News Releases
2013

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Experience the Lifestyle and Mechanisms of a State-of-the-art Futuristic City
Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum Opens March 19

March 5, 2013
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. today announced that it will open Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum, a hands-on educational facility designed to convey the lifestyle and mechanisms of a futuristic city at Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City on March 19, 2013. Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, is promoting the creation of neighborhoods under the themes of "Environment friendly," "Health & longevity," and "Creation of new industries."

Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum will communicate the concepts and philosophies of a smart city, the technologies and facilities that have already been introduced, and the mechanisms and lifestyle of a city that is possible in the near future. By going around the five exhibitions, including state-of-the-art video technology and exhibition planning, visitors can touch, feel, and enjoy the essence of a smart city in a simulated experience.

Guided by the concept of New Style for the Next, Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City is making progress creating a model city for addressing environmental and energy issues, super-aging in society, and economic revitalization through collaboration between government, private enterprise and academia. The 4-block area around Kashiwa no Ha-Campus Station (approx. 12.7 ha), which is positioned as an advanced area in the Smart City, already has about 1,500 households, or approximately 4,500 inhabitants. Featuring various systems and services, it is being created with input from the public as Japan's first bona fide smart city that is not in a conceptual or experimental stage. Designated to be a “special zone for regional revitalization” and “FutureCity” by the Cabinet Office in December 2011, the smart city receives government support and disseminates urban development achievements to the world. Each year, it receives more than 250 inspection visits from home and abroad.

Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum is being opened so that everyone, from visitors from companies, local governments and industry, to students and the general public, can easily come into contact with the initiatives of the advanced smart city that is Kashiwa-no-ha. The museum will function as the gateway to the city. Mitsui Fudosan hopes that more people will participate in and support neighborhood creation after learning about the initiatives of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City.

Features of the five exhibition "corners" of the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum

  • Dome Theater - Conveys the principles of a smart city using 360-degree images and projection mapping
  • Community Square - Kashiwa-no-ha's initiatives are introduced from various angles on a three-sided screen
  • Lifestyle Zone - A virtual experience of healthy and ecological living in the near future
  • Smart Center - Explains the mechanisms to support safe and comfortable living based on analysis of all city data
  • Communication Lounge - An interactive corner with a message board where visitors can post messages and smart ideas, and use touchscreen monitors to learn about Kashiwa-no-ha's urban development activities

Features of the five exhibition "corners" of the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum

  1. Dome Theater
    In this theater, 360-degree images on a dome-shaped ceiling and projection mapping that projects a city model in the middle of the room create a sense of being surrounded by images. A video story conveys the hopes and wishes encapsulated in the smart city in a way that answers the simplest of questions. The experience makes both adults and children think about living in the future.

  2. Community Square
    This exhibition uses screens on three sides to create a fun multidimensional production. First a movie is shown that introduces Kashiwa-no-ha's model solutions for tackling humanity's problems. After the movie, the screens change into digital display boards that showcase various activities currently taking place in Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, giving a sense of the city today.

  3. Lifestyle Zone
    This exhibition offers a virtual experience in which video technology is used to quickly shift the presentation from walls to inside a room. Visitors can also experience Kashiwa-no-ha HEMS (Health & Home Energy Management System), a system designed to support the healthy and ecological home living in the future.

  4. Smart Center
    This exhibition explains the functions of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart Center, a central facility to support Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, which is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2014. By simply pressing a button, visitors can see the mechanisms used to ensure safe and comfortable living based on the collection and analysis of all kinds of city data, such as energy, weather, disaster prevention, transport and other information.

  5. Communication Lounge
    This lounge offers visitors a place to relax while coming into contact with the city's information. An interactive space, the lounge has a display board for visitors' messages and smart ideas, and visitors are free to use touchscreen monitors to check various activities or works at Kashiwa-no-ha.

Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum Facility Overview

Name Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Museum
Location Kashiwanoha Campus 149-5, Gaiku 173-5, Wakashiba, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture
Opening hours 10:00-17:00
Note: Groups of 15 people will be allowed to enter every 15 minutes due to the nature of the exhibitions.
Holidays Every Monday and New Year's holidays
Note: The facility may be temporarily closed due to maintenance.
Entrance fee (including tax) Adults 500 yen Junior and senior high school students 300 yen Elementary school students and younger Free
Website https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/kashiwanoha/museum/e/
Contact E-mail: contact@k-scm.jpTel. +81-4-7126-0280
Facility building Two floors above ground/Total floor area: Approx. 600 m2


Access A three-minute walk from the east exit of Kashiwa no Ha-Campus Station, Tsukuba Express