Virtual traveling services that utilize the latest technology are increasingly being launched, allowing people to feel as though they are traveling both domestically and abroad as many find it difficult to travel far from home this summer as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
First Airlines, located near Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo, is a facility where people can experience a simulated overseas trip. Visitors can sit in either first or business class seats and through virtual reality (VR) devices, enjoy sightseeing in places such as New York and Paris. A meal related to the selected trip is also served.
The facility, which opened in 2016, has garnered more attention recently, amid the pandemic. During a "tour to Italy" virtual trip in early August, eight people participated, visiting tourist spots such as the Colosseum and the Piazza di Spagna in Rome as well as parts of Venice.
The fee for the first-class flight was 6,580, yen and 5,980 yen for the business class flight.
"It's been so well-received because it's a fun way to experience feeling as though you were traveling. We'd like our guests to fully enjoy the trip through all five senses, with the inclusion of food and images," said Hiroaki Abe, president of the facility's operating company.
--'Traveling' from home
"We'll make your 1-1/2 hour trip a memorable one," said Saki Yamamoto, an online bus tour guide through the Zoom video conferencing system as he greeted the participants in late July. Participants responded with a round of applause creating an atmosphere similar to that of a real bus tour.
Organized by Kotohira Bus Co., based in Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture, 15 people from various parts of the nation, including Tokyo, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures, took part in the tour.
They took in a performance of "Iwami Kagura," a traditional performing art from the city of Hamada in Shimane Prefecture while tasting local sake and a local specialty fish cake called Akaten, which were sent to the participants beforehand. They also looked at some souvenirs through a live broadcast from the Michi-no-eki roadway rest stations.
"I've never enjoyed the feeling of traveling by bus for a long time," said Noriko Furukata, 55, one of the tour's participants from Nagasaki City.
The company, which began offering this tour in May, cites the ease and convenience of this service for its popularity, given that you can participate from anywhere. The tour fee is 4,980 yen.
For those unable to go to Yamagata Prefecture, JA Tendo Foods, the operating company of a shop that sells local agricultural products in Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture, offers virtual trips to the prefecture's Zao and Ginzan hot spring resorts featuring videos of the resorts and local products.
Once the trip's fee is paid, cheese from Zao, Yamagata Beef and bath salts that can create water with similar properties to the Zao and Ginzan hot springs will be delivered to your home. The package is priced at 13,000 yen.
"Once the coronavirus pandemic is under control, we hope that people will pay us a visit in person," said Seiichi Nishizuka, a proposer of the project, said.
In April, the Tokyo-based travel giant H.I.S. Co. launched tours utilizing Zoom that connect customers with foreign countries.
By the end of July, it had conducted over 500 tours, which included activities such as cooking classes with Italian guides and yoga classes in Hawaii.
"In a world where travel is difficult, consumers who want to feel as though they are traveling and businesses hoping to keep contact with consumers and increase their profits as much as possible have found common ground, and the number of programs available online has increased," said Yuki Nakao, a researcher at JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.
Another attraction of online trip products is that they are less expensive than actual travel. "I recommend looking around online and finding the place you want to go when you can actually travel at ease." she suggested.
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