Virtual reality (VR) can put you in a location better than than most technologies. It’s why VR has been gaining popularity within the tourism industry for showcasing exotic destinations or luxury travelling. Most recently the Tokyo metropolitan government has opened a website and 360-degree VR movie channel in a bid to promote tourism attractions in the Tokyo and Tohoku, Chugoku and Shikoku regions.
Tokyo will be hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and in preparation for the event, as well as continued tourism promotion afterwards, the government has created several immersive sightseeing routes for visitors to see prior to arriving.
There are currently ten immersive 360-degree video available, split evenly between Spring and Summer categories. Videos for Spring include Full of Surprises, which looks at cuisine, and Boat Tours, which, you guessed it, are short clips of tours on boats. While for Summer there’s Summer Waters, all about relaxation and keep cool, and Fantastic Fireworks, showcasing some of the displays visitors will be able to see.
There will be more videos added for Autumn and Winter in the coming months, but to checkout the ones already up head to the website or YouTube. Find the 360-degree videos on the YouTube app for smartphones for a more immersive experience using a head-mounted display (HMD) such as Google Cardboard.
For all the latest VR news from around the world, keep reading VRFocus.