VR Guide Lets Visitors See Lost Scenes at Kofukuji Temple; Tourists Can Use Smartphones to View Original Architecture of Nara Pref. Complex
13:00 JST, October 27, 2024
NARA — A service called the “Kohfukuji Temple Visual Guide” has been launched at Kofukuji Temple in Nara, allowing visitors to enjoy a high-definition virtual reality (VR) reproduction of the temple complex on their smartphones.
Currently, the temple’s five-story pagoda, a national treasure, is undergoing its first major repairs in 120 years and is covered in scaffolding, blocking it from view. The VR guide shows what the five-story pagoda looked like before the current work began, as well as what the temple complex looked like when it was first established.
When visitors use their smartphones to scan QR codes on signs at four locations on the temple grounds and input certain keywords, the VR images appear, along with explanations of the history and highlights of the temple complex.
The signs are located in front of the Southern Round Hall (an Important Cultural Property), at the entrance to the north approach to the complex, in front of the administrative quarters, and on the paved path in front of the National Treasure Hall.
The visual guide recreates sights that can no longer seen, such as the Southern Great Gate, of which only the reconstructed base remains, and the three-story pagoda, another national treasure, which was rebuilt in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and has now lost most of the brilliantly colored patterns that were once painted inside.
Visitors can also use the guide’s augmented reality (AR) function to take commemorative photos with the five-story pagoda as it was before the repair work displayed in the background.
The service is available in Japanese and English. Tourists from Japan and abroad are already touring the temple grounds with their smartphones in hand, comparing the actual scenery with the VR images. A 55-year-old male office worker from Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, said: “The guide is easy to view and understand. I also got to see the pagoda even though it’s currently under construction.”
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
My Mother-in-Law Insists I Have Another Child
-
Cosplayers Enjoy Skiing, Snowboarding for Free at Ski Resort’s Opening Day on Mt. Fuji; Earliest Opening for Ski Resort This Season in Japan
-
Ukrainian Folk Dolls Tour Japan In Appeal For Peace; Last Show of 100 Motanka Opens Oct. 24 In Kamakura
-
Neko Pitcher
-
Bargain Sale Event for Nambu Tekki Iron Products Held in Iwate Prefecture; Over 2,000 Discounted Products on Sale
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Streaming Services Boost Anime Popularity Overseas; Former ‘Geeky’ Interest More Beloved Among Gen Z than 3 Major U.S. Sports
- G20 Sees Soft Landing for Global Economy; Leaders Pledge to Resist Protectionism as Trump Calls for Imported Goods Flat Tariff
- 2024 POLLS: Ruling Camp Likely to Win Lower House Majority
- Chinese Rights Lawyer’s Wife Seeks Support in Japan; Sophie Luo Calls for Beijing to Free Ding Jiaxi, Xu Zhiyong
- Chinese Social Media Still Full of Anti-Japanese Posts 1 Month After Boy’s Fatal Stabbing; Malicious Videos Gain Large Number of Views