photos with various characters while sightseeing in Tokyo. AR will appear at various locations, including the Hachiko Statue in Shibuya, Hama-rikyu Gardens, Asakusa Kaminarimon Gate, and the sumo wrestler statue in Ryogoku.

More locations will be added in the future.

As you follow a map quest to visit designated checkpoints around the city, you can collect “emblems,” which can be used to obtain items in the VR world.

Note that Roblox supports English and Japanese (other languages are automatically translated), but the web app only supports English.

There are four recommended routes available, including one that takes in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government No.1 Building, Toyosu Market, Akihabara, and Shibuya.

HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS

TOKYO HUNT!