HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS, an interactive portal for enjoying tourism in a large-scale virtual Tokyo Metaverse world on Roblox and in real life Tokyo, launches on February 15, 2024

New tourism experience intersects the virtual and real worlds; Survey of 3,000 Tokyo residents on their expectations of Tokyo appearing in the Metaverse space

TOKYO, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau have launched an interactive portal titled "HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS" that utilizes the Metaverse (a virtual space built on the Internet) and augmented reality (AR) technology. This portal aims to promote Tokyo's appeal as a tourist destination both in Japan and internationally, and to further increase the number of Tokyo enthusiasts.

Under the concept of "Let's make friends in Tokyo," an interactive portal "HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS" will be launched on February 15, 2024 to expand the circle of friends while enjoying sightseeing through games and AR photography in the Metaverse and the real city of Tokyo.
The Metaverse world on Roblox¹, the world's leading immersive platform, and the "TOKYO HUNT!" Web App, which allows users to enjoy real sightseeing in Tokyo, will enable them to enjoy the "sightseeing city of TOKYO".

Meet up in the Tokyo Metaverse
The Metaverse world is developed on Roblox which is available on Android/iOS and PC (Windows/Mac OS).

• The MODERN TOKYO is a cityscape of Tokyo based on iconic modern-day spots. Users can enjoy TREASURE HUNT, a treasure hunt activity scattered around the area, learn Tokyo trivia from various characters in the area and collect tourist information about Tokyo through noticeboards and information in the world.
• The MODERN TOKYO includes notable spots and landmarks representing today's Tokyo, such as Odaiba Area, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Station, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Nihonbashi and other popular tourist attractions.

To celebrate the release of the game, collaboration items with Tokyo Tourism Ambassadors, VTubers from hololive productions 'Sakura Miko, Mori Calliope and Gawr Gura', will be given away for a limited time. By completing the Quests held in the world, users will be the first to receive a 'hololive friends with u' plushie that can be attached to their Roblox avatar.

Web App brings Tokyo to life in person
The "TOKYO HUNT!" Web App transforms your smartphone into a gateway to explore Tokyo in an interactive way. Available alongside the launch, this app connects the virtual world of Roblox with the real streets of Tokyo. It features 9 special checkpoints throughout the city. By visiting these spots, you can collect 'Emblems'. Collecting three Emblems rewards you with a unique Roblox item. Plus, at four of these checkpoints, an augmented reality (AR) camera lets you capture photos with characters from "HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS." This blend of real-world exploration and virtual rewards offers a unique way to create and share memories of Tokyo, all through your smartphone.

Survey sums up tourism views of Tokyo residents
The release of the Tokyo's Current Sightseeing Spots 2024 survey coincides with the HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS launch. This Internet survey of 3,000 Tokyo residents aged 15-49 explores what they are proud of and want to see in the virtual world. It was conducted January 26 - 30, 2024.

In line with the project to recreate the city of Tokyo in a Metaverse space, we conducted a survey on "what people would expect if the city of Tokyo became a Metaverse space". The most popular response was "The city of Tokyo will be known to the world" at 38.0%, followed by "Knowing a side of Tokyo I didn't know (36.0%)" and "Connecting with the whole world (33.1%)," which matched the "HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS" concept. "HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS" allows users to share the charms of the city of Tokyo with people around the world while enjoying interaction with people from all over the world through the game.

We also conducted a survey asking, "If the city of Tokyo were to become a Metaverse space, what kind of interaction would you like to have with people from overseas." The results showed that a certain number of Tokyo residents would like to introduce Tokyo to people from overseas, with 31.4% saying they would like to "let people know about Japanese culture," as well as "show Tokyo to people from overseas (26.9%)" and "tell people about Tokyo in detail (24.3%). On the other hand, among 15-19 year olds, the main target group for this project, "to talk about common interests (38.2%)" and "to play games together (32.3%)" received high scores, indicating that they are interested in making friends globally and finding like-minded people.

This world offers a variety of functions and environments for users to make friends with people living in Japan and people from all over the world, introduce Japanese culture and guide them around Tokyo, and interact with each other. We hope that the interactions on "HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS" will help to promote Tokyo's appeal as a tourist city and foster Tokyo fans!

Check out the highlights of HELLO! TOKYO FRIENDS in this video!

Website: https://hellotokyofriends.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/

Promotional movie: https://youtu.be/LkDj9DNcPEM Full version

URL for downloading image material: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jmRoMfuNfHmxQ7K88nyqbx7bzQmdHo_r?usp=sharing

To experience the charms of Tokyo while interacting with other users through the Metaverse world, visit (URL：https://www.roblox.com/games/15015165959/HTF-Play）

To experience the Tokyo in the real world using the Web App, visit: (URL: https://hellotokyofriends-tokyohunt.jp/)

Visitors can enjoy the tourist city of Tokyo through the Metaverse world on Roblox, an immersive social platform with a vast global user base, and 'TOKYO HUNT!', a web app designed for smartphones. This app enables visitors to engage in in-person sightseeing in Tokyo. Using their smartphones with the 'TOKYO HUNT!' Web App, users worldwide will have the opportunity to explore Tokyo's attractions both virtually through Roblox and in real life, offering a comprehensive experience of the city.

¹ Access requires to download the Roblox App and register for an account.

Contact:
Chloe Walsh
[email protected]
Phone: +1 908-433-8170

SOURCE The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau

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