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Chiba Prefecture has begun Web 3.0-related initiatives at a relatively early stage compared to other local governments as part of its local generation project, starting with a blockchain-based regional stamp rally demonstration in March 2017, sponsored by Fujitsu and Chiba Bank.
Some of the Web 3.0 projects undertaken by Chiba Prefecture and companies in Chiba Prefecture are the first of their kind in Japan, and are attracting attention both inside and outside the industry.
One example is the Chiba Institute of Technology's NFT degree certificate. Prior to the issuance of NFT degree certificates, Chiba Institute of Technology, in collaboration with PitPat Corporation, will begin issuing NFT certificates at its Transformation Center in 2022. The certificates were issued to 1,100 applicants who graduated in the class of 2022.
The two NFTs, academic and degree certificates, are a cross between NFTs, which are publicly available on-chain, and VC, which can be made public or private by the student, protecting the privacy of students and allowing them to globally prove online that they are graduates of the university. In addition, students will be able to show off their academic history and achievements not only in their job hunting activities, but also when studying abroad.
The issuance of the NFT degree certificate by the Chiba Institute of Technology is the first of its kind in Japan.
Chiba Institute of Technology will continue to work with students to create this on-campus project, and will also develop and provide practical educational programs aimed at producing Web professionals, aiming to produce innovative human resources by training engineers and business leaders in Web 3.0, and to promote DX in society as a whole by expanding the program to other universities and companies. By promoting the program to other universities and companies, the company aims to contribute to the promotion of DX in society as a whole.
The world's first Web 3.0 project in Chiba Prefecture was the NFT, a good-luck charm from Chiba City's famous Kemigawa Shrine, which is known as a shrine of matchmaking. The amulet NFT of Kemigawa Shrine was launched in 2022 in collaboration with the Kojiki Project. Kojiki Project is a company that provides entertainment content based on Kojiki, Japan's oldest history book, and Japanese mythology.
The amulet NFT is part of the NFT project, which is a joint effort between the two to find new sources of revenue utilizing NFT and the Metaverse.
Originally, Kemigawa Shrine had been providing an environment where visitors who live far away from the shrine or those who cannot visit the shrine in person can purchase omamori and other gifts online.
The gifts can be purchased at “Kemigawa Shrine Good Luck Charm NFT” and require a “Meta Mask” wallet and the crypto asset Ethereum. The lineup includes 10 types, including wallet safety charms and fraud protection charms. Each amulet is priced at 0.005 ETH, but the price is subject to change depending on the market price.
The amulets have an expiration date, and the benefits expire after one year. Usually, after one year, the amulet is returned to the temple or shrine where it was given and burned, but this amulet NFT is also designed to be burned automatically after one year from the time it was given.
The interesting point of this amulet NFT is that by designing a time-limited function for digital data that can be permanently preserved, the amulet NFT is made to look more like a real amulet. The amulet NFT can be enjoyed even after the burning of the amulet, as it is designed to change into a new NFT, even though the NFT itself will disappear after the burning.
Through this project, the company hopes to “explore new sources of revenue for shrines and, at the same time, to use NFTs to help people around the world, including Japanese who visit shrines overseas and people overseas who do not yet know anything about shrines, feel the appeal of shrines and, by extension, of Japan.
Chiba Bank is one of the regional banks actively involved in the Web 3.0 business. In September 2022, Chiba Bank is conducting a demonstration experiment utilizing “GAIA TOWN,” a metaverse space for Japan built and operated within Virbela by GAIA Link, the official Japanese distributor of the US-based metaverse platform Virbela.
This is part of the specific initiatives based on the business alliance agreement for DX promotion that Chiba Bank has concluded with Change Corporation, and is intended to verify how the metaverse can be used as a next-generation channel from multiple perspectives. The event included a roundtable discussion for job-seeking students and a talk event for Chiba Bank's Twitter followers.
Among the events held using GAIA TOWN, “Kazusa Meta Marriage” was held as a new attempt by the prefecture.
The Kazusa Meta-marriage was organized by the Kazusa 4 Cities Metaverse Marriage Activity Executive Committee, consisting of young city hall employees from the four Kazusa cities of Kisarazu, Kimitsu, Futtsu, and Sodegaura, in cooperation with the NA-Cord Association, a marriage activity business corporation. Prior to this, in November 2022, Kazusa 4 City held a marriage activity event for city hall employees of Kazusa 4 City, which was a success, with a 100% matching rate of women.
With this result, we are now planning to hold a “Kazusa Meta-marriage” event for the residents of the four Kazusa cities. A true encounter in the Metaverse! was held on March 11, 2023. The purpose of this event was to “revitalize Kazusa 4 cities” by creating a new meeting place in the Corona Hazards and to counteract the declining birthrate. In September of the same year, a similar event was held as “Kisarazu Meta-marriage.
In Chiba Prefecture, small- and medium-sized companies are also actively involved in Web 3.0 projects.
Tsurukame Farm in Isumi City, Chiba Prefecture, is offering “Farm to Earn,” an NFT farming experience with technical support from Animate Ark, a consultant for the ANICANA blockchain developed by Levius Corporation.
Tsurukame Farm operates a rice-growing community that does not rely on pesticides or fertilizers, and has been seeking to create a system in which people living in the city center can be involved in creating a satoyama environment through farming and nurturing the nature as a common asset, as this will lead to the creation of a sustainable society and reproducible agriculture. The company has been seeking to create such a system.
Through “Farm to Earn,” which transforms agricultural experiences into assets, the company hopes to increase the number of new farmers.
Isumi Railway, a local train line in Isumi County, Chiba Prefecture, has begun selling NFTs of digital figures of Isumi 350, Isumi Railway's railcar, as part of the “EKITAG Collection” of “EKITAG,” a station stamping application developed by JR East Japan Planning for the East Japan area.
The EKITAG Collection is an original digital figure created by EKITAG, which is a 3D version of content related to railroads around Japan, and allows users to freely view the figure in 360 degrees in detail as well as zoom in and out.
The Isumi 350 is the first of its kind and can be purchased at SNFT, an NFT marketplace, along with the original product “Itetsu-age,” which has been selected as one of Chiba Prefecture's best prefectural products.
In addition, the “Metagri Laboratory,” an agricultural Web 3.0 community run by Noujyoto Co. in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, has launched a new exchange system for NFT and agricultural products with technical support from Study Meter Co. The goal is to provide a new business model that combines agriculture and blockchain.
▶NFT Degree Certificate
1,100 applicants for 2022 graduates
Chiba Institute of Technology issues NFT degree certificates with the support of PitPa, a media company. This is the first time in Japan that a university is converting degree certificates to NFT. The NFT degree certificate is a cross between NFT and VC, two technologies that are publicly available on the blockchain, protecting students' privacy and allowing them to globally prove online that they are graduates of the university.
Companies and organizations that have implemented the system
▶"Chiba Institute of Technology
▶Omamori NFT
The world's first amulet NFT with automatic burning function
Kemigawa Shrine is launching an amulet NFT in July 2022 with the support of Kojiki Project. This is the world's first attempt, and represents a joint search by both parties for a new source of revenue utilizing NFT and the Metaverse. The amulet NFTs are designed to be automatically burned after one year of receiving them, making them more like real amulets.
Companies and organizations that have introduced this system
Kemigawa Shrine” ”Kojiki Project
▶GAIA TOWN
Kazusa Meta Wedding and other events
Chiba Bank conducted a demonstration experiment in the metaverse space for Japan within the U.S.-based metaverse platform “Virbela” to test how the metaverse can be utilized as a next-generation channel from multiple perspectives. A roundtable discussion event for job hunters, a talk event for Chiba Bank Twitter followers, and a Kazusa meta-wedding were also held.
Companies and organizations that have introduced the system
Shimogamo Shrine
▶Kazusa Meta-marriage
100% matching rate of female participants
As a new initiative, the Kazusa 4 Cities Metaverse Marriage Activity Executive Committee held a Metaverse-based party for the officials of the Kazusa 4 Cities (Kisarazu, Kimitsu, Futtsu, and Sodegaura). The event was a success, with a 100% matching rate of women. With this result, “Kazusa Meta-marriage,” a marriage activity event conducted in the Metaverse for residents of the four Kazusa cities, is being held on March 11, 2023.
Companies and organizations that have introduced the system
The “NA-Cord Association
▶EKITAG Collection
Donation of a portion of sales proceeds to local governments
EKITAG, an application service that allows users to collect digital stamps by holding their smartphones over NFC tags at railroad stations and other locations, has launched the first EKITAG Collection on the NFT marketplace SNFT, featuring the Isumi 350, a train car of the Isumi Railway Company, and an original product called “Itetsu-age,” which has been selected as one of Chiba Prefecture's excellent prefectural products. The 3D model of Isumi 350 and the original product “Itetsu-age,” which was selected as an excellent prefectural product of Chiba Prefecture, are now on sale as NFT.
Companies and organizations using the system
East Japan Marketing & Communications, Inc.
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