Hello everyone,
And welcome to the fourth issue of TÉKUNI, a newsletter about technology in Japan. You can read more about it here.
It has been brought to my attention that some of you may not find the meaning of the word TÉKUNI very intuitive, so here is a quick explanation!
Japan Quick Tech Update
It’s a time of big change for Japan, with Yoshihide Suga elected as country's first new prime minister in eight years.
While Suga intends to continue Abe’s policy on many fronts, the new PM is also planning big changes related to the tech industry.
Since he has started his mandate, Suga has already worked towards lowering mobile phone fees, and made clear his plan to digitise the government.
As far as today’s issue is concerned, however, the City of Tokyo has been working on a virtual reality experience based on the Tokyo Tower, and it looks quite interesting.
I’m not gonna lie, I am a sucker for VR, and I absolutely loved watching Tokyo from up above when I was in Japan. I remember thinking the city looked so different from London, so many more high buildings.
At any rate, I have spoken to Dave Dolan from Veative Labs about this, and more generally the VR scene in Japan.
Enjoy the interview.
👨💻 TÉKUNI Exclusive - Dave Dolan of Veative Labs
Dave has been teaching for thirty years in Japan, and after getting a Masters in TESOL and establishing an English school in 1993, his interest grew towards using technology to best serve the needs of students.
“I always looked outside the box for real solutions for real-world, educational needs, and brought that same approach to virtual reality.”
Originally from Canada and based in Shiga, today Dave is the Chief Product Officer for Veative Labs, ensuring that educational needs remain a focus within the company.
“I was part of the founding group of Veative, which started in 2016. Apart from being the CPO, I also handle business development in Asia, as well as other regions.”
Dave has been to Tokyo Tower twice, over the years. One around 1990, and then a couple of years ago with his kids, after renovations and the installation of the Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー).
Talking about his experience with virtual reality, Dave said he owns a number of headsets and regularly speaks on panels, webinars or at events about VR in education.
“I am very well-versed on all things VR, from a technical side to pedagogical.”
According to Veative’s CPO, virtual reality is still a nascent technology in Japan, but companies are increasingly starting to experiment more with the technology.
“It's a good sign. We have a couple of installations in universities here, for language learning, and that is just the beginning of something which will happen, and needs to happen.”
Dave also mentions KUFS (Kyoto Univ of Foreign Studies) as an outstanding example of an institution working on mixed reality projects for tourism.
“Eric Hawkinson is a real leader in this area and his students appear to be getting a lot out of it.”
Dave says Japan tends to be a slower, more conservative education market than others, but once it starts, he believes the country will be a very good market for VR.
“I think in other ways, such as gaming and entertainment, Japan is probably following the same path as most other countries. Unfortunately, there is a ceiling in those industries due to demand. It is a niche and faces challenges in becoming mainstream.”
Talking about the"Virtual Tokyo Tower" experience, Dave says it looks interesting, but he is a little leery about it.
“A representation of the tower 100 years into the future might be ‘cool’, but I wonder what segment of the market they are creating this for, and who, ultimately, will be the users of this app.
“Is this for tourists who want to see Tokyo from a different viewpoint? If there are three million annual visitors, how many would want a futuristic look at the tower? I fear that it will feel completely disconnected to that experience, and you would relegate yourself to a very small niche who would want to experience this.”
According to Dave, visitors to the tower want to see Tokyo as it is now, and then learn more about the tower's history, rather than its future.
“To me, it would be great to have different historical perspectives on life in Japan, around the tower, in different eras.
“If you could go back to prewar and postwar, that would be fascinating. Go back to Edo and other eras, that would be amazing! I am not a history buff, per se, but that would make me into one.”
Dave ends his interview mentioning the potential that virtual reality has as a technology, to let us dive into new, digital worlds.
“It is such a powerful tool for creating a sense of time and place that it seems almost wasteful (mottainai!) not to leverage that within an environment.”
For more information about the "Virtual Tokyo Tower” experience, you can follow this link here. What do you think about it?
❓ Want to find out more about the latest tech news in Japan?
🔗 Here is the newsletter’s link section:
Daikin gives drones a whirl to slash plant inspection times - Nikkei
Air purification tech to reduce airborne Covid-19 - The Japan Times
Revolut launches its financial app in Japan - Tech Crunch
NHK's 8K cameras to be used for Mars probe - NHK
SoftBank to sell chip firm Arm to Nvidia for $40 b - Kyodo
VR Simulation Keeps Hiroshima Memories Alive - NHK
Hitachi to drop plan to build nuclear plant in Britain - Kyodo
The tallest building in Japan will be completed in 2027 - TimeOut
Sony PS5 to launch Nov. 12 at about ¥40,000 and ¥50,000 - Reuters
Ushio launches world's 1st UV lamp safely killing coronavirus - Kyodo
Developing simultaneous interpretation software - Grape Japan
NEC facial recognition offers 99.9% accuracy with mask on - Nikkei
Amazon's Japan submits set of reforms to antitrust watchdog - Kyodo
Typhoon Haishen hammers southern Japan - Reuters
Space agency delays H3 rocket flight due to technical issues - Reuters
Shinjuku’s giant Yunika Vision close down - Sora News 24
More NTT Docomo e-money thefts confirmed - Kyodo
Tether cryptocurrency emerges as money laundering fears rise - Nikkei
Face recognition system introduced in criminal probes - The Mainichi
Govt. to study possible flaws in virus tracing app - NHK
Weather agency pulls ads from site - The Mainichi
Mitsubishi Motors to cut 500-600 jobs to reduce costs - Reuters
Manga "Ghost in the Shell," Noh merged through VR tech - Kyodo
New self-driving buses let you pay with your face - Sora News 24
Shinjuku hotel offers free room for an Instagram post - TimeOut
A chain of “welding theme parks” is opening in Japan - Sora News 24
Soon We Might Get to See Mars in 8K - Gizmodo
East Japan company creates app to improve speaking - The Mainichi
Shibuya Sky is getting a rooftop cinema - TimeOut
Japanese road signs change automatically in seconds - Sora News 24
Fukushima Daiichi workers use 'smart glasses' - NHK News
Considering moon-water-derived fuel for exploration in 2030s - Kyodo
Body structure of sunfish seen as way to build aircraft of future - Asahi
Gundam Factory Yokohama is opening on December 19 - TimeOut
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