There’s no need for social distancing in virtual reality. That’s why this year, Shibuya is hosting its Christmas celebration in cyberspace. Virtual Shibuya X’mas is part of the Shibuya 5G Entertainment Project, held in collaboration with Cluster, a Japanese social media platform and free app offering events on the web.
Until Friday December 25, those who have downloaded the app will be able to partake in events like lucky draws and tune in to Christmas DJ sets to get into the holiday spirit. Participation is free – and you won’t have to worry about spreading or contracting any viruses.
There’s a whole different side to Shibuya in virtual reality, where you could snap photos with anime characters in front of Hachiko or admire illumination displays strung along the virtual streets. There’s even a Christmas tree in the middle of Shibuya Crossing, which, at a height of 48.2 metres, is Japan’s tallest (on the World Wide Web, at least). As for presents, Santa Claus himself has sent a personal message from Finland explaining how presents will be sent through virtual reality this year.
If you happen across one of these gifts scattered around the neighbourhood, open it and you might just win a round trip to Finland! To enter, you’ll need to follow @shibuya5g on Twitter and post a picture of the gift with the hashtag ‘#サンタクロースからの贈り物’ between December 24 and 25. (Contest limited to users in Japan.)
May the odds be in your favour. Happy gift-hunting and Merry Christmas, wherever you are.
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