Web3.0

"Web 3.0 x Gifu" Web 3.0 projects being promoted in Gifu, a city rich in nature and beautiful scenery

2024/04/02Editors of Iolite

Table of Contents

Web 3.0 projects involving local educational institutions, local governments, and local businesses

Web 3.0 projects involving local educational institutions, local governments, and local businesses

Working on Web 3.0 as a regional revitalization measure with the cooperation of local governments and educational institutions

Gifu Prefecture is located almost in the center of Japan, surrounded by the Hida Mountains, and characterized by its natural beauty and scenic beauty with the Kiso River flowing through it.

There are many attractive tourist spots, such as old-fashioned townscapes that give a sense of Japanese tradition and Gero Onsen, one of Japan's three most famous hot springs, and many tourists visit every year. Recently, the prefecture has also been actively working on Web 3.0-related initiatives.

Currently, local governments are actively working on Web 3.0-related initiatives in various places, but Gifu Prefecture is taking a more unique approach than other prefectures.

GIFU NAKASENDO WEB3.0 PROJECT

First, the Gifu Tourism Federation, a general incorporated association in Gifu Prefecture, is working to promote the Nakasendo road, which runs through Gifu Prefecture, as one of the prefecture's attractions to the world through the "GIFU NAKASENDO WEB3.0 PROJECT." This project was launched on September 15, 2023 in collaboration with the Gifu Tourism Federation, World Collaboration Japan Co., Ltd., which plans and operates projects based on creative collaboration, and THE FIVE Co., Ltd., which develops Web 3.0 businesses. By holding up a smartphone app at eight designated post towns along the Nakasendo road from Tsumago to Ontake, you can earn digital art NFTs of ukiyo-e by Utagawa Hiroshige and Keisai Eisen for a limited time. In addition, an online fan community has been opened on Discord where people from all over the world can talk about the charms of the Nakasendo road, providing a place for fans to interact with each other. In addition, various other initiatives have been undertaken through this project, such as the "Gifu Nakasendo Gourmet Master" event held in November of the same year, which was themed around the gourmet food around the Nakasendo road.

Gifu Women's University Metaverse

Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, famous for Gero Onsen, one of Japan's three most famous hot springs, has been running the Gifu Women's University Metaverse Utilization Project "Bringing the World of Learning to the Metaverse" in collaboration with Gifu Women's University since July 2022.

The project aims to research and utilize the metaverse in collaboration with municipalities, create a learning space in the digital field, such as digital transformation for students, and create an environment for remote collaborative learning and creative learning tailored to individuals.

Gifu Women's University and Gero City are located within the metaverse, and Gifu Prefecture's regional material content and e-learning system are connected to aim for educational use and tourism digital transformation. In fact, a tourist information center introducing tourist attractions in Gero Onsen and an automobile assembly factory are reproduced on the metaverse. In addition, the company plans to improve multilingual support and motion capture accuracy in the future, with the aim of making it practical.

Gifu Commercial High School Credit Card x NFT Coupon

Gifu Prefectural Commercial High School has attracted attention by starting to issue the "GIFUSHO Card," Japan's first credit card run by high school students, in February 2024 through GIFUSHO Co., Ltd., a company run by students from Gifu.

The project aims to promote the local economy in cooperation with local stores and businesses, and plans to hold a "GIFUSHO Card Payment Campaign" at stores in the Gifu City area in the future.

Using the Nudge Card app equipped with an NFT wallet, a project is planned in which graduates and parents can obtain limited NFTs and coupons by scanning a QR code.

In addition, GIFUSHO Card usage data (stores used, amount, age group, date, etc.) will be used for future financial education, as well as for new GIFUSHO projects.

Web 3.0 x Sweets

In this way, Gifu Prefecture is actively working on Web 3.0 projects in cooperation with local educational institutions and local governments. At the same time, local companies are also actively involved in Web 3.0 projects.

In order to advance the company group's corporate philosophy of "making people happy with sweets," Shinkinedo, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop in Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture, announced its entry into Web 3.0 and the e-commerce and NFT business on the metaverse in August 2022.

In September of the same year, the Shinkinedo shop "SHINKINEDO Metaverse Shop" was grandly opened on the metaverse. It has already issued and sold NFTs on OpenSea, and in the future will develop virtual and real e-commerce shops and start selling NFTs and sweets and providing delivery services.

Royal Theatre Compassion Project

The Royal Theater, the only movie theater in the country that specializes in 35mm film, is located in Yanagase Shopping Street in Gifu City.

The theater was facing a crisis due to a decline in box office revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased renovation costs due to the aging of the facility, but in December 2023, the Royal Theater Caring Project was launched as the first NFT project of KASSAI, a cloud-based support service operated by Fintertech Co., Ltd.

The project is led by the Gifu Shimbun Film Department and is raising funds through crowdfunding for equipment costs such as repairing film projectors and replacing screens, as well as film-related planning and operating costs.

As a reward for crowdfunding, NFTs will be issued, including the right to select films to be screened on 35mm film.

A new initiative is also being undertaken, allowing supporters to easily receive NFTs by simply verifying their email address, even if they do not have a wallet, and this is attracting attention as a groundbreaking project that uses crowdfunding and NFTs.