#Japan #Minato, Tokyo #GARDE #Local Revitalization #Metaverse Award

Local Revitalization Metaverse Award Ceremony: Celebrating 40 Years of GARDE

On June 16, 2025, GARDE, a premier interior design and consulting firm based in Minato, Tokyo, celebrated its 40th anniversary by hosting the inaugural Local Revitalization Metaverse Award ceremony. This event spotlighted six outstanding projects that are set to lead the next generation of metaverse space design.

The Local Revitalization Metaverse Award aims to create new values in communities by merging design, architecture, and art through metaverse technology. This year, the award received around 300 submissions, assessed against GARDE's six criteria: originality and uniqueness of ideas, innovative use of digital technology, concrete action plans for revitalizing and improving local efficiency, necessary resources and relationships for implementation, consideration of local needs and opinions, and the design's expressiveness and comprehensibility.

The award serves as a platform for GARDE to propagate a new trend in metaverse space design suitable for a future where the real and virtual worlds intertwine. It is also a source of support for creators courageous enough to take on this challenge.

About the Local Revitalization Metaverse Award

GARDE's commitment lies in utilizing its accumulated knowledge in spatial design to connect rural areas, cities, and the world through innovative metaverse environments. The award was created to address pressing challenges faced by local governments, such as population decline, aging societies, and stagnant regional economies. By integrating cutting-edge metaverse technologies with creative thinking, a new model for local revitalization is being developed.

Utilizing digital spaces allows for the portrayal of local charms in a way that closely resembles reality, enabling extensive dissemination both domestically and internationally, overcoming geographical and temporal restrictions. This initiative also promotes collaboration between creators with a focus on regional branding and design and local governments, fostering the development of innovative content aimed at solving local problems. The ultimate goal is to preserve local culture, traditions, and natural resources, foster new tourism opportunities, and stimulate regional economies for future generations.

For more information, visit the official website: Local Revitalization Metaverse Award.

Comments from Leadership

Kenji Muro, President of GARDE
“We are primarily known as a design consulting firm that operates in four main areas: luxury brand design and construction, large-scale retail design for department stores and commercial complexes, office design, and real estate. In recent years, we have expanded our services to include local revitalization, metaverse projects, and art initiatives. The Local Revitalization Metaverse Award was conceived to commemorate the 40th anniversary of GARDE by merging local revitalization with the metaverse. Our goal is to address issues faced by local governments, such as population decline and declining birth rates, and to propose ideas utilizing the metaverse to promote tourism and natural resources. We aim to leverage our creators' insights to implement the brilliant ideas proposed by participants and ultimately contribute to local government projects.”

Shinichiro Misawa, Producer of the Award
“This year's entries, totaling 300 ideas, shared a common theme of 'supportive economy.' Just like in sports, where support can drive economic activity, we, too, will continue to expand our business through mutual support.”

Award-Winning Projects

Grand Prize

• - Winner: Masahide Hino
• - Local Government: Kunigami Village, Okinawa Prefecture
• - Project Title: Virtual Starry Sky Tour around Kunigami Village
• - Summary: A unique interactive tour that incorporates the natural sounds of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Yanbaru, local dialects, and traditional music to create a cultural exchange opportunity under the beautiful starry skies of Kunigami. It tackles over-tourism and cultural preservation by providing immersive experiences that highlight local resources. Future plans include releasing free trial versions on YouTube to attract younger audiences.

Excellence Award

• - Winner: Mitsuki Okumura
• - Local Government: Hachijo Town, Tokyo, and various municipalities
• - Project Title: Co-Cat: A Multisensory Journey through Hachijo Island
• - Summary: Inspired by local folklore about a mystical cat, this immersive project combines augmented reality with local landscapes and stories, encouraging tourists to engage as narrators of their own experiences, aiming to address the limits of consumption-based tourism and cultural preservation.

Local Government Award

• - Winner: Runa Kuboshima
• - Local Government: Iide Town, Yamagata Prefecture
• - Project Title: Mutual Experience in Metaverse and Reality
• - Summary: This project recreates Iide Town in the metaverse, facilitating events that bridge real-world experiences with digital interactions to raise awareness of the town's allure.

Other projects, each providing unique approaches to regional challenges and cultural engagements, continue GARDE’s vision of fostering a future where creativity and technology enhance local communities.

For a full list of projects and more details, please check the resources mentioned above.