Nijo-jo Castle, a World Heritage site in Kyoto, is holding a summer entertainment event that both ensures social distancing at the site and allows remote participation amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The “Nijo-jo Castle & NAKED, INC. Summer Illumination 2020” is sponsored by Kyoto City and the event’s executive committee members including Naked, Inc., a digital content production company based in Tokyo.

Projection mapping of kaleidoscope-themed fireworks at Nijo-jo Castle. 

Various measures are being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including limiting the number of visitors who can enter the site and checking their body temperatures at the entrance.

Visitors are provided with “distance lanterns,” the two-meter halo of which allows each visitor to stay socially distanced. Along the Inner Moat, they are welcomed by a projection-mapping show of kaleidoscope-themed fireworks.

When visitors hold their smartphones over a marker set up at Ninomaru Garden, they can see the castle’s now-destroyed “tenshu” tower restored. Another feature is a light-up at Seiryuen Garden, where bubbles scented with an original aroma float among illuminated trees.

The event can also be enjoyed from home. A “VR” ticket, which comes with special goggles, allows online visitors to sneak into the World Heritage castle at night as a ninja, showing them three-dimensional CG images inside the national treasure.

The entertainment event will be held until Aug. 30, with a date-designated visitor ticket priced at 1,200 yen for adults, and the VR ticket at 880 yen.

The Kyoto Shimbun

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