Immersive mixed reality is at the vanguard of the entertainment industry, and Haneda Dejima in Ota Ward, Tokyo, is an artistic performance space that uses this cutting-edge technology to transport audiences to a parallel universe that melds the real and virtual worlds.
Visitors to Haneda Dejima don mixed reality (MR) headsets -- a step up from virtual reality (VR) devices -- and immerse themselves in a spectacular imagining of a hypothetical present-day Japan, a fantasy world of traditional Japanese beauty experienced via the latest projection mapping technology.
Sounds like fun, right? I had to check this out.
--Welcome to a new world
Haneda Dejima is located on the second floor of Haneda Innovation City, a newly built multipurpose complex adjacent to Haneda Airport, that is directly connected to the Tokyo Monorail and Keikyu's Tenkubashi Station.
The complex is scheduled to fully open in 2022, but meanwhile visitors can enjoy free footbaths with views of planes taking off and landing at the airport or relax at one of the restaurants that has recently opened along with Haneda Dejima.
At the entrance to Haneda Dejima, I was fitted with an MR headset -- a glasseslike gadget that allowed me to see both the real world and superimposed images. This was totally different from VR. Indeed, I saw lots of floating yellow lights that didn't actually exist. Then, a (real) performer dressed as a white fox led the audience through several rooms.
The 30-minute performance currently running is called "The Heart of Zipang," which began on Sept. 19. In the story, viewers travel through a Japan that never ended its isolation policy from the Edo period (1603-1867) that kept foreigners out of the country, and the goal is to restore social harmony from the rule of a wicked Red Empress.
Famous kabuki actor Ebizo Ichikawa collaborated with the director to create the performance.
Japanese castles, bamboo forests, matsuri festivals and other traditional Japanese motifs were projected on the walls as music played in the background. Goldfish and fireflies emerged from the bamboo forest, and a white fox passed in front of me. I reached out to touch them, but they weren't real. However, some of the pillars were real and I was careful not to bump into them. Then fireworks exploded above my head.
The line separating reality and illusion blurred, bewildering me.
During the first half of the performance I was immersed in the MR world, moving from one room to the next. For the latter half, I took off my headset and watched four performance artists dance and do acrobatics.
Most surprising was how close the performers and the audience were. The rooms don't have seats, so the audience can watch the dancers from anywhere alongside a wall. Eventually, the audience was invited to the center of the room, and the performers moved right in front of us. Such closeness made me feel one with the artists.
A former world champion break-dancer directed and composed the performance, with Ichikawa's input. A stylist of J-pop artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is in charge of the costumes, and the computer graphics were created with a team from Poland.
"I didn't imagine the novel coronavirus pandemic would actually put us in such a state of isolation," Yoshiaki Sawabe, 47, said with a smile. Sawabe is the president of Office 1-10, which operates Haneda Dejima.
"Everyone, including those who don't speak Japanese, can enjoy this performance because it's nonverbal. I hope it inspires people to become interested in Japanese culture at Haneda Airport, the gateway to Japan."
Advance tickets are 3,190 yen for high school students and older, 1,100 yen for ages 4 to junior high school students. For more information, visit https://dejima.1-10.com
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
