A high presence traditional crafts experience system that combines multicultural architectural styles with Japanese culture

Abstract

Traditional crafts such as tategu (door and window fittings), kimono (clothes), and shikki (lacquerware) are regarded as important items for daily life in Japan; however, in recent years, the industry that manufactures and sells these products has experienced various problems and has continued to decline. Conversely, overseas demand for traditional crafts has been gradually increasing with the increase in foreign visitors to Japan in recent years. For these reasons, there is a need in the traditional crafts industry to provide information and promote traditional crafts to overseas customers. Accordingly, in this study, we implement a high presence traditional crafts experience system using virtual reality technology. Our proposed system provides users with a highly realistic virtual space experience using a head-mounted display and a data glove. In addition, multiple users can share the space via the network. Further, we consider the promotion of traditional crafts to overseas customers by combining multicultural architectural styles and Japanese culture.