Delivering a message, “coexistence with nature,” in the setting of a national park

Background of System Installation

Showcase the attractive features of the Lake Akan hot spring area

The immersive, multimedia experience, “KAMUY LUMINA – An Enchanted Night Walk at Lake Akan,” is created by Moment Factory and operated by Akan Adventure Tourism Corp. This company actively promotes adventure tourism and provides the experience of “nature x dissimilar culture x activity” by drawing on the rich natural surroundings of the Lake Akan hot spring area and the indigenous Ainu legend. The Lake Akan hot spring area is designated by the Japanese government as an important area for tourism promotion. In order to further increase inbound tourists to the area, Akan Adventure Tourism joined hands with Moment Factory, a world leading multimedia entertainment company, for the joint development of Kamuy Lumina for tourists to enjoy after sunset.

Reasons for System Installation

Fusion of cutting-edge digital expression, regional nature and local culture

Moment Factory’s Lumina Night Walk series is held around the globe and immerses visitors in a unique world created by integrating the regional culture, the natural beauty of the host region, intriguing lights and sounds, and the most advanced digital art. “When we were seeking the development of tourist attractions to offer at night, I found out about the Night Walk series and approached Moment Factory for the planning of a Lumina Night Walk in the forest near Lake Akan,” recalls Toshinobu Inagaki, the General Manager of the Lumina night walk business department, Akan Adventure Tourism. The newly created “KAMUY LUMINA” is the tenth project of the Lumina Night Walk series, and the projection mapping system employs five Panasonic laser projectors.

Effects Achieved by System Installation

Creative expression of the Ainu's traditional culture through cutting-edge digital technology

KAMUY LUMINA is based on Yukar, oral sagas that have been handed down from generation to generation by the Ainu people living in Akan. As visitors proceed on a 1.2-km walking path along Lake Akan, they are guided through the magical land of the Ainu gods, “Kamuy” by the Owl God who watches over villages and the Jay Bird that has the most beautiful singing voice in the forest. “For the production of the content, local Ainu people participated in our regular web meetings with Moment Factory from the planning stage and provided their opinions. We had many detailed discussions in order to avoid any discrepancies between the Ainu legend and the Night Walk experience.” (Mr. Inagaki) “Lumina night walks are experiences designed to augment a beautiful location and if we don't respect that locations integrity it doesn't work. Some of the specific challenges of this project were not only minimizing any equipment while maximizing the experience, but completely eliminating any permanent elements whatsoever. No concrete pads, no towers, and very little equipment installed at height. This became a creative design challenge but is in fact proved quite feasible.” (Moment Factory)

For example, the rhythm stick given to each visitor at the entrance was inspired by the actual wooden sticks used by the Ainu people. “Moment Factory suggested that the rhythm stick should not only resemble Ainu’s wooden sticks in shape but also produce sound and illuminate in synch with the video content and serve as a flashlight when the guest is walking in the darkness.” (Mr. Inagaki) Since the walking path is located in the national park, it is prohibited to install lighting systems between areas. As a countermeasure, illuminated rhythm sticks are utilized as a symbolic tool for enhancing the imaginary world of the story.

“As a company known by many for video mapping shows, we can project on pretty much anything; natural surfaces, scenographic elements, architecture, engineered projection surfaces etc. In Akan the surfaces used are trees and bushes, a scenographic elements constructed of wood, and a mesh that is largely transparent, but catches the light of the projector creating an invisible projection surface when used correctly.” (Moment Factory)

High evaluation given to the projectors for their superb visual expression to bring the best out of the fascinating content

KAMUY LUMINA is the first Night Walk in the series to be staged in a national park. Therefore, it was necessary to work in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and the Forestry Agency and to give utmost consideration to the natural environment. “We made sure not to change the position of even a single tree when we installed the equipment. Since the site is in a national park and the walking path is open to the public during the day, we camouflaged the projectors, audio-video equipment and cables with leaves and trees to ensure they will not damage the scenery.” (Mr. Inagaki) The projectors were cleverly set up and hidden in the woods. “As with any permanent outdoor installation of AV equipment the proper precautions must be taken to keep the equipment within optimal operating conditions. This means protecting it with protective enclosure with environmental controls that adjusts the environment with heating, dehumidification, and AC and monitoring the state of the equipment via our systems. If properly monitored and maintained, these conditions are no more troublesome than a permanent indoor installation.” (Moment Factory)

Mr. Inagaki describes the projectors as follows: “We checked the images on a PC during the course of production. When the images were actually projected onto trees and other objects, I was surprised that they were as sharp and vivid as the images we saw on the PC monitor. Even delicate colors such as gold were faithfully reproduced. I felt that the projectors brought the best out of the video content.” (Mr. Inagaki)

The Panasonic projectors were highly evaluated for their superb video expression.

The Protector

The Owl seeks a messenger to send to the land of the Kamuy to save humans from a crisis

Projection mapping announces the start of the Night Walk. Splendid images are projected on the wooden gate, and the Owl begins speaking to the audience.

Visitors pass through the gate and enter the forest. With a rhythm stick in one hand, every guest feels growing anticipation toward the story that is about to unfold.

Projectors are set up inconspicuously in the natural surrounding.

The Messenger

As a messenger, the Jay Bird embarks on an adventurous journey into the land of the Kamuy

Guests walking through the dark forest are drawn into the story world in a flash by an image that suddenly appears.

The Owl and Jay Bird engage in casual conversation.

Escape of the Deer

Deer run back to the land of the Kamuy one after another

Deer projection-mapped on trees start running all at once. The effects of the sound and lights enhance the dynamism of the projected image.

Images are projection-mapped on a large area of the forest by the projectors.

Perspectives

Akan Adventure Tourism Corp.

Looking forward to further improvement and advancement of the digital content

Visitors react very pleasantly to the experience provided by KAMUY LUMINA, and many positive comments are posted on social media. We plan to continue promoting the attractive features of the Lake Akan hot spring area to foreign tourists. We will deliver a more enhanced KAMUY LUMINA experience in the future by renewing the content and by seeking innovative ideas to attract more inbound tourists. Akan Adventure Tourism conducts various tourism activities in addition to KAMUY LUMINA, so we would like to ask Panasonic to provide continued cooperation to our projects through the provision of its diverse technologies and excellent maintenance and support services.

Toshinobu Inagaki
General Manager,
Kamuy Lumina business department
Akan Adventure Tourism Corp.

Moment Factory

Trust as a strategic partner

Panasonic has been a strategic partner for Moment Factory for some time and are a leader in the industry. The product is very high quality, and available in all markets which is convenient for us as we create experiences all over the world.