Table of Contents
Kyoto Prefecture is said to be currently facing three issues. These three issues are a declining population, debt, and a sharp decrease in tourism income.
The population, which is declining steadily, and the problem of debt repayment, which is said to cause a shortfall of 280 billion yen in financial resources over the next five years, are important issues, but the most urgent issue is tourism income, which has plummeted due to the Corona disaster, because it is directly related to the debt repayment problem.
In fact, before the Corona disaster, Kyoto Prefecture's tourism income peaked in 2015, when the annual number of tourists, including domestic and international, exceeded 56 million, and was in a gradual downtrend to 52.75 million in 2018. In addition to the disappearance of inbound tourism, school excursions, which had been a stable source of income, declined sharply in 2020, and statistics could not even be compiled.
Under these circumstances, Kyoto Prefecture has launched the “Kyoto Smart Society Promotion Plan,” which aims to create a society where all residents can enjoy the benefits of digital technology.
According to the Kyoto Prefectural Government report, the specific measures are as follows
In addition, IT technologies and businesses such as “blockchain,” “NFT,” and “mining” are also eligible to apply for business restructuring subsidies in Kyoto Prefecture, and the government plans to support such businesses. Specific examples of projects that have been adopted are as follows.
As described above, Kyoto Prefecture is currently focusing on support and assistance for Web 3.0 businesses as a way to overcome the most important issues, and companies and organizations are actually promoting attractive Web 3.0 businesses with such support and assistance.
Temples and shrines, which are important tourism resources in Kyoto Prefecture, are also implementing measures such as “digital money-offering” (Higashi Honganji Temple), “digital lucky draw” (Yamashina Shoten Shorinin Temple), and “digital awarding office” (Shimogamo Shrine). SUSHI TOP MARKETING, a Tokyo-based Web 3.0 start-up company, in cooperation with Kyoto Prefecture and Yamashina Shoten Shorinin-in, held an event combining tourism and digital lucky draw at Kyoto Tower using NFT, a digital technology, as part of Kyoto Prefecture's Metaverse Co-Creation Project.
In addition, Kyoto Prefecture is conducting a number of events online and hybrid (face-to-face and online), such as the “Virtual Kyoto Job Expo,” a new type of event where job hunting is possible in a virtual space using avatars, online seminars on cyber security, and exhibitions in a virtual space. The city of Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, has been holding a “Furusato” (hometown) and “Furusato” (home) event.
Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture, offers NFT as a return gift for hometown tax payments.
Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture, has adopted NFT as a tax return gift for its hometown. On February 26, Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture, began offering “Furusato CNP,” a collaboration with CryptoNinja Partners, one of the largest NFT projects in Japan, and Arayaumu Corporation, which promotes regional development through NFT. 222 types of one-of-a-kind NFTs are available for a donation of 30,000 yen and are offered through Arayaumu's own portal site, “Furusato NFT. It is offered on the portal site “Furusato NFT Beta”.
The company is promoting a mechanism that allows people to enjoy the attractions of Miyazu City while experiencing NFT and CNP casually through donations in Japanese yen, which do not require crypto assets.
CryptoNinja Partners has also organized an event in which nine pieces of digital art were placed in the Ujihashi-dori shopping street and the surrounding area in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture.
Characters of “Oujichama of the Chacha Kingdom,” “Princess Chihaya,” and “Hoshino Pantaro,” local yurukyachas officially recognized by Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, and items from the shopping street were converted into 3D data and placed as digital trophies at various locations in the shopping street, and were displayed in the “Continuum.Social (https://wwwContinuum.social/ )"application ‘Cyber Trophy’ can be used to acquire digital souvenirs displayed in AR in the application. The digital souvenirs acquired were to be converted into NFT art in the future.
Shiyunzan Daisenji Temple has launched “Art Gosuin NFT,” a new form of proof of visitation that utilizes blockchain. In the past, red seals were stamped in vermilion on a red seal book made of Japanese paper with calligraphy and the name of the temple or shrine.
Artistic red seals” are the most radical of all, and are now increasingly being seen not only in the form of traditional characters, but also in kiri-e (paper cutouts), suiboku (inked words), eraser seals, digitally painted seals, and airbrushed seals, forming a new world of Buddhist art.
Art red seal NFT is a hybrid of such art red seals and NFT. The Art Red Seal NFT is now available on “OpenSea,” one of the world's most prominent platforms for NFT art.
Creative urban development integrated with art
In addition, an event called “NEO KYOTO NFT ARTs” was held in Kyoto City, which is known as a city with many students, as an idea to build an ecosystem for creative city development that fuses art by utilizing the Web 3.0 system, and OND Co. In addition, Kyoto Prefecture is focusing on supporting and assisting Web 3.0 businesses as a solution to current issues.
Given this situation, Kyoto Prefecture is now attracting attention as a top runner in Web 3.0 business support by local governments.
▶Art red seal NFT
More than 100 applications Yes
On December 14, 2021, Shiyunzan Daisenji Temple in Muromachi, Kyoto, opened Art Gosuin NFT on OpenSea, one of the world's most NFT art platforms. Art red seals are red seals made with paper cutouts, inked words, eraser seals, etc., and are beginning to form a new world of Buddhist art.
Companies and organizations that have introduced this service
Shiyunsan Daisenji Temple
▶Digital money-offering
Foreign visitors who do not have cash can also make money donations
Higashi-honganji Temple in Kyoto Prefecture has introduced cashless payment as a form of monetary offering to be paid by visitors to the temple from October 12, 2020. Panels with barcodes for the J-Coin Pay and Union Pay QR code payment systems have been installed in the Mikado and Amida Halls, as well as the Otani Ancestral Shrine, which is part of the Higashi Honganji temple grounds. Visitors can pay by reading the barcodes with a smartphone or other device and entering the amount of money they wish to pay.
Companies and organizations using the system
Higashi Hongwanji Temple
▶Digital lucky draw
5,906 people (5,906 pieces) received NFTs in 20 days
SUSHI TOP MARKETING, a Tokyo-based Web 3.0 start-up company, in cooperation with Kyoto Prefecture and Yamashina Shoten Shorinin-in, held an event at Kyoto Tower combining sightseeing and digital lucky draws using the digital technology NFT as part of Kyoto Prefecture's Metaverse Co-creation Project. The event was held at Kyoto Tower.
Companies and organizations that have introduced the system
Kyoto Tower” ”SUSHI TOP MARKETING
▶NEO KYOTO NFT ARTs
A portion of the proceeds from sales is donated to the city's education system.
In Kyoto City, known as a city with many students, this event was planned as an idea to build an ecosystem for creative urban development that fuses art and the city by utilizing the Web 3.0 system. The event was held as a program in which students in Kyoto City created NFT art that was inspired by the space and contents of future Kyoto, and exhibited and sold it to a global audience.
Companies and organizations that have introduced this program → “Kyoto City Tourism Association
▶Digital awarding office
Responding to the needs of foreign tourists wishing to pay electronically
The Shimogamo-jinja Shrine, a World Heritage site in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, accepts cashless payments such as “iD,” “Rakuten Edy,” “WAON,” “nanaco,” and “Suica” at the awarding office where votive tablets and good luck charms are given. Contrary to Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto Prefecture, money-offering is not digitally supported and is cash-only.
Companies and organizations that have introduced this system
Shimogamo Shrine
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