#Japan #AI Technology #Vacan #Hakodate #Hakodate Mountain

Turning the Tables on Over-Tourism: AI Solutions for Hakodate Mountain

Hakodate Mountain, one of the world's three most famous night views, is taking a significant step to counteract over-tourism. With the recent collaboration between Vacan, NRM, and Hakoreco, a new system has been introduced that utilizes AI cameras to predict crowd density around the area up to one week in advance.

Background and Purpose

Vacan, a Tokyo-based company, has been at the forefront of addressing over-tourism issues at various popular tourist spots. Hakodate Mountain is a prime example where overcrowding can occur during peak times and seasons. This initiative by the Hakodate city aims to provide relevant crowd predictions through an established system for reducing congestion.

The goal is to utilize AI technology for visualizing crowd conditions and provide predictions that allow potential visitors to gauge how busy the area may be. Consequently, this helps them make informed decisions about when to visit and what routes to take, ultimately leading to enhanced visitor satisfaction during their stay.

Implementation Details

Using AI cameras, Vacan collects data on crowd patterns, including factors like day of the week and time of day. This data is then visualized to provide crowd predictions in a user-friendly format. Predictions are categorically displayed as either 'empty,' 'mildly crowded,' or 'crowded,' and can be accessed through a dedicated website.

It’s important to note that real-time crowd levels will only be displayed for the ropeway’s base and summit stations. By allowing visitors to check the crowd predictions via their smartphones before arriving at the location, the initiative aims to minimize unnecessary waiting times and encourage a more even distribution of visitors. The anticipation is that this will significantly improve the overall experience and satisfaction levels for tourists visiting Hakodate Mountain.

Areas with Crowd Predictions

The crowd predictions will be available for several key locations at Hakodate Mountain, including:

• - Rooftop Observation Deck
• - Viewing Space (Ikkyo Park)
• - Tourist Parking Lot #1
• - Tourist Parking Lot #2
• - Summit Parking Lot
• - Hiking Trail

Additionally, nearby attractions such as Hachiman-zaka will also benefit from this forecasting system. However, it’s worth mentioning that the summit parking lot and hiking trail will be closed from November to April, meaning predictions will not be available during this period.

About the Collaborating Companies

NRM

Lead by President Masaki Takano and located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, NRM (https://www.nrminc.co.jp) is a visualization provider aiming to change work styles based on data gathered from working spaces.

Hakoreco.com

Under CEO Keihi Yamada, Hakoreco (https://hakoreco.com) focuses on leveraging IT/Web solutions to tackle various regional challenges, embodying the mission of