By NAOYUKI MORI/ Staff Writer
July 12, 2022 at 08:00 JST
A 3-D CGI model of Himeji Castle, a World Heritage site (Provided by Hacosco Inc.)
HIMEJI, Hyogo Prefecture--Himeji Castle is undoubtedly one of the best preserved feudal era castles in Japan, but visitors rarely get the opportunity to explore the entire medieval complex.
But that has now been taken care of, courtesy of a Tokyo-based startup that worked with other companies to digitally recreate a highly realistic 3-D CGI virtual reality (VR) walk-through tour of the interior.
They had to piece together countless images to reconstruct the World Heritage site for an unprecedented immersive experience.
The World Cultural Heritage Himeji Castle VR is published online at (https://hacosco.com/himeji-castle_en/).
The exterior of the feudal fortress is recreated with 3-D CGI in intricate detail. Explanations for the main keep, gates and other structures are also provided.
Website visitors can explore the interior with the 360-degree Virtual Tour, which simulates walking around inside the castle up to the top floor of the main keep.
The digital tour also takes visitors to sections usually closed to the public.
The VR project was created by a production team of nearly 10 members led by Hacosco Inc., a Tokyo-based VR service provider.
The team used a drone, high-resolution cameras and a laser scanner in fall last year to capture images of the castle from all angles over a period of about two weeks.
After the images were put together, the members put the laser scanner to work to accurately measure the dimensions to recreate the castle more faithfully.
Founded in 2014, Hacosco has created VR versions of dozens of cultural properties across the country, including the Yodoko Guest House in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, which was designed by U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
“Our aim is to collaborate with municipal governments and travel agencies to encourage sightseeing businesses,” said Naotaka Fujii, the 56-year-old company president.
Takayoshi Doi, 52, an employee of Dentetsu Shoji Co.’s Kobe office who joined the production team, added that another goal was to help “young people learn the beauty of cultural properties through VR.”
Doi said the company would be happy if it served as a catalyst for out-of-towners to visit the prefecture.
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