1001 Smart Cities
🇯🇵 Tokyo

Virtual Shibuya

🤖 AI-generated summary of the sources below · 🔎 Last verified · ◆ 8 sourced claims, none individually verified yet

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

Virtual Shibuya recreates the ward's streetscape as a browser- and VR-accessible metaverse where avatars attend concerts, talk shows and an annual Halloween festival. Backed by Shibuya Ward, KDDI and nonprofit Future Design Shibuya since May 2020, it has drawn 3M+ cumulative event visits and expanded onto Roblox in 2025.

Live 📅 since 2020
Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byShibuya Ward, KDDI and Future Design Shibuya
Scale🏘️ District

📊 Impact

Cumulative event participation topped 3 million across Virtual Shibuya programming as of 2023, per organiser Future Design Shibuya — a self-reported operator figure, not independently audited.

👥 SocietyConnectivity & 5GCitizen participationSmart districts

Sources

↗ Future Design Shibuya (official)Official project overview: stakeholders, platform, cumulative 3M+ participant figure as of 2023.
↗ Future Design Shibuya — launch press release (official)Published 15 May 2020May 15, 2020 press release naming Shibuya Ward, Cluster Co. and Psychic VR Lab as founding partners.
↗ Tokyo Weekender (press)Published 25 October 2024Independent coverage of the Oct 24-Nov 30, 2024 Virtual Halloween event run across five platforms.
↗ transcosmos (press)Published 17 October 2025Oct 17, 2025 announcement of a Roblox-based Shibuya Halloween game, confirming the initiative is still active in 2025.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2020. 3 of 4 sources carry a publication date, from 15 May 2020 to 17 October 2025.

When the sources were published

  1. Future Design Shibuya · ngoFuture Design Shibuya — launch press release (official)
  2. Tokyo Weekender · pressTokyo Weekender (press)
  3. transcosmos · vendortranscosmos (press)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Sources last read
  2. Entered the record

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 8 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence Passport · public beta 8 addressable claims, 4 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The passport is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 8

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-5100c134eb860a38 descriptive
recreates the ward's streetscape as a browser- and VR-accessible metaverse
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The May 2020 launch press release describes Virtual Shibuya as "a virtual event venue and a digital twin (mirror world) that expresses the same content in cooperation with the real city of Shibuya." The programme's own overview page provides access via a public URL (https://vcity.au5g.jp/shibuya) and refers to it as a "virtual reality (VR) space," i.e. both web-based and VR access.
Caveat
The sources describe an "urban-linked metaverse" or "digital twin (mirror world)" rather than literally using the word "streetscape," and neither page uses the word "browser" — web access is inferred from the public URL rather than stated outright.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
  2. Future Design Shibuya — launch press release (official)
Claim 2 clm-a617cf285be0ebc3 descriptive
attend concerts
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The overview page states the programme "held a variety of entertainment-focused events, including music and talk shows," and that "a total of more than 100 artists, VTubers, anime characters, and more have appeared so far."
Caveat
The source describes "music and talk shows," not literally "concerts."

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
Claim 3 clm-64c0d3a4751dbb06 descriptive
an annual Halloween festival
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Future Design Shibuya's overview page states the Halloween event has been "held every year around Halloween since 2020." Independent coverage by Tokyo Weekender of the October 24–November 30, 2024 edition notes "this event has been taking place for five years," consistent with an unbroken annual run from 2020 through 2024.
Caveat
The event's branding has varied by year and platform ("au 5G Halloween Festival" per Future Design Shibuya, "Virtual Halloween" in the 2024 Tokyo Weekender coverage, "FIND THE HALLOWEEN SHIBUYA" for the 2025 Roblox edition) even though it is consistently described as the same recurring annual programme.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
  2. Tokyo Weekender (press)
Claim 4 clm-b7bba9ff1814bbca quantitative
Backed by Shibuya Ward, KDDI and nonprofit Future Design Shibuya since May 2020
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Future Design Shibuya's current overview page states "Lead organizer: Future Design Shibuya /KDDI. Officially recognized: Shibuya Ward." The May 15, 2020 founding press release separately confirms that Shibuya Ward "officially approved [the] distribution platform" as co-sponsor of the launch event, and that the (nonprofit) "General Incorporated Association Future Design Shibuya" organized and directed the project.
Caveat
The founding May 15, 2020 press release lists Cluster Co., Ltd. and Psychic VR Lab Co., Ltd. — not KDDI — as the two technical partners alongside Shibuya Ward and Future Design Shibuya; KDDI's brand ("au 5G") appears in the platform's original event name, and KDDI is confirmed as co-lead organiser only on Future Design Shibuya's later, undated overview page. This entry's operator list omits Cluster Co. and Psychic VR Lab, the two technical partners the founding press release actually names.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
  2. Future Design Shibuya — launch press release (official)
Claim 5 clm-381a4df1467b48af quantitative
it has drawn 3M+ cumulative event visits
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Future Design Shibuya's own overview page states "Virtual Shibuya Event participants: Total 3 million people (as of 2023)."
Caveat
The source counts cumulative "participants," not literally "visits," and the figure is explicitly dated "as of 2023" — it is not necessarily current as of this entry's July 2026 verification date. As the impact field itself notes, it is a self-reported operator figure.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
Claim 6 clm-2c214d1c41475197 quantitative
expanded onto Roblox in 2025
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
transcosmos' October 17, 2025 announcement confirms the launch of "FIND THE HALLOWEEN SHIBUYA, a Halloween-themed game experience on Roblox," developed together with the "Future Design Shibuya General Incorporated Association," with Shibuya Ward mayor Ken Hasebe providing a supporting comment.
Caveat
The Roblox product is released under its own title ("FIND THE HALLOWEEN SHIBUYA") rather than the "Virtual Shibuya" name itself, though it is organised by the same nonprofit, Future Design Shibuya, as part of the same annual Halloween programming.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. transcosmos (press)
Claim 7 clm-2f622e9f4ff6c23c quantitative
Cumulative event participation topped 3 million across Virtual Shibuya programming as of 2023, per organiser Future Design Shibuya
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Matches the operator's own reporting on its overview page: "Virtual Shibuya Event participants: Total 3 million people (as of 2023)."
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
Claim 8 clm-27a3f177f0413c6b descriptive
a self-reported operator figure, not independently audited
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The 3 million figure appears only on Future Design Shibuya's own official pages, i.e. the organiser reporting on itself. Neither of the entry's other listed sources — Tokyo Weekender's October 2024 Halloween coverage or transcosmos' October 2025 Roblox announcement — reports or independently corroborates any participation count, so the characterization as self-reported and unaudited holds against this entry's full source set.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Future Design Shibuya (official)
  2. Tokyo Weekender (press)
  3. transcosmos (press)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-08-22-evidence-baseline effective 2026-07-25 · created 2026-08-22

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:641384bd5c022c8fb13d1844013a5b03b68175f034d0dad798006b3dbdf60c67
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
8
of 8 claims mapped
4
source dossiers
3
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Shibuya Ward, KDDI and Future Design Shibuya
Actor types
city-government, private, civil-society
Funding model
mixed
Funding description
Not recorded
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

4 source dossiers

Future Design Shibuya (official) fds.or.jp · 7 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-6297a7f79a1795df
Publisher
Name not classified · fds.or.jp
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-25
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Official project overview: stakeholders, platform, cumulative 3M+ participant figure as of 2023.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Future Design Shibuya — launch press release (official) fds.or.jp · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b321f3fab3e1345f
Publisher
Name not classified · fds.or.jp
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2020-05-15
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-25
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

May 15, 2020 press release naming Shibuya Ward, Cluster Co. and Psychic VR Lab as founding partners.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Tokyo Weekender (press) tokyoweekender.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-896ce7891ca3cb71
Publisher
Name not classified · tokyoweekender.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-10-25
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-25
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Independent coverage of the Oct 24-Nov 30, 2024 Virtual Halloween event run across five platforms.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
transcosmos (press) trans-cosmos.co.jp · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-c6717db1eec8cbf4
Publisher
Name not classified · trans-cosmos.co.jp
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-10-17
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-25
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Oct 17, 2025 announcement of a Roblox-based Shibuya Halloween game, confirming the initiative is still active in 2025.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇯🇵 Toyosu Smart City · Tokyo Two Tokyo AR/VR uses: Virtual Shibuya is a full browser/VR metaverse of the ward; Toyosu's XR Diorama Vision overlays info on real streets. 🇦🇹 Kultur-Token · Vienna Two ward/city-backed digital-culture pilots: Shibuya's metaverse is still expanding; Vienna's culture token pilot completed in 2024.

Explore the wider context

🌍 Hardware Stops, Data Doesn't📶 Connectivity & 5G guide🏙️ Tokyo city profile👥 Society projects📖 Reallabor (real-world lab)📖 Civic participation platform📖 Digital identity
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “Virtual Shibuya” — Tokyo, Japan. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/tokyo-virtual-shibuya/ (last verified 2026-07-25). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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