• nl Nederlands
  • en English
AVO Magazine - One click closer to Japan
  • Home
    • AVO Magazine, who?
    • About us (日本語)
    • About: 7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out
    • AVO Magazine Podcast
    • AVO Magazine presents
    • Join AVO Magazine’s Discord Server
    • Join the AVO Magazine team
    • Submit News to AVO Magazine
    • Support AVO Magazine
    • Contact
  • News
    • AVO Magazine
    • Music General
      • Curtain-raiser
      • Music News
      • Musical Snack
      • Weekly MV Roundup
    • Events
      • Convention and expo announcements
      • Exhibition announcements
      • Music Announcements
      • Other announcements
  • Reports
    • All
    • Anime Events
    • Japan Events
    • Music Events
    • Other Events
    © The 5.6.7.8's

    Live Report: The Garage Rock Queens The 5.6.7.8’s Return

    MELT-BANANA © A-ZAP Records

    Getting fruity with Melt-Banana at Rescue Rooms in Nottingham

    The group line-up during the European tour 2021 © NECRONOMIDOL

    Live Report: NECRONOMIDOL at Boston Music Room in London

    BRIDEAR ©︎ Zest

    Live Report: BRIDEAR & Season Of Ghosts at Camden Underworld in London

    © cali≠gari / 客室ノイローゼ

    Live Report: The 10.000 steps of cali≠gari

    JILUKA © DPR JAPAN

    The strong final event of first HYPER JAPAN ONLINE with JILUKA

    Detail poster ©K.Horikoshi/Shueisha, “MY HERO ACADEMIA” The “Ultra” Stage Project

    Does the 2.5D My Hero Academia Stage Play deliver a Plus Ultra Experience?

    Nano © HoriPro Inc

    No small amount of fun as Nano rock HYPER JAPAN ONLINE

    FAKY © avex music creative Inc.

    Nothing fake about FAKY at the HYPER JAPAN ONLINE Show

    Trending Tags

      • Anime Events
      • Japan Events
      • Music Events
      • Other Events
    • Reviews
      • All
      • Book Reviews
      • Film Reviews
      • Game Reviews
      • Music Reviews
      • Other Reviews
      • Product Reviews
      • Series Reviews
      Product Review: Pigeon – Microwave Shortcake

      Product Review: Pigeon – Microwave Shortcake

      Goodbye Eri/SAYONARA ERI © 2022 by Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA Inc.

      Should you say hello to “Goodbye, Eri”? — Bite-Sized Review(s)

      "Love Like the Falling Petals" © Toho Studios/Netflix

      Love Like the Falling Petals: Sakura, young love and drama

      Heterogeneous Andead © WormHoleDeath

      CD Review: Heterogeneous Andead – Chaotic Fragments

      2021 JUJUTSU KAISEN ZERO The Movie Project © Gege Akutami/Shueisha / TOHO Animation

      Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Is the prequel film a blessing or a curse?

      Product Review: Heart – Disney Princess Pudding

      CD cover for "Scarlet Holliday" - MONO

      CD Review: MONO – Scarlet Holliday

      BELLE © 2021 STUDIO CHIZU

      Is Belle a Beauty to Behold? A Film Review

      Product Review: Kracie – DokiDoki Slime

      Product Review: Kracie – DokiDoki Slime

      Trending Tags

        • Book Reviews
        • Series Reviews
        • Film Reviews
        • Game Reviews
        • Music Reviews
        • Product Reviews
        • Other Reviews
      • Interviews
        • All
        • Artists
        • Cosplayers
        • Musicians
        • Other
        The three members of ZEROSHIKI standing against a red shipping container © ZEROSHIKI

        AVO Magazine Interview: 6 questions for ZEROSHIKI

        From top left to right: Hideki (guitar), Reona (vocal/guitar) and Tenji (bass) © Dazedgarden

        AVO Magazine Interview: 6 questions for Dazedgarden

        © TRILL-DAN

        AVO Magazine Interview: 6 questions for TRILL-DAN

        © TEN-SIN (テンシン)

        AVO Magazine Interview: 6 questions for TEN-SIN

        © Get Your Genki Records

        AVO Interview: Catching up with Christian Preiss of Get Your Genki Records

        BRIDEAR ©︎ Zest

        AVO Magazine Interview with BRIDEAR: “The core of BRIDEAR is now felt more strongly than before”

        Re:O | Photography by Shay Lin

        AVO Interview: Let’s get acquainted with singer-songwriter Re:O

        Kai © Esprit D'Air | Photography by Alex Kie

        AVO Interview: From concept to stage with Kai from Esprit D’Air

        HIRΦNO KAMINOSE ©︎ Photography by Litchi

        Raising the curtain for HIRΦNO KAMINOSE

        Trending Tags

          • Artists
          • Cosplayers
          • Musicians
          • Other
        • Staff picks
        • Colophon
        • Contact
        No Result
        View All Result
        • nl Nederlands
        • en English
        No Result
        View All Result
        AVO Magazine - One click closer to Japan
        No Result
        View All Result
        Home Travel in Japan

        Visit Japan while staying at home with these virtual tours (Part 1)

        Francisca Hagen by Francisca Hagen
        19 December 2020
        Reading Time: 5 mins read
        A A
        0
        View on part of Tokyo | Photography by Lubomir Mihalik

        View on part of Tokyo | Photography by Lubomir Mihalik

        Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on RedditShare on LINE

        Missing Japan? With the current ongoing situation in mind, it might be taking a while before we will be able to visit the Land of Cherry Blossoms (again). But there is a solution, although it might become a source to strengthen the feeling of wanting to go to Japan.

        The existence of the Internet has broadened our view of the world, making it possible to travel the world digitally from the comfort of your own home. It is a wonderful thing to do, because it makes us better informed about the countries that we eventually want to visit. And with the growth of technology, it is at this moment even more interesting to surf around the Internet and pretends that we are really travelling around the world. A couple of virtual tours of different locations in Japan will be listed below. Get something to drink, a snack, sit down on a comfortable chair or bank, relax and let’s go on a virtual exploration of Japan. And the good thing is that these options are free!

        Enjoy the view from Tokyo Tower

        While still being the second tallest steel structure in Japan with almost 333 metres, Tokyo Tower, inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, is most likely high on the lists of those visiting Tokyo. The iconic tower is a communications and observation tower can be found in the Shiba-koen district of Minato in Tokyo and is the second-tallest structure in Japan.

        It seems that you don’t have to fly to Japan to visit Tokyo Tower. Google Arts & Culture has made it possible to let you digitally walk around on one of the floors of the tower and makes it possible to enjoy the view of the skyline of Tokyo. It is not the whole tower, but that can be saved for when you are able to visit Japan again! Want to learn more about Tokyo Tower, the official website of the tower made a Towerpedia with answers on several interesting questions. If you want to see more of the view, then you are in luck since the YouTube channel of Tokyo Tower will also offer you a livestream from the tower itself. Because the camera will be moved around from time to time, you will not see just one part of the view.

        Climb Mount Fuji from your seat

        The highest mountain of Japan with 3778 metres and still an active volcano, Mount Fuji, or called Fuji-san by the people in Japan itself, is a well-known location for hiking and is a sacred place for many as well. Mount Fuji has been an inspiration for many and can be found back in many artworks, such as the prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige, among many others. It is internationally seen as an icon of Japan and is since 2013 registered as a World Heritage site of UNESCO.

        Many more can be said about Mount Fuji. A special website makes it possible to let you look at Mount Fuji from all sides, by checking out the live feed from Fujisan Watcher. Choose from where you want to watch the live feed and hopefully you will be able to see the mountain in full view. If you have visited Japan before and have, for example, visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building on a clear day, you were able to see Mount Fuji. And this is the best tip that can be given for Fujisan Watcher as well. It is a website that should be visited at different times of the days. You can also hop on Google Maps to climb Mount Fuji virtually.

        Guess the city in Japan

        If you are more of a gaming type and like guessing games, it might be a nice idea to play the games City Guesser and City Guessin. Both have the same concept, after choosing Japan as the country, you will become part of a walk through a city or village and will be able to guess the location you are in. While you can guess on a map with City Guesser and you will see how far you are off with your guess, you have to be more specific with the actual name of the city and prefecture with City Guessin. And with the latter game, you will also see how long you needed to guess and keep track of your prefecture and city streak. This makes it more challenging and competitive, while City Guesser will give you a more relaxing option.

        Both games are heavily inspired on the game GeoGuessr where you have to guess the location on a map while you are on StreetView and can look for clues. The two video guessing games are more immersive since you are able to watch through the lens of the camera and can look around and also hear the (binaural) sounds of the city or villages. It really gives you a feeling that you are walking around yourself, especially since some of the videos have a duration of hours. So it gives you really a chance to sit back and relax while enjoying the surroundings. If you have been to Japan before, you might be able to recognise some places which make it more fun. The backside is that they are not guided tours, since you have to do some guesswork. But the challenge to find out where you are will be hopefully inviting enough to find out more of the location after piecing together the clues and guessing the right location. And if you are bored, you can also choose other locations and go worldwide. Fun games to spend hours with. Both are browser games and are free to use. Start the games up and you will get a full-screen (sometimes in 4K) video of a location in Japan.

        Reconstructing Shurijo Castle

        In collaboration with Okinawa Prefecture, Google published a special project on its online platform Arts & Culture in regards to Shurijo Castle. On 31 October 2019, Shurijo Castle, a World Heritage Site, got damaged by a fire which damaged a part of Japanese history, especially since it is a representation of Ryukyu culture. While the site will be rebuilt – there are plans to get it to rebuild by 2026 – a digital project has been started that shows photos, (360 º) videos and 3D reconstructed models of the main temple of Shurijo Castle, Seiden Temple.

        After collecting 80,000 photos a group of engineers, students and computer vision and VR researchers created a digital reconstruction of Shurijo Castle. Furthermore, you can explore the main hall of the castle and get informed about the situation after the fire of 2019. It is also possible to learn more about the history of Shurijo Castle which is just perfect for history lovers. And if that is not enough for you, you can also click through an exhibition about 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Okinawa. Shurijo Castle (also known as Shuri Castle) is a reconstructed former Ryukyu royal palace in Shuri, now a district in Naha, the current capital of Okinawa. In the past Shuri was the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Originally built in the late 1300s, Shurijo Castle played a very big role in the process of the island’s political unification. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, Shurijo Castle was almost completely destroyed.

        There are many more virtual tours to enjoy Japan, more will be shared in part 2, 3 and 4 of this virtual travel article series.

        Tags: explore JapanJapan travelVirtual Japan
        ADVERTISEMENT
        Francisca Hagen

        Francisca Hagen

        Started with AVO in 2003. Now active as a writer, reporter, reviewer, promoter, photographer, interviewer and presenter. Can be found regularly at conventions and concerts in the Netherlands and sometimes in Belgium. Big passion for Japan and music, can be made happy with coffee. (click on Soundcloud logo)

        Related Posts

        Anime Spring 2022: 10 titles to look forward to!
        Staff picks

        Anime Spring 2022: 10 titles to look forward to!

        by Yuki
        23 March 2022
        0

        Flowers are starting to bloom and every now and then there’s a butterfly fluttering by, spring is around the corner....

        Read more
        Anime Winter 2022: 10 titles to look forward to!

        Anime Winter 2022: 10 titles to look forward to!

        10 December 2021
        Anime Fall 2021: 10 titles to look forward to!

        Anime Fall 2021: 10 titles to look forward to!

        20 September 2021
        Hashima Island | Photography by Joey Meow

        Visit Japan while staying at home with these virtual tours (Part 3)

        23 June 2021
        Anime Summer 2021: 10 titles to look forward to!

        Anime Summer 2021: 10 titles to look forward to!

        21 June 2021
        Next Post
        Still from the song 騒音楽 (Sou Ongaku) by あるゆえ (aruyue)

        7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out (Week 51, 2020)

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

        This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

        Donate a digital coffee to keep AVO Magazine online
        ADVERTISEMENT
        Recipe: AVO Magazine’s 19th Birthday Japanese Cheesecakes

        Recipe: AVO Magazine’s 19th Birthday Japanese Cheesecakes

        16 May 2022
        Still from LINO LEIA's music video for "ランテルディ (L’INTERDIT)". The musician is standing on a red-coloured staircase, apparently a fire escape. She is searching for something.

        7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out (Week 19, 2022)

        15 May 2022
        Minami Deutsch © GuruGuru Brain | Photo by Kentaro Takahashi

        Minami Deutsch announce 2022 summer tour through Europe

        14 May 2022
        © The 5.6.7.8's

        Live Report: The Garage Rock Queens The 5.6.7.8’s Return

        12 May 2022
        Final Symphony © Merregnon Studios

        Final Symphony’s Final Fantasy concert back after 4 years – show in Birmingham announced

        12 May 2022
        ADVERTISEMENT
        Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Soundcloud Discord


        Online magazine since 2012. AVO Magazine is a Japan-related entertainment website with information about events in especially The Netherlands, Belgium and the rest of Europe. There is a big focus on Japanese music. Other contents we publish are reports, reviews, informative articles, and interviews. AVO Magazine originated from AVO Forum, started on 16 May 2003.

        Contact (Francisca Hagen): info[@]avo-magazine.nl

        Please do not use text and photos made by AVO Magazine without permission. An email is easily created. Let's support each other!

        Affiliates

        JPU Records

        1_General CDJapan

        Featured on

        HYPER JAPAN TV logo Lucydafirst - Crate Culture logo

        AVO Magazine Approved

        • Arlequin Photography
        • Get Your Genki
        • Idol is SHiT
        • Japan Jams
        • Japone Artists
        • The Sushi Times

        Join our Discord Server

        ©2003 - 2021 AVO Magazine - One Click Closer to Japan!
        *Donate to keep AVO Magazine online *

        No Result
        View All Result
        • AVO Magazine
          • AVO Magazine, who?
          • Join the AVO Magazine team
          • AVO Magazine presents
          • AVO Magazine Podcast
          • Join AVO Magazine’s Discord Server
          • Submit News to AVO Magazine
          • Support AVO Magazine
        • Japanese Music
          • Music News
            • Music Announcements
            • Musical Snack
          • Curtain-raiser
          • Weekly MV Roundup
            • Weekly MV Roundup
            • About: 7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out
          • Interviews Musicians
          • Music Reviews
          • Music Reports
        • Japan-related Events
          • Anime Events
          • Convention and expo announcements
          • Music Announcements
          • Other announcements
          • Reports
        • Japan-related Reviews
          • Book Reviews
          • Film Reviews
          • Game Reviews
          • Music Reviews
          • Other Reviews
          • Product Reviews
          • Series Reviews
        • Colophon
        • Contact
        This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.