![]() According to Cluster, Inc., park-based radio calisthenics are popular, too. ![]() I got a kick out of climbing to the top of the virtual Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza, Tokyo, a now defunct building.Įvents also take place in the metaverse, including live concerts and drinking parties. It was fun looking at buildings and cities from different angles. There are various metaverse spaces - including realms that re-create landscapes in Japan and overseas, and fantasy worlds created by users - but the office worker said he prefers places where he can spend time alone.Īs I’m also something of a loner, I think I understand how he feels. “I can travel vast distances with worrying about the time,” he said. One user, a 30-year-old office worker from Chiba Prefecture, said he started using the metaverse in March last year while staying home during the coronavirus pandemic. I could hear some talking, but most moved around alone in silence. ![]() I encountered a large number of avatars in the “lobby,” which serves as the entrance to the cluster. Using a microphone, I said “hello” to an avatar that moved past me, but it soon went away. After looking around for a while, I decided to relocate to a virtual Abeno Harukas in Osaka. I was able to my avatar around using the mouse and computer keys. Some 550,000 reportedly people visited the virtual crossing during a 16-day event in 2021 event titled “Halloween Fes.” However, when I logged in, I was the only presence there. I found myself - or rather, my avatar found itself - at the Shibuya scramble crossing in front of Shibuya Station. I downloaded the app to my PC, registered as a user and entered the free-to-use space.Īfter selecting an avatar, I clicked on an option offering a “virtual Shibuya.” Instantly, an image reproducing the streets of night-time Shibuya appeared on the screen. One way to do so is through a metaverse service platform called “cluster,” provided by Tokyo-based Cluster, Inc. Wearing special goggles is one way to participate in metaverse-based worlds, but computers and smartphones can be used for certain services, too. The term “metaverse” is a portmanteau of “meta” and “universe.” The concept of the metaverse first came to attention in American sci-fi writer Neil Stephenson’s 1992 novel “Snow Crash.” In the book, Stephenson describes a virtual realm where the protagonist wears virtual reality (VR) goggles in a “computer-generated universe.” The author writes, “In the lingo, this imaginary place is known as the Metaverse.” The Yomiuri ShimbunĪ virtual reality (VR) goggle Instant Osaka I recently dipped a tentative toe into this fascinating world, which I had heard about, but never encountered first-hand. The platforms’ virtual worlds allow users to wander around internet-based spaces such as towns or cities in the form of an avatar - or online alter ego - participate in events, and interact with others. Metaverse platforms are slowly but surely growing in popularity. The reporter visits a virtual Abeno Harukas in the metaverse.īy Keisuke Uranishi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
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